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
Barak says Netanyahu giving in to pressure from far right-Former Israeli prime minister says Likud party has been ‘taken over’ by settler movement-By Times of Israel staff June 3, 2017, 12:14 pm
Former prime minister Ehud Barak charged Saturday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was being heavily pressured by the extreme right in terms of state affairs and policy, adding that the Likud party had been “taken over” by the settler movement.“I do not like the Netanyahu’s changing discourse,” Barak said during an event in Tel Aviv, according to the Walla news site.“In recent years he has been in a state of mind that is rooted in his parents [beliefs] and has been exacerbated by the fact that the settler-aligned right has taken over the Likud.”Barak further asserted that the prime minister’s disposition was holding him back from handling the country’s affairs properly.“[Netanyahu] is pessimistic, passive, very anxious and feels like a victim. Because you are not doing anything to prevent them,” the ex-Israeli leader said.“This is not a good recipe for strategic decisions, and leads to paralysis, and to pessimistic prophecies that validate themselves because nothing is done to prevent them,” Barak concluded.Last month, Barak reportedly agreed to an initiative that would have seen him contend for the leadership of the Labor Party, but the plan fell through when other candidates refused his demand that they drop out of the race.Barak’s reported interest in the leadership of the Labor Party comes despite a number of recent denials by the former prime minister that he was weighing a return to politics, including in January when he said he had no plans return to political life or challenge Netanyahu for the premiership.Over the past year, the freshly bearded 75-year-old former politician has become an outspoken critic of Netanyahu, with his diatribes against the prime minister and his governing coalition on Twitter and television prompting speculation that Barak was preparing to throw his hat in the ring.Barak was the IDF’s longest-serving chief of staff and the country’s most decorated soldier, before becoming prime minister in 1999 after defeating Netanyahu in elections.Following his defeat in 2001 to the late Ariel Sharon, Barak temporarily retired from politics, but returned to the Labor Party in 2005. From 2007 to 2013 he served as defense minister, the last four years of which Netanyahu was prime minister.In 2011 he split from Labor along with four other MKs, forming the short-lived Independence Party in order to remain in Netanyahu’s coalition despite the objection of most of Labor. The party was effectively disbanded upon Barak’s retirement from politics in 2013.
Next round of Astana Syria peace talks set for mid-June-Negotiations between regime, rebels in Kazakh capital will aim to establish definitive borders for ‘de-escalation zones’-June 3, 2017, 3:07 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
MOSCOW — A fresh round of Syrian peace talks is scheduled for mid-June in the Kazakh capital, Syria’s envoy to Moscow said Saturday, with sponsors Russia, Iran and Turkey aiming to bolster safe zones in the country.Ambassador Riyad Haddad told Russia’s state-run RIA Novosti agency that Damascus had “received an invitation to participate in talks in Astana, to take place on 12-13 of this month.”Two rebel sources said they had not yet received an invitation.Moscow, a key backer of the talks, had earlier said it wanted a fresh round mid-June but has not given firm dates. Host Kazakhstan said it could not “confirm or deny” the talks were scheduled.At the last round of negotiations in May, regime backers Moscow and Tehran and rebel supporter Ankara agreed to establish four “de-escalation zones” to ease fighting in opposition areas.The zones — where aerial bombardments were supposed to stop — have ushered in a marked decrease in fighting on the ground, but there remain key outstanding issues to negotiate.The three powers have until Sunday to come up with proposals for definitive boundaries and are still wrangling over which countries should send in forces to police the safe zones.Moscow has spearheaded the talks in Astana since the start of the year as it tries to turn its game-changing military intervention on the ground into a negotiated settlement.The tetchy negotiations — seen as a complement to broader UN-backed talks in Geneva — have involved armed rebels and government officials and have focused mainly on military issues.
US-backed Syrian fighters advancing toward IS-held Raqqa-Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces say they are in control of 90 percent of the town of Mansoura-By AP June 3, 2017, 2:35 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
BEIRUT (AP) — US-backed Syrian forces say they are close to capturing an Islamic State-held town that lies halfway between the former IS-stronghold of Tabqa and its de facto capital, Raqqa, in northern Syria.The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces say they are in control of 90 percent of the town of Mansoura, approximately 26 kilometers (16 miles) southwest of Raqqa.The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the SDF has been engaged in fierce fighting with IS militants along the southern bank of the Euphrates River, around Mansoura. The river leads to Raqqa.The US has backed the SDF with weapons, airpower, and ground support in its campaign to defeat the Islamic State group in Syria. Its target for now is Raqqa, which has been held by the militants since 2014.
Police make fresh arrest over Manchester bombing-UK authorities detain 24-year-old on terror-related offenses bringing total number of suspects in custody to 11-By AFP June 3, 2017, 2:00 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
LONDON — British police said Saturday they had arrested a new suspect in the May 22 terrorist attack at a pop concert in Manchester, bringing to 11 the number of men in custody.Authorities arrested a 24-year-old man last night in Rusholme, an inner-city area of Manchester, it said in a statement.“He was arrested on suspicion of offense contrary to the terrorism act,” police added.Twenty-two people, including seven children, were killed in the attack at a concert by US singer Ariana Grande.The new arrest follows the evacuation Friday afternoon of an area in Rusholme after police identified a car they said “may be significant to the investigation.”Seventeen arrests have so far been made in the UK and six people have since been released without charge.Bomber Salman Abedi’s father and brother are also in detention in Libya, where authorities say the two brothers were both part of the Islamic State group which claimed responsibility for the attack.Ariana Grande returned to Manchester on Friday ahead of a charity concert to honor the victims of the attack.The singer visited some of her injured fans still being treated at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.“This means more to us than all the amazing things people have done,” Peter Mann, whose daughter Jaden was injured in the attack, told the BBC after Grande’s visit.Proceeds from Sunday’s concert will go to a fund set up to help the victims’ families.Performances at the 50,000 capacity stadium will kick off at 7.15pm (1815 GMT) and will be streamed online and broadcast by the BBC.Tickets went on sale Thursday, selling out within six minutes, with website Ticketmaster reporting “incredible” demand.
Tillerson faces task of defending Trump’s decision to allies-Amid global outrage over climate change pact, US secretary of state appears to be steering clear of his president’s latest controversial move-By Josh Lederman and Matthew Lee June 3, 2017, 1:33 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
WASHINGTON (AP) — As President Donald Trump announced America’s withdrawal from a global climate change pact, infuriating allies far and wide, the man charged with defending the decision to the world kept his distance.Having quietly lobbied Trump to stay in the pact, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was a few blocks away at the State Department, where America’s diplomats were bracing for a flood of protests from overseas. The European Council’s leader called Trump’s decision a “big mistake.” The typically understated German Chancellor Angela Merkel deemed it “extremely regrettable — and that’s putting it very mildly.” French President Emmanuel Macron trolled Trump’s campaign motto, saying all nations share a responsibility to “make our planet great again.”Trump’s climate reversal is the latest challenge he has presented to Tillerson, a newcomer himself to the world of diplomacy who is still working to establish his credibility as an advocate of American foreign policy. Not only did Trump appear to overrule Tillerson’s advice concerning the Paris agreement, but the decision fanned fears of the US abdicating its global leadership role and shunning international consensus on the world’s most pressing issues.Tillerson wasn’t the only Cabinet member to skip the Rose Garden ceremony where Trump announced his decision, but his absence was perhaps the most glaring. He met Trump only hours earlier in the White House. Tillerson’s aides maintained that he decided to follow his own schedule, which had him in his seventh-floor office on Thursday afternoon as Trump was speaking.Aides could not say if Tillerson watched the president on television. But he will be almost surely be required to recite the rationale for Trump’s pullout from the agreement cutting carbon emissions, given that his agency led the Paris deal negotiations and will now have to manage the international fallout.“I don’t think we’re going to change our ongoing efforts to reduce those emissions in the future,” Tillerson said Friday, playing down the president’s decision. “So hopefully people can keep it in perspective.”Tillerson called Trump’s action a “policy decision.” He insisted the US should be proud of its “terrific record” in cutting greenhouse gas emissions, even before the Paris pact took effect late last year.Trump’s announcement is renewing questions about the level of Tillerson’s influence on his boss’ mercurial foreign policy decision-making. Tillerson is the former CEO of Exxon Mobil, the world’s largest oil company and one that spent years examining climate science until grudgingly accepting the dangers of global warming. Still, his support for the Paris deal was insufficient to persuade Trump to stay in.This weekend, Tillerson visits Australia and New Zealand. Both countries have been outspoken in their climate change concerns and support for the Paris agreement. Tillerson is sure to hear an earful about the issue in the days, weeks, months and years ahead.“Tillerson’s credibility issues right now are far broader than just the Paris accord,” said Cecile Shea, a retired U.S. diplomat, now of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. She said the withdrawal compounded suspicions about U.S. leadership since Trump left the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal and questioned the NATO alliance.Tillerson’s argument to Trump was that leaving the agreement would diminish US influence in encouraging other countries to reduce their emissions, aides said. He didn’t argue that it would affect US efforts to reduce American emissions.“This was not a litmus test on the reality of climate change for him,” said R.C. Hammond, a senior Tillerson adviser. “He still sees a path forward on that and we’re also going to continue to work with our friends and allies on our priorities: national security and the economy.”Tillerson said repeatedly in his confirmation hearing in January that he accepted climate change is real and believed it was important for America to “have a seat at the table” in international discussions on the matter. Exxon, his former company, was on the record supporting the agreement and publicly encouraging Trump not to withdraw.Still, Tillerson’s support has been quieter than that of his predecessor: John Kerry. As Obama’s top diplomat, he played a major role persuading other governments to commit to cut their own emissions, even when it created political problems for them at home.Paris deal supporters, including Kerry, predicted Trump’s withdrawal would cause almost irreparable damage to America’s standing abroad and potentially its ability to negotiate future diplomatic agreements.“It is a global stain on our credibility that we will spend years, if not decades, working to remove,” Kerry said.But Ronald Neumann, a former U.S. ambassador who heads the American Academy of Diplomacy, noted Tillerson, like all secretaries of state, would occasionally lose policy battles.“I don’t think it particularly weakens him,” Neumann said, though he suggested a lack of clarity over the role the administration intends to play internationally could still be problematic for Tillerson’s diplomatic efforts.Thursday wasn’t a total loss for Tillerson. It began with Trump backtracking on a campaign pledge to move the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Tillerson, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and other members of the national security team strongly advised against relocating the embassy.
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
Barak says Netanyahu giving in to pressure from far right-Former Israeli prime minister says Likud party has been ‘taken over’ by settler movement-By Times of Israel staff June 3, 2017, 12:14 pm
Former prime minister Ehud Barak charged Saturday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was being heavily pressured by the extreme right in terms of state affairs and policy, adding that the Likud party had been “taken over” by the settler movement.“I do not like the Netanyahu’s changing discourse,” Barak said during an event in Tel Aviv, according to the Walla news site.“In recent years he has been in a state of mind that is rooted in his parents [beliefs] and has been exacerbated by the fact that the settler-aligned right has taken over the Likud.”Barak further asserted that the prime minister’s disposition was holding him back from handling the country’s affairs properly.“[Netanyahu] is pessimistic, passive, very anxious and feels like a victim. Because you are not doing anything to prevent them,” the ex-Israeli leader said.“This is not a good recipe for strategic decisions, and leads to paralysis, and to pessimistic prophecies that validate themselves because nothing is done to prevent them,” Barak concluded.Last month, Barak reportedly agreed to an initiative that would have seen him contend for the leadership of the Labor Party, but the plan fell through when other candidates refused his demand that they drop out of the race.Barak’s reported interest in the leadership of the Labor Party comes despite a number of recent denials by the former prime minister that he was weighing a return to politics, including in January when he said he had no plans return to political life or challenge Netanyahu for the premiership.Over the past year, the freshly bearded 75-year-old former politician has become an outspoken critic of Netanyahu, with his diatribes against the prime minister and his governing coalition on Twitter and television prompting speculation that Barak was preparing to throw his hat in the ring.Barak was the IDF’s longest-serving chief of staff and the country’s most decorated soldier, before becoming prime minister in 1999 after defeating Netanyahu in elections.Following his defeat in 2001 to the late Ariel Sharon, Barak temporarily retired from politics, but returned to the Labor Party in 2005. From 2007 to 2013 he served as defense minister, the last four years of which Netanyahu was prime minister.In 2011 he split from Labor along with four other MKs, forming the short-lived Independence Party in order to remain in Netanyahu’s coalition despite the objection of most of Labor. The party was effectively disbanded upon Barak’s retirement from politics in 2013.
Next round of Astana Syria peace talks set for mid-June-Negotiations between regime, rebels in Kazakh capital will aim to establish definitive borders for ‘de-escalation zones’-June 3, 2017, 3:07 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
MOSCOW — A fresh round of Syrian peace talks is scheduled for mid-June in the Kazakh capital, Syria’s envoy to Moscow said Saturday, with sponsors Russia, Iran and Turkey aiming to bolster safe zones in the country.Ambassador Riyad Haddad told Russia’s state-run RIA Novosti agency that Damascus had “received an invitation to participate in talks in Astana, to take place on 12-13 of this month.”Two rebel sources said they had not yet received an invitation.Moscow, a key backer of the talks, had earlier said it wanted a fresh round mid-June but has not given firm dates. Host Kazakhstan said it could not “confirm or deny” the talks were scheduled.At the last round of negotiations in May, regime backers Moscow and Tehran and rebel supporter Ankara agreed to establish four “de-escalation zones” to ease fighting in opposition areas.The zones — where aerial bombardments were supposed to stop — have ushered in a marked decrease in fighting on the ground, but there remain key outstanding issues to negotiate.The three powers have until Sunday to come up with proposals for definitive boundaries and are still wrangling over which countries should send in forces to police the safe zones.Moscow has spearheaded the talks in Astana since the start of the year as it tries to turn its game-changing military intervention on the ground into a negotiated settlement.The tetchy negotiations — seen as a complement to broader UN-backed talks in Geneva — have involved armed rebels and government officials and have focused mainly on military issues.
US-backed Syrian fighters advancing toward IS-held Raqqa-Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces say they are in control of 90 percent of the town of Mansoura-By AP June 3, 2017, 2:35 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
BEIRUT (AP) — US-backed Syrian forces say they are close to capturing an Islamic State-held town that lies halfway between the former IS-stronghold of Tabqa and its de facto capital, Raqqa, in northern Syria.The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces say they are in control of 90 percent of the town of Mansoura, approximately 26 kilometers (16 miles) southwest of Raqqa.The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the SDF has been engaged in fierce fighting with IS militants along the southern bank of the Euphrates River, around Mansoura. The river leads to Raqqa.The US has backed the SDF with weapons, airpower, and ground support in its campaign to defeat the Islamic State group in Syria. Its target for now is Raqqa, which has been held by the militants since 2014.
Police make fresh arrest over Manchester bombing-UK authorities detain 24-year-old on terror-related offenses bringing total number of suspects in custody to 11-By AFP June 3, 2017, 2:00 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
LONDON — British police said Saturday they had arrested a new suspect in the May 22 terrorist attack at a pop concert in Manchester, bringing to 11 the number of men in custody.Authorities arrested a 24-year-old man last night in Rusholme, an inner-city area of Manchester, it said in a statement.“He was arrested on suspicion of offense contrary to the terrorism act,” police added.Twenty-two people, including seven children, were killed in the attack at a concert by US singer Ariana Grande.The new arrest follows the evacuation Friday afternoon of an area in Rusholme after police identified a car they said “may be significant to the investigation.”Seventeen arrests have so far been made in the UK and six people have since been released without charge.Bomber Salman Abedi’s father and brother are also in detention in Libya, where authorities say the two brothers were both part of the Islamic State group which claimed responsibility for the attack.Ariana Grande returned to Manchester on Friday ahead of a charity concert to honor the victims of the attack.The singer visited some of her injured fans still being treated at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.“This means more to us than all the amazing things people have done,” Peter Mann, whose daughter Jaden was injured in the attack, told the BBC after Grande’s visit.Proceeds from Sunday’s concert will go to a fund set up to help the victims’ families.Performances at the 50,000 capacity stadium will kick off at 7.15pm (1815 GMT) and will be streamed online and broadcast by the BBC.Tickets went on sale Thursday, selling out within six minutes, with website Ticketmaster reporting “incredible” demand.
Tillerson faces task of defending Trump’s decision to allies-Amid global outrage over climate change pact, US secretary of state appears to be steering clear of his president’s latest controversial move-By Josh Lederman and Matthew Lee June 3, 2017, 1:33 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
WASHINGTON (AP) — As President Donald Trump announced America’s withdrawal from a global climate change pact, infuriating allies far and wide, the man charged with defending the decision to the world kept his distance.Having quietly lobbied Trump to stay in the pact, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was a few blocks away at the State Department, where America’s diplomats were bracing for a flood of protests from overseas. The European Council’s leader called Trump’s decision a “big mistake.” The typically understated German Chancellor Angela Merkel deemed it “extremely regrettable — and that’s putting it very mildly.” French President Emmanuel Macron trolled Trump’s campaign motto, saying all nations share a responsibility to “make our planet great again.”Trump’s climate reversal is the latest challenge he has presented to Tillerson, a newcomer himself to the world of diplomacy who is still working to establish his credibility as an advocate of American foreign policy. Not only did Trump appear to overrule Tillerson’s advice concerning the Paris agreement, but the decision fanned fears of the US abdicating its global leadership role and shunning international consensus on the world’s most pressing issues.Tillerson wasn’t the only Cabinet member to skip the Rose Garden ceremony where Trump announced his decision, but his absence was perhaps the most glaring. He met Trump only hours earlier in the White House. Tillerson’s aides maintained that he decided to follow his own schedule, which had him in his seventh-floor office on Thursday afternoon as Trump was speaking.Aides could not say if Tillerson watched the president on television. But he will be almost surely be required to recite the rationale for Trump’s pullout from the agreement cutting carbon emissions, given that his agency led the Paris deal negotiations and will now have to manage the international fallout.“I don’t think we’re going to change our ongoing efforts to reduce those emissions in the future,” Tillerson said Friday, playing down the president’s decision. “So hopefully people can keep it in perspective.”Tillerson called Trump’s action a “policy decision.” He insisted the US should be proud of its “terrific record” in cutting greenhouse gas emissions, even before the Paris pact took effect late last year.Trump’s announcement is renewing questions about the level of Tillerson’s influence on his boss’ mercurial foreign policy decision-making. Tillerson is the former CEO of Exxon Mobil, the world’s largest oil company and one that spent years examining climate science until grudgingly accepting the dangers of global warming. Still, his support for the Paris deal was insufficient to persuade Trump to stay in.This weekend, Tillerson visits Australia and New Zealand. Both countries have been outspoken in their climate change concerns and support for the Paris agreement. Tillerson is sure to hear an earful about the issue in the days, weeks, months and years ahead.“Tillerson’s credibility issues right now are far broader than just the Paris accord,” said Cecile Shea, a retired U.S. diplomat, now of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. She said the withdrawal compounded suspicions about U.S. leadership since Trump left the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal and questioned the NATO alliance.Tillerson’s argument to Trump was that leaving the agreement would diminish US influence in encouraging other countries to reduce their emissions, aides said. He didn’t argue that it would affect US efforts to reduce American emissions.“This was not a litmus test on the reality of climate change for him,” said R.C. Hammond, a senior Tillerson adviser. “He still sees a path forward on that and we’re also going to continue to work with our friends and allies on our priorities: national security and the economy.”Tillerson said repeatedly in his confirmation hearing in January that he accepted climate change is real and believed it was important for America to “have a seat at the table” in international discussions on the matter. Exxon, his former company, was on the record supporting the agreement and publicly encouraging Trump not to withdraw.Still, Tillerson’s support has been quieter than that of his predecessor: John Kerry. As Obama’s top diplomat, he played a major role persuading other governments to commit to cut their own emissions, even when it created political problems for them at home.Paris deal supporters, including Kerry, predicted Trump’s withdrawal would cause almost irreparable damage to America’s standing abroad and potentially its ability to negotiate future diplomatic agreements.“It is a global stain on our credibility that we will spend years, if not decades, working to remove,” Kerry said.But Ronald Neumann, a former U.S. ambassador who heads the American Academy of Diplomacy, noted Tillerson, like all secretaries of state, would occasionally lose policy battles.“I don’t think it particularly weakens him,” Neumann said, though he suggested a lack of clarity over the role the administration intends to play internationally could still be problematic for Tillerson’s diplomatic efforts.Thursday wasn’t a total loss for Tillerson. It began with Trump backtracking on a campaign pledge to move the US Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Tillerson, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and other members of the national security team strongly advised against relocating the embassy.
