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)
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
WE ARE HAPPY THAT BILLY GRAHAM IS UNITED IN DEATH TODAY WITH HIS SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST IN HEAVEN FOR NOW. BUT WHEN JESUS AND THE CHRISTIANS IN HEAVEN AND THE FUTURE RAPTURED CHRISTIANS LITERALLY RETURN TO EARTH BODILY WITH JESUS. WE KNOW BILLY GRAHAM WILL BE A LEADER OF A WHOLE COUNTRY. BECAUSE OF HIS DEDICATION TO GETTING THE GOSPEL OUT. WE CHRISTIANS KNOW DEATH HAS NO STING TO US. TO BE ABSENT FROM THE BODY (DEAD). WE GO INSTANTLY TO HEAVEN TO JESUS. THATS OUR HOPE. UNLIKE THE LIBERALS HOPELESS LIFE. THEY HAVE NO GUARENTEE OF HEAVEN. ONLY HELL FOR THEM. AND WHOEVER IS NOT SAVED BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS.
PROPHECY WHEN BILLY GRAHAM DIES.THE CHURCH WILL COME TO LIFE.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=11&v=9yMztNyZ9c4
Benny Hinn: The Church Will Come Out of Hiding When Billy Graham Dies-CHARISMA NEWS-10:00AM EDT 9/16/2016 Jessilyn Justice
The church is hiding away like Elijah in the caves, a group of prophets say. But not for much longer."We are coming into perhaps the most significant day in church history," Mark Chirona tells Benny Hinn. That's the day when the church breaks away from her hiding place and explodes around the world.The sign, Hinn says, will be Billy Graham's death.
BREAKING: Billy Graham Dies at 99-8:31AM EST 2/21/2018 Charisma News Staff
Evangelist Billy Graham has died in his home in North Carolina at 99.Graham took Christ literally when He said in Mark 16:15, "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature."Graham has preached the gospel to more people in live audiences than anyone else in history—nearly 215 million people in more than 185 countries and territories—through various meetings, including Mission World and Global Mission. Hundreds of millions more have been reached through television, video, film and webcasts.Since the 1949 Los Angeles Crusade vaulted Graham into the public eye, he has led hundreds of thousands of individuals to make personal decisions to live for Christ, which was the main thrust of his ministry.Born November 7, 1918, four days before the Armistice ended World War I, Graham was reared on a dairy farm in Charlotte, NC. Growing up during the Depression, he learned the value of hard work on the family farm, but he also found time to spend many hours in the hayloft reading books on a wide variety of subjects.In the fall of 1934, at age 15, Graham made a personal commitment to Christ through the ministry of Mordecai Ham, a traveling evangelist, who visited Charlotte for a series of revival meetings.Ordained in 1939 by a church in the Southern Baptist Convention, Graham received a solid foundation in the Scriptures at Florida Bible Institute (now Trinity College in Florida). In 1943 he graduated from Wheaton College in Illinois and married fellow student Ruth McCue Bell, daughter of a missionary surgeon, who spent the first 17 years of her life in China.After graduating from college, Graham pastored the First Baptist Church in Western Springs, Illinois, before joining Youth for Christ, an organization founded for ministry to youth and servicemen during World War II. He preached throughout the United States and in Europe in the immediate post war era, emerging as a rising young evangelist.The Los Angeles Crusade in 1949 launched Graham into international prominence. Scheduled for three weeks, the meetings were extended to more than eight weeks, with overflow crowds filling a tent erected downtown each night.Many of his subsequent early crusades were similarly extended, including one in London, which lasted 12 weeks, and a New York City Crusade in Madison Square Garden in 1957 which ran nightly for 16 weeks.Graham and his ministry are known around the globe. He preached in remote African villages and in the heart of New York City, and those to whom he ministered ranged from heads of state to the simple living bushmen of Australia and the wandering tribes of Africa and the Middle East. Since 1977, Graham was given the opportunity to conduct preaching missions in virtually every country of the former Eastern bloc, including the former Soviet Union.In 2013, Graham had the vision for proclaiming the gospel across North America, prompting the implementation of My Hope with Billy Graham, a grassroots evangelism outreach in the United States and Canada combining personal relationships with the power of modern media. The My Hope strategy encourages participants to reach out to people they already know and engage in meaningful conversation and connections as a catalyst for sharing the hope and love found in a relationship with Jesus Christ. As he approached his 95th birthday, Graham recorded a new video message for the project, which was made available for use in homes across the nation as a tool for sharing the gospel.Graham founded the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) in 1950, headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, until relocating to Charlotte in 2003.He wrote 32 books, many of which became top sellers. His autobiography Just As I Am, published in 1997, achieved a "triple crown," appearing simultaneously on the three top best-seller lists in one week. In it, Graham reflects on his life, including more than 70 years of ministry around the world. From humble beginnings as the son of a dairy farmer in North Carolina, he shares how his unwavering faith in Christ formed and shaped his career.Graham's more recent works included Where I Am: Heaven, Eternity and Our Life Beyond (2015), The Reason for My Hope: Salvation (2013), The Heaven Answer Book (2012), Nearing Home (2011) and Storm Warning (2010). Nearing Home was selected as the 2012 Christian Book of the Year by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. Of his other books, Approaching Hoofbeats: The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1983) was listed for several weeks on The New York Times best-seller list; How to Be Born Again (1977) had the largest first printing in publishing history with 800,000 copies; Angels: God's Secret Agents (1975) sold one million copies within 90 days; and The Jesus Generation (1971) sold 200,000 copies in the first two weeks.Graham's counsel was sought by presidents, and his appeal in both the secular and religious arenas is evidenced by the wide range of groups that have honored him, including numerous honorary doctorates from many institutions in the U. S. and abroad.Recognitions include the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation Freedom Award (2000) for contributions to the cause of freedom; the Congressional Gold Medal (1996); the Templeton Foundation Prize for Progress in Religion (1982); and the Big Brother Award for his work on behalf of the welfare of children (1966). In 1964 he received the Speaker of the Year Award and was cited by the George Washington Carver Memorial Institute for his contributions to race relations. He was recognized by the Anti-Defamation League of the B'nai B'rith in 1969 and the National Conference of Christians and Jews in 1971 for his efforts to foster a better understanding among all faiths. In December 2001 he was presented with an honorary knighthood, Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE), for his international contribution to civic and religious life over 60 years.Graham as regularly listed by the Gallup organization as one of the "Ten Most Admired Men in the World," whom it described as the dominant figure in that poll since 1948—making an unparalleled 56th appearance and 50th consecutive appearance in 2012. He has also appeared on the covers of Time, Newsweek, Life, U.S. News and World Report, Parade and numerous other magazines and has been the subject of many newspaper and magazine feature articles and books.Graham lost his wife of nearly 64 years, Ruth Bell Graham, in June of 2007. Together they had three daughters, two sons, 19 grandchildren and numerous great grandchildren.
At UN, Abbas urges multilateral peace effort, lays out plan for talks-In address to Security Council, Palestinian Authority president claims there are 13 million Palestinian refugees in Israel and abroad-By Jacob Magid-TOI-FEB 20,18
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called for a “multilateral international mechanism” to pave the way for Palestinian statehood while addressing the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday.In the rare address to the world body, Abbas also accused Israel and the United States of obstructing peace efforts.“To solve the Palestine question, it is essential to establish a multilateral international mechanism emanating from an international conference,” the PA president said, adding that he anticipated a summit by mid-2018.The plan is designed to replace the central role that the United States has played as mediator in the peace process and has been pushed by Abbas since US President Donald Trump’s December 6 decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.“The administration has taken Jerusalem off the table,” Abbas said, quoting the words used by Trump last month to describe the declaration.The PA president also panned the US administration’s failure to clarify its position on whether or not it supports a two-state solution to the conflict. He lashed out at Washington’s decision to cut aid from the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, “which they helped establish,” and blasted the US threats to close down the offices of the Palestine Liberation Organization in Washington.Abbas asserted that the Palestinians “are ready to begin negotiations immediately in order to achieve peace.” But he also conditioned negotiations on the withdrawal of Trump’s Jerusalem recognition and the cessation of Israeli settlement building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.He said his proposed “multilateral international mechanism” should lead to full UN membership for the state of Palestine, mutual recognition of Israel and a Palestinian state, and the creation of a new international mechanism to reach a final settlement.Critics from Israel and the US panned his speech as nothing new and disputed his assertion that the Palestinians have never rejected negotiations with Israel.Abbas also pledged to “intensify” his efforts to obtain full member state status at the UN, where the Palestinians are currently considered a non-member observer state.The Palestinians, Abbas argued, have a historical presence in the territory dating back “5,000 years.”“We are descendants of the Canaanites that lived in Palestine 5,000 years ago, and have continuously remained there to this day,” the PA president insisted as he began his speech, adding that there are currently 13 million Palestinian refugees in Israel, the West Bank, and abroad.Arguing that it undermined peace efforts, Abbas lambasted Israel’s continued settlement construction and “continued occupation of Palestinian lands,” claiming that that the PA had “become an authority without authority.”“We are working for the occupation, we are employees for the occupation, and we say that Israel must be held to its obligations as an occupying power,” he said.The comments echoed hardline Palestinian critics of the PA, who charge that the administrative body works at the behest of Israel.Abbas also appeared to attempt to walk back recent comments — derided as anti-Semitic — in which he denied the Jewish connection to Israel, saying that “our problems are not with the Jewish people. Our problem is only with the occupiers of our land.”In attendance at the UN hall for the speech was Trump’s special adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner, who has been tasked with managing Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts for the White House. Joining him was Jason Greenblatt, Trump’s special envoy for the peace process.Welcomed by Israel, Trump’s December 6 announcement angered the Palestinians, who also consider the city the capital of their future state, and led them to say the US had disqualified itself from its traditional role as lead mediator in talks with Israel.Responding to the speech, a White House spokesperson characterized Abbas’s comments as “old talking points and undeveloped concepts for each of the core issues,” saying they would not achieve piece.“We are trying to do the opposite and will continue working on our plan which is designed to benefit both the Israeli and Palestinian people. We will present it when it is done and the time is right,” Spokesman Josh Raffel said in a statement.In a statement ahead of the visit, Abbas’s spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina told state media that a “new phase of struggle has started,” as they seek to protect their claim to Jerusalem. Senior Palestinian official Nasser al-Qudwa said on Monday that Abbas would be looking to gain support for a multilateral initiative, but added that the Palestinians would not dictate what shape it would take.The 2015 Iranian nuclear agreement negotiated by the so-called P5+1 — the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany — is seen by many Palestinians as a good example.“We can live with different formats, the P5, P5+1, expanded Quartet, we can live with an international peace conference,” Qudwa told a news conference in Ramallah.“Anything that can do the job, provide a reasonable basis for negotiation and follow up the process — sponsor it until it successfully concludes.”Israel, which often accuses both the European Union and the United Nations of bias against it, would not accept any mediator other than the US.The United Nations granted Palestine the status of a non-member observer state in 1992, but an upgrade to full membership would require unanimous backing from the Security Council — an unlikely outcome, given the near-certainly of a US veto.The Trump administration is preparing a new peace plan even though chances for agreement appear dim.In December, the General Assembly voted 128-9, with 35 abstentions, to reject the US decision to recognize Jerusalem. That vote in the 193-nation assembly came after 14 of the 15 council members voted in favor of a similar measure. The United States vetoed that draft resolution.AFP contributed to this report.
Haley to Abbas: US wants a peace deal but will not ‘chase after you’-Hitting back at top Palestinian negotiator, Washington's envoy to United Nations tells Saeb Erekat 'I will not shut up'-By Eric Cortellessa-TOI-FEB 20,18
WASHINGTON — US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley on Tuesday said Washington would not “chase” the Palestinians to the negotiating table with Israel, following Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s speech to the UN Security Council.Speaking in front of US President Donald Trump’s top two Middle East peace negotiators — Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt — Abbas excoriated the US president’s decision last year to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and set in motion plans to move the the US embassy there, characterizing it as “an unlawful decision.”Abbas then called for a multilateral international effort to secure Palestinian statehood, thus removing the US from its traditional role as the key mediator in negotiations.The White House, however, said shortly after his remarks that it still planned to push ahead with finalizing its peace plan and presenting it at a later date.Washington “will continue working on our plan, which is designed to benefit both the Israeli and Palestinian people,” said Josh Raffel, an administration spokesman. “We will present it when it is done and the time is right.”Haley also addressed the Security Council Tuesday. Although Abbas left the chamber after his speech, she dedicated a sizable portion of her time addressing the PA leader.“The United States stands ready to work with the Palestinian leadership,” she said to Abbas. “Our negotiators are sitting right behind me, ready to talk. But we will not chase after you. The choice, Mr. President, is yours.”Earlier in her speech, she referenced the top Palestinian negotiator’s admonishment of her earlier this month that she should “shut up.”“I will decline the advice I was recently given by your top negotiator Saeb Erekat,” she said. “I will not shut up. Rather, I will respectfully speak some hard truths.”Haley told the Palestinians they had two choices: either go on a “path of absolutist demands, hateful rhetoric, and incitement to violence” or a “path of negotiation and compromise.” The latter, she said, “remains open to the Palestinian leadership if only it is courageous enough to take it.”“You can choose to denounce the United States, reject its role in peace talks, and pursue punitive measures against Israel in international forums like the UN. I assure that path will get the Palestinian people exactly nowhere toward the achievement of their aspirations,” she went on. “Or you can choose to put aside your anger about the location of our embassy and move forward with us toward a negotiated compromise that holds great potential for improving the lives of the Palestinian people.”Israel’s ambassador to the UN also castigated Abbas for his speech, saying it revealed the Palestinian leader as obstructing peace efforts.“You have made it clear, with your words and with your actions, that you are no longer part of the solution. You are the problem,” Danny Danon told Abbas while speaking before the Security Council.Meanwhile, Nickolay Mladenov, the UN’s Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, warned that ongoing Israeli settlement construction was corroding the possibility a Palestinian state’s formation.“The global consensus for a two-state solution could be eroding,” he said, adding that “obstacles on the ground” are increasingly preventing its realization.The UN envoy also rejected Israeli settlement construction as a government response to recent deadly terror attacks on Israeli civilians in the West Bank.“Settlement construction is not a morally appropriate way to respond to murder,” he said.
Ministers rip into Abbas, accuse him of distorting history-'Dr. Abbas and Mr. Abu Mazen, we all know who you are,' says defense minister; from opposition, Lapid attacks inflated figure of Palestinian refugees-By TOI staff-FEB 20,18
Israeli politicians slammed Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for his speech to the UN Security Council Tuesday, branding him a “liar,” a falsifier of history, and accusing him of duplicity.Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, the leader of the coalition Yisrael Beiteynu party, alluded to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in his condemnation of Abbas’s speech.“We have been committed to fostering a culture of peace, rejection of violence,” said Abbas, adding that he would intensify efforts to secure full UN recognition.“Dr. Abbas and Mr. Abu Mazen, we all know who you are,” Liberman tweeted. “With one hand you pay salaries to terrorists who strike at Israel, and their families, and with the other hand you ask the United Nations for recognition.”Education Minister Naftali Bennett (Jewish Home), meanwhile, accused Abbas of distorting the Palestinians’ history.In his speech, Abbas had said, “We are the descendants of the Canaanites that lived in the land of Palestine 5,000 years ago and continuously remained there to this day.”“A nation inventing its past has no future,” said Bennett. “The Palestinians’ ancestors may have existed 5,000 years ago, but further south, on the Arab peninsula. I suggest Abbas focus not on building an imaginary past, but rather on creating a practical future.”From the opposition, Yesh Atid head Yair Lapid accused Abbas of inflating the number of Palestinian refugees, which he had put at 13 million.“Abu Mazen’s [Abbas] words about refugees in the UN are a baldfaced lie,” Lapid wrote on Twitter. “It doesn’t make sense that the world allows the Palestinians to be the only people in the world whose refugee status is handed down as an inheritance.”“There are not millions of Palestinian refugees and there never were. Israel will never agree to the right of return,” added Lapid.However, not all Israeli politicians criticized the speech. Zehava Galon, chairwoman of the left-wing Meretz party, praised Abbas’s suggestion of an international peace conference, but said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would be unable to agree to a deal.“In any other situation I’d say that Mahmoud Abbas’s proposal for an international peace conference was a good idea, but the prime minister of Israel is a person who does not have a mandate to return territories,” Galon tweeted. “But it’s always fun to see [Israel’s UN] Ambassador [Danny] Danon blaming Abbas for refusing peace, a week after Netanyahu announced he was working to annex the territories.”In his speech, Abbas had called for a “multilateral international mechanism” to pave the way for Palestinian statehood, while accusing Israel and the United States of obstructing peace efforts.“To solve the Palestine question, it is essential to establish a multilateral international mechanism emanating from an international conference,” the PA president said, adding that he anticipated a summit by mid-2018.The Palestinian Authority leader immediately left the council chamber following his address, leaving Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon to complain that he was once again “running away” from dialogue.“You have made it clear, with your words and with your actions, that you are no longer part of the solution. You are the problem,” Danon said.AFP contributed to this report.
Netanyahu: Abbas running away from peace, UN speech is ‘nothing new’-Ministers accuse PA leader of distorting history, being duplicitous; from opposition, Lapid attacks inflated figure of Palestinian refugees-By TOI staff-FEB 20,18
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu castigated Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s address at the UN Security Council Tuesday, saying the PA leader was “running away from peace.”“Abbas did not say anything new. He continues to run away from peace and continues to pay terrorists and their families $347 million,” Netanyahu said in a statement.The figure cited by the prime minister was based on the sum calculated by the Defense Ministry as the amount the PA in 2017 paid the families of imprisoned Palestinians who have carried out attacks against Israelis, and to those killed while carrying out attacks. The Defense Ministry said the Palestinian Authority had paid out NIS 1.2 billion ($350 million) last year in such payments.“We have been committed to fostering a culture of peace, rejection of violence,” said Abbas, adding that he would intensify efforts to secure full UN recognition.Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, the leader of the coalition Yisrael Beiteynu party, alluded to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in his earlier condemnation of Abbas’s speech.“Dr. Abbas and Mr. Abu Mazen, we all know who you are,” Liberman tweeted. “With one hand you pay salaries to terrorists who strike at Israel, and their families, and with the other hand you ask the United Nations for recognition.”Education Minister Naftali Bennett (Jewish Home), meanwhile, accused Abbas of distorting the Palestinians’ history.In his speech, Abbas had said, “We are the descendants of the Canaanites that lived in the land of Palestine 5,000 years ago and continuously remained there to this day.”“A nation inventing its past has no future,” said Bennett. “The Palestinians’ ancestors may have existed 5,000 years ago, but further south, on the Arab peninsula. I suggest Abbas focus not on building an imaginary past, but rather on creating a practical future.”From the opposition, Yesh Atid head Yair Lapid accused Abbas of inflating the number of Palestinian refugees, which Abbas had put at 13 million.“Abu Mazen’s [Abbas] words about refugees in the UN are a baldfaced lie,” Lapid wrote on Twitter. “It doesn’t make sense that the world allows the Palestinians to be the only people in the world whose refugee status is handed down as an inheritance.”“There are not millions of Palestinian refugees and there never were. Israel will never agree to the right of return,” added Lapid.However, not all Israeli politicians criticized the speech. Zehava Galon, chairwoman of the left-wing Meretz party, praised Abbas’s suggestion of an international peace conference, but said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would be unable to agree to a deal.“In any other situation I’d say that Mahmoud Abbas’s proposal for an international peace conference was a good idea, but the prime minister of Israel is a person who does not have a mandate to return territories,” Galon tweeted. “But it’s always fun to see [Israel’s UN] Ambassador [Danny] Danon blaming Abbas for refusing peace, a week after Netanyahu announced he was working to annex the territories.”In his speech, Abbas had called for a “multilateral international mechanism” to pave the way for Palestinian statehood, while accusing Israel and the United States of obstructing peace efforts.“To solve the Palestine question, it is essential to establish a multilateral international mechanism emanating from an international conference,” the PA president said, adding that he anticipated a summit by mid-2018.The Palestinian Authority leader immediately left the council chamber following his address, leaving Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon to complain that he was once again “running away” from dialogue.“You have made it clear, with your words and with your actions, that you are no longer part of the solution. You are the problem,” Danon said.AFP contributed to this report.
Nearly 200 civilians dead in Syria rebel enclave as tragedy unfolds-UN warns situation in Eastern Ghouta 'spiraling out of control,' as 57 children are killed in bloodiest bombardments in four years-By Abdulmonam Eassa-TOI-FEB 20,18
ARBIN, Syria (AFP) — Airstrikes hit Syria’s Eastern Ghouta for a third straight day on Tuesday, bringing the civilian death toll to nearly 200 as the UN warned the situation in the rebel enclave was spinning “out of control.”Air strikes and rocket and artillery fire have battered the rebel-held enclave since Sunday in apparent preparation for a government ground assault on the besieged region.At least 194 civilians have been killed, among them 57 children, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.On Monday alone, 127 civilians, including 39 children, were killed in the bombardment — the single bloodiest day for Eastern Ghouta in four years.Fresh air strikes on Tuesday morning killed at least 50 civilians, including 13 children, the Britain-based war monitor said.Held by rebels since 2012, Eastern Ghouta is the last opposition pocket around Damascus and President Bashar Assad is keen to retake it with an apparently imminent ground assault.The UN’s regional humanitarian coordinator for Syria Panos Moumtzis has warned that the targeting of civilians in the enclave “must stop now.”“The humanitarian situation of civilians in East Ghouta is spiraling out of control. It’s imperative to end this senseless human suffering now,” Moumtzis said on Monday.The UN has repeatedly called for a month-long ceasefire across Syria’s front lines, from Eastern Ghouta to the Kurdish enclave of Afrin in the northwest, which Turkey threatened on Tuesday to lay siege to in the coming days.-‘No words’-“February 19 was the one of the worst days that we’ve ever had in the history of this crisis,” said an exhausted doctor in a hospital in Eastern Ghouta.Identifying himself as Abu al-Yasar, he described treating a one-year-old brought into the Arbin hospital with blue skin and a faint pulse, rescued from under the rubble.“I opened his mouth to put in a breathing tube and I found it packed with dirt,” Abu al-Yaar told AFP.He pulled out the dirt as fast as possible, put in the breathing tube and managed to save the baby’s life.“This is just one story from among hundreds of wounded.”The bloodshed prompted the UN children’s agency UNICEF to issue a largely blank statement on Tuesday to express its anger.“We no longer have the words to describe children’s suffering and our outrage,” the agency said in a brief postscript beneath the empty space on the page.“Do those inflicting the suffering still have words to justify their barbaric acts?”More than 400,000 people live in Eastern Ghouta, which has been surrounded by government troops since 2013. Food, medicine, and other basic necessities are nearly impossible to obtain.-Imminent ground assault-Eastern Ghouta is mostly held by two hardline rebel groups — Jaish al-Islam and Faylaq al-Rahman — though jihadists have a smaller foothold.The factions often fire rockets and mortar rounds into residential neighborhoods of east Damascus.On Tuesday, at least four people were killed and 15 wounded by rebel fire on the capital, state television reported.Al-Watan newspaper, which is close to the government, said on Tuesday that the bombing campaign “comes ahead of a vast operation on Ghouta, which may start on the ground at any moment.”Both Al-Watan and the Observatory had earlier reported ongoing negotiations for the withdrawal of jihadists from the enclave.But the escalating bombardment suggests the regime will likely opt for a ground assault.It already waged a ferocious five-day air assault on Eastern Ghouta earlier this month that left around 250 civilians dead and hundreds wounded.More than 340,000 people have been killed since the civil war erupted in 2011 when protests against Assad’s government were brutally crushed.An array of rebels, some of them jihadist, have since carved out zones of control as have the Kurdish minority, and the government and its allies.Turkey has been waging an air and ground offensive against the Kurdish-controlled enclave of Afrin just across the border for the past month.President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday defended the operation’s slow progress, saying it was to avoid putting the lives of both Turkish troops and civilians needlessly at risk.He told parliament Turkish troops and their Syrian rebel allies would lay siege to the town of Afrin “in the coming days.”Ankara says the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), which controls Afrin, is a “terrorist” offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has waged an insurgency in southeastern Turkey since 1984.
Israeli lawmakers take aim at Abbas over UN speech-Addressing PA chief's claim Palestinians have been in Israel for 5,000 years, Bennett says 'a nation that invents its past has no future'-By Alexander Fulbright-FEB 20,18
7:19 pm-Polish opposition wants to amend disputed Holocaust bill-WARSAW, Poland — The main Polish opposition party on Tuesday tables an amendment to the government’s controversial Holocaust bill, which was meant to defend Warsaw’s image abroad but instead stoked tensions with Israel, Ukraine, and the US.However, the liberal Civic Platform (PO) party’s proposal has no chance of being adopted since the governing right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party controls both houses of parliament.“The political crisis triggered by clumsy and disastrous diplomacy, by thoughtless remarks, has brought us to a point where we politicians are forced to react,” PO leader Grzegorz Schetyna tells reporters.“We are proposing a draft amendment that should correct the mistakes.”Poland’s opposition suggests replacing the bill’s controversial passage with penalties against “anyone who, publicly and contrary to the facts, attributes to the Polish state responsibility or co-responsibility for the German Third Reich’s creation of concentration and death camps, as well as for the genocide that took place there, or who minimizes to a flagrant degree the responsibility of the real authors of these crimes by using the terms ‘Polish death camps’ and ‘Polish concentration camps.'”The PO also suggests deleting a passage concerning crimes committed against Poles by Ukrainians, which according to Kiev presents Ukrainians as nothing but “nationalist criminals” and “Third Reich collaborators.”— AFP-6:59 pm-Lapid says Abbas speech a ‘crude lie’-Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid calls Abbas’ speech to the Security Council a “crude lie” and criticizes the UN’s policy of granting the descendants of Palestinian refugees refugee status.“Abu Mazen’s remarks at the UN on the the issue of refugees are a crude lie,” tweets Lapid, using Abbas’ nickname. “The world can’t allow the Palestinians to be the only nation in the world in which refugee status is inherited.”“There aren’t millions of Palestinian refugees. There never were. Israel will never agree to the right of return,” he adds.6:52 pm-Bennett on Abbas speech: ‘A nation that invents its past has no future’-Education Minister Naftali Bennett blasts Abbas for his claim the Palestinians are the descendants of Canaanites and have been in the Land of Israel for over 5,00 years.“A nation that invents its past has no future,” tweets Bennett.“The ancestors of the Palestinians maybe existed 5,000 years ago, but south of here in the Arabian Peninsula. I recommend to [Abbas] to focus not on constructing an imaginary past but rather creating a practical future,” he adds.6:49 pm--Liberman to Abbas: ‘We all know who you are’-Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman attacks Abbas over his Security Council speech.“Dr. Abbas and Mr. Abu Mazen, we all know who you are,” tweets Liberman, using Abbas’ nickname. “One hand pays salaries to terrorists who harm Israelis and the other requests recognition from the UN.”6:37 pm--Nikki Haley to Erekat: ‘I will not shut up’-Nikki Haley responds to top Palestinian negotiator Saab Erekat’s remark she should “shut up.”“I will not shut up. Rather, I will respectfully speak some hard truths,” she says.Haley says the Palestinians must “put aside” their anger over the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.She says the US is ready to broker peace talks immediately, noting the presence of negotiators Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt behind her.But, she says: “We will not chase after you. The choice [Abbas] is yours.”6:35 pm-Nikki Haley: UN using Israel as a ‘scapegoat’ for regional problems-Nikki Haley slams UN member states for “using the most democratic country in the Middle East as a scapegoat for the region’s problems.”She says Israelis have suffered due to the conflict, with many dying in stabbings, shootings, and suicide bombings.She says Palestinians are also suffering, with those in Gaza having to live under Hamas’ rule.6:26 pm-Haley slams UN for ‘disproportionate focus’ on Israeli-Palestinian conflict-US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley criticizes the Security Council for its “disproportionate focus” on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.“It is as if saying the same things repeatedly without the necessary compromises and hard work will achieve anything,” she says.Haley slams the UN for not instead focusing on other Middle East conflicts, such as in Yemen and Syria.6:22 pm-Israeli envoy: ‘When we extend a hand, Abbas extends a fist’-US Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon criticizes Abbas for not positively responding to Israeli overtures to restart peace talks.“When we extend a hand, Abbas extends a fist,” he says.He criticizes Abbas for seeking to reconcile with the Palestinian terror group Hamas.6:19 pm-Israeli envoy says Palestinians ‘choose conflict over coexistence’-Israel’s ambassador to the UN says the Palestinians should take after Egyptian and Jordanian leaders who reached peace deals with Israel.“But the Palestinian leadership continues to choose conflict over coexistence,” Danny Danon says.Danon criticizes the Palestinians for missing numerous opportunities to seal a peace deal, such as the Camp David talks and prime minister Ehud Olmert’s peace offer.6:12 pm-Israeli envoy to Abbas: You’re the problem, not the solution-Israeli envoy to the UN Danny Danon blames Abbas for the absence of an Israeli-Palestinian peace process.“Mr. Abbas, you have made it clear with your words and your actions, you are no longer part of the solution. You are the problem,” Danon says.He attacks Abbas for speaking differently to Palestinian and international audiences. He takes aim at Abbas for claiming Israel is a European colonial state and that Jews have no claim to the Temple Mount.“You inspire a culture of hate in Palestinian society,” he says.6:09 pm--Israeli envoy says Abbas ‘ran away’ from direct dialogue-US Ambassador to Israel Danny Danon responds to Abbas’ speech.He says Abbas “ran away.” Abbas quickly exited the Security Council room at the end of his speech.Danon says he wanted a direct discussion with Abbas.5:57 pm-Abbas: ‘Deadlock’ in peace talks due to US Jerusalem recognition, settlementsAbbas says the “deadlock” in peace talks is due to the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, Israeli settlement building in the West Bank and Israel’s “disrespect” of Security Council resolutions.5:57 pm-Abbas: Recognition of Palestinian state doesn’t undermine peace talks-Abbas says unilateral recognition of an independent Palestinian state would not undermine negotiations.He calls on Security Council members who do not recognize such a state to do so.5:56 pm-Rejecting US role, Abbas calls for multilateral ‘mechanism’ for peace talks-Abbas calls for a multilateral “mechanism” to reach an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal in a rejection of the US’ traditional role as the broker of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.He says this is not a rejection of negotiations or a call for violence.5:50 pm-Abbas: Trump ‘punishing’ Palestinian refugees with UNRWA cuts-Abbas says Trump is “punishing” Palestinian refugees with cuts to UNRWA, the UN’s refugee agency for Palestinian refugees.He also criticizes the Trump administration for its recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and failure to fully endorse a two-state solution.5:46 pm-Abbas: Israel engaging in ‘permanent settlement colonization’-Abbas accuses Israel of acting as a “state above the law” and creating “permanent settlement colonization.”He says the Palestinians have no problems with Jews or Judaism, only the “occupiers of their land.”5:44 pm-Abbas claims Palestinians never rejected negotiations with Israel-Abbas says the Palestinians have long been commited to negotiations, name-checking a long list of conferences and meetings held over the past two decades to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.Abbas says Palestinians have never rejected negotiations, blaming Israel for failed rounds of peace talks.5:37 pm-Abbas says Palestinians ‘are the descendants of Canaanites’-PA President Mahmoud Abbas tells the UN Security Council “we are the descendants of the Canaanites that lived in the land 5,000 years ago and continued to live there to this day.”He slams the UK’s Balfour Declaration and says the British government bears responsibility for its “catastrophic consequences.”5:24 pm-UN envoy warns of ‘perpetual reality of permanent occupation’ without peace deal-UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov addresses the UN Security Council on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.Mladenov warns of a “perpetual reality of permanent occupation” in the absence of a two-state deal.He says there is a need for “meaningful” negotiations on all final status issues, including Jerusalem’s status. He says a “sustainable peace” can only be achieved by a two-state solution reached through negotiations.Mladenov calls for continued support for Palestinian refugees and, in a veiled criticism of the US, chides UN member states that have cut their contributions.5:20 pm-UN chief: Global support for two-state solution ‘could be eroding’-UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres addresses the UN Security Council, saying the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has gone on for “far too long.”Guterres calls for the conflict to be solved with a two-state solution, while warning “the global consensus for a two-state solution could be eroding.”He says “obstacles on the ground” are increasingly preventing the realization of the two-state solution.5:16 pm-UN Security Council begins its session on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict-The UN Security Council begins its session on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.The meeting is chaired by Mansour Ayyad Al-Otaibi, the ambassador the UN from Kuwait, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council.Abbas arrives to address the Security Council members.5:08 pm-British envoy not expecting anything specific out of Security Council meeting-British Ambassador to the UN Matthew Rycroft says he is not expecting “anything specific” to come out of the UN Security Council meeting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.Speaking to reporters, he says the UK “remains committed to a two-state solution” and is looking forward to see the peace plan being drafted by the US.He devotes most of his time to addressing the Syrian regime bombing of Eastern Ghouta, calling it “a zone of death and destruction” and urging the council to adopt a resolution to bring relief to the Syrian rebel area.— Joshua Davidovich-5:06 pm--Kushner, Greenblatt at Security Council for Abbas speech-US President Donald Trump’s special adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner is attendance for PA President Mahmoud Abbas’s speech to the UN Security Council.Kushner is in charge of the Israeli-Palestinian portfolio in the Trump administration.Also in attendance is Jason Greenblatt, Trump’s special envoy for the peace process.4:56 pm-Diplomats arrive at Security Council session on Israeli-Palestinian conflict-4:56 pm-Liberman visits IDF troops wounded in Gaza IED attack-Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman visits IDF soldiers injured over the weekend in an IED attack on the Gaza border.“The IDF will settle the score with those who placed the explosive and their dispatchers. We are proud of you and will give you every assistance and support,” Liberman tells the wounded troops at Beersheba’s Soroka Medical Center.Four soldiers were injured by the IED, including two critically, which was hidden in a flag tied to the border fence.4:39 pm-Ignoring Turkish threats, pro-regime fighters enter Syrian Kurdish enclave-BEIRUT — Pro-government Syrian fighters start entering the northern Kurdish enclave of Afrin where Turkish troops have been on the offensive for a month.Syrian state TV shows about 20 vehicles with heavy machine guns mounted on them entering Afrin from the nearby village of Nubul.Scores of gunmen are on the vehicles waving Syrian flags and chanting pro-government slogans.There is no immediate comment about the deployment from Kurdish officials.Tuesday’s deployment comes a day after Turkey warned the Syrian government against entering the Kurdish-controlled enclave where a major Turkish military offensive is underway, saying it would hit back at the troops if their goal is to protect the Kurdish fighters.The deployment comes hours after Turkish media reported that Turkish troops and allied Syrian opposition forces have linked a swathe of land in the Afrin enclave to the Turkish-held Syrian city of Azaz.— AP-4:10 pm-France arrests 3 suspects linked to Barcelona attacks-MADRID — Three people were arrested in France on Tuesday for alleged links to a suspect in last year’s deadly terror attacks in Barcelona and a nearby seaside resort, the Spanish interior ministry says Tuesday.The arrests were made during a joint operation with French and Spanish police in the south and southwest of France, the ministry says in a statement.— AFP-3:54 pm-Moscow says ‘dozens’ of Russians were injured in US strikes in Syria-MOSCOW — Russia says dozens of Russian citizens were injured this month in Syria but denies any responsibility for their activities, amid mounting reports of casualties among Russian mercenaries.The US coalition on February 7 struck a formation attacking a position of the Syrian Democratic Force east of the Euphrates river in eastern Syria, killing about 100 people.Many Russian mercenaries were reported killed in the strike, according to their relatives and paramilitary groups, as well as political organizations that published information about the casualties.The Russian foreign ministry, which previously said that five Russian citizens were likely killed, on Tuesday releases a statement that “there are also several dozen of injured” in the attack.It says “there are Russian citizens in Syria who went there with various goals” and “it is not up to the foreign ministry to evaluate the legality of their decisions.”The ministry says it had helped the injured Russians return home where they were “receiving medical care in various medical institutions.”It denies that the incident involved any Russian military.— AFP-3:40 pm-Man critically wounded in Jerusalem gas explosion dies-A man critically wounded in a gas explosion at a Jerusalem residential complex in the neighborhood of Baka is pronounced dead.His death comes shortly after reports said he was rescued in critical condition from the rubble of the building’s collapsed parking lot.3:39 pm-Abbas to unveil new peace plan during Security Council speech-Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will unveil a new peace plan during his speech to the United Nations Security Council later today, the official Wafa news agency reports PA Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki as telling Voice of Palestine radio.Malki says Abbas will call for halting Israeli settlement construction, rescinding Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and for an international conference that’ll formulate a basis for negotiations based on a two-state solution with a Palestinian capital in East Jerusalem.He says Abbas’ peace plan will reflect the content of his recent speeches and meetings with world leaders. Since Trump’s December 6 declaration, Abbas has said the US is no longer an honest broker and claimed Israel is a European colonial state with no basis in Judaism.3:28 pm-Critically wounded man rescued from rubble of Jerusalem gas explosion-Emergency crews rescue a man trapped beneath the rubble from a gas explosion at a Jerusalem residential complex.Channel 10 reports the man is unconscious and in critical condition.3:16 pm-Three hospitalized with minor injuries from Jerusalem gas explosion-Three people injured in a gas leak explosion at a Jerusalem residential complex have been hospitalized, a spokeswoman for Hadassah Hospital Ein Karem says.-The hospital says the three — a 62-year-old woman and a couple in their 70s — suffered minor injuries as a result of the explosion.2:52 pm-Syrian rebel leader accuses regime, allies of committing ‘a new Holocaust’-BEIRUT — A top Syrian rebel leader says government forces along with Iran and Russia are committing a new “Holocaust” in rebel-held suburbs of the capital Damascus.Mohammed Alloush of the Army of Islam tells The Associated Press Tuesday that the United Nations is also to blame “because of its bankruptcy and lies about protecting security and peace in the world.”Alloush’s comments come after opposition activists and paramedics said that more than 100 people have been killed since Monday in the worst daily death toll in the eastern suburbs, also known as eastern Ghouta, in three years.Alloush, whose militant group is the strongest in eastern Ghouta, describes the government and its backers Russia and Iran as a “Satanic alliance” that is “unprecedented since World War II.”Alloush adds that “a new Holocaust is being committed by the dirtiest regime on earth.”— AP-2:31 pm-Israeli kidnapped in Nigeria is released-A gag order is lifted on the kidnapping of an Israeli man in Nigeria on Friday.The 62-year-old, who works for a company active in the country, was kidnapped on the outskirts of the capital of Abuja by armed men seeking a ransom payment for his release.During the kidnapping, an exchange of gunfire ensued and the Israelis personal driver was killed.He was released after negotiations between the CEO of the company where he works, Nigerian security forces and the kidnappers.The Foreign Ministry says it and the Israeli ambassador in Abuja were involved in securing his release.There is no word on whether a ransom payment was made for the Israeli man to be freed.2:15 pm-Emergency crews respond to gas explosion at Jerusalem apartment bulding-Police say the explosion on Dan Street in Jerusalem was caused by a gas leak.Several apartments were damaged by the blast, as was as the -underground parking lot of the building, where the explosion apparently took place.Two people were taken to Shaare Zedek Hospital with minor injuries, Magen Davd Adom paramedics say.Police have opened an investigation into the incident, they say in a statement.— Raoul Wootliff-2:14 pm-Egypt adds detained Islamist politician to terror list-CAIRO — An Egyptian court adds a detained Islamist politician to a list of wanted terrorists over his alleged links to the country’s outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group.The South Cairo Criminal Court adds Abdel-Monaem Abul Fetouh, 66, and 15 others to the list, which includes deposed president Mohamed Morsi, the Brotherhood’s spiritual guide, Mohammed Badie, and other group leaders.Abul Fetouh was a longtime Brotherhood member, but quit the group in 2011 to run for president in the 2012 election won by Morsi.Abul Fetouh was arrested earlier this month, shortly after his return from a trip to London.— AP-2:13 pm-Netanyahu puts Gaza terror groups on notice after IED attack-After an IED attack on an IDF patrol along the Gaza border over the weekend, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will not accept violation of its sovereignty by terror groups in the Strip.“Every act of aggression by terrorist elements is met with a firm and powerful response from our side,” Netanyahu says at a dedication ceremony of a new emergency room at Ashkelon’s Barzilai Hospital.He says Israel won’t tolerate sporadic rocket fire from Gaza or the planting of IEDs along the border, such as the one Saturday that wounded four soldiers, including two seriously.“Whoever harms us will be hurt himself. Those who don’t act to calm the situation but choose to fan the flames will bear responsibility,” he warns.
