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)
REBEL MEDIA NEWS
UPDATE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkE9iVlJmJA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdK_KyEYW0k
MEDIA TWISTS FREINDLY FIRE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGlieFhrWjw
FEAR OF CALLING ISLAM-MURDER TERRORISTS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFpf-SAIXfk
EZRA LEVANT-NOAM CHOMSKY COMPLETE INTERVIEW
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgxLvwKhvmY
From the Extreme Left: 'Netanyahu is Right on Iran'-A strong critic of nationalist-camp policies, author David Grossman, says 'we need to listen to Netanyahu' regarding the Iranian threat.By Hillel Fendel-First Publish: 3/9/2015, 2:18 PM-ISRAELNATIONALNEWS
Speaking to Italian newspaper La Repubblica over the weekend, prize-winning Israeli author David Grossman expressed his support for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's position on the Iranian nuclear program.As quoted in the Israeli daily Israel Hayom, Grossman Рan outspoken critic of Netanyahu and his policies Рsaid, "Iran threatens the entire world; this time Netanyahu is right."Grossman had harsh words for the American position led by President Barack Obama, terming the American approach toward Iran's nuclear program "criminal naivet̩." He emphasized that he does not want Netanyahu to win the elections on March 17, but said that world leaders should listen to Netanyahu on this matter just the same.The author, whose son was killed during the Second Lebanon War in 2006, said that Netanyahu's speech last week in the US Congress might end up being a "tragic mistake," but its content was correct.Iran's nuclear plans are "an expanding danger in the region which could soon pose a threat not just to Israel but to the entire free world. We need to listen to Netanyahu," the writer said.One of Grossman's three children, Uri, was an IDF Armored Corps fighter when he fell in the course of duty. It happened only two days after the author and two other outspoken writers РAmos Oz and A. B. Yehoshua Рheld a press conference in which they demanded that Israel's government accept a ceasefire in Lebanon.Two months later, Grossman delivered the keynote speech at the memorial rally for former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, in which he sharply and famously criticized the Likud leadership.The renowned author told the Italian newspaper, "what Netanyahu says about Iran and the destructive part it is playing in the Middle East cannot and should not be ignored. He is right when he says that according to the emerging deal there is nothing to prevent the Iranians from developing a nuclear bomb once the deal expires in another 10 years, and on this matter there is no difference in Israel between Left and Right."
Netanyahu Denies he Rejected a Palestinian State-PM's office rebuts publication that claimed the Bar Ilan speech was 'void,' saying that isn't his position but rather Hotovely's.By Arutz Sheva Staff-First Publish: 3/9/2015, 10:34 AM-ISRAELNATIONALNEWS
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has denied a publication from Saturday which claimed he had renounced his controversial 2009 Bar Ilan speech in which he supported the establishment of a demilitarized Palestinian state, a spokesman said on Monday.In the Friday brochure Olam Katan that was distributed at synagogues this Shabbat, Deputy Minister Tzipi Hotovely (Likud) claimed Netanyahu had said the Bar Ilan speech "is void."But Netanyahu "never said such a thing," his spokesman said Monday, while stressing the time was not right for any territorial concessions to the Palestinian Authority (PA), reports AFP."Netanyahu has for years been stressing that under the current conditions in the Middle East, any territory that would be handed (to the PA) will be seized by extremist Islamist elements," he said.A Likud spokeswoman had earlier clarified that the remarks in the pamphlet did not reflect that positions of the party, and were the personal opinion of Hotovely.Hotovely had also written in the pamphlet that "Netanyahu's entire political biography is a fight against the creation of a Palestinian state."The latest backflip regarding the Bar Ilan speech comes as Netanyahu is being hit by several reported documents alleging to attest to his willingness to make large concessions and create a Palestinian state.One such report last Friday allegedly showed a list of concessions Netanyahu was ready to make, but Likud dismissed the report as being an American peace agreement outline that Israel never agreed to. Jewish Home Chairman Naftali Bennett insisted that the report was accurate.In another report Monday, Netanyahu's representative was said to have agreed to a Palestinian state along the 1949 Armistice lines, but in response Likud said no concessions had ever been agreed to.some have claimed that Netanyahu is already conceding and dividing Jerusalem in a de facto manner, by freezing Jewish building for years while allowing rampant illegal Arab construction.
Obama Blasts Republicans Over Letter to Iran-President Barack Obama criticizes letter warning Iran's leaders that any nuclear agreement will not be valid after 2016.By Elad Benari-First Publish: 3/10/2015, 1:15 AM-ISRAELNATIONALNEWS
United States President Barack Obama on Monday slammed Republican senators who penned a letter attempting to warn Iran that any pending nuclear agreement will face their scrutiny."I think it's somewhat ironic to see some members for Congress wanting to make common cause with the hard-liners in Iran. It's an unusual coalition," Obama said Monday, according to CNN."I think what we're going to focus on right now is actually seeing whether we're going to get a deal or not. Once we do, if we do, we'll be able to make the case to the American people, and I'm confident we'll be able to implement it," he added.The letter, written by freshman Senator Tom Cotton and signed by the Senate's entire Republican leadership as well as potential 2016 presidential contenders Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and Rand Paul, warns Iran’s leaders that any nuclear deal they sign with Obama will not be valid after he leaves office in 2016.It comes amid disagreements between Obama and some Congress members over the talks with Iran. Senators have called for tougher sanctions on Iran, which Obama has threatened to veto so long as talks are ongoing.Last week, senators began promoting legislation that would require a congressional review of any deal the Obama administration and other western powers strike with Iran on its nuclear program. Obama has threatened to veto that as well.Iran’s Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, slammed the Republican letter on Monday, saying it “has no legal value and is indeed just a propaganda ploy”."What’s more, while the negotiations have not yet borne fruit and there no agreement yet, pressure groups in the U.S. are so worried that they are using extraordinary measures to prove that they, just like [Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin] Netanyahu oppose any kind of agreement," he added, according to a statement quoted by CNN.White House press secretary Josh Earnest, meanwhile, called the letter a "continuation of a partisan strategy to undermine the President's ability to conduct foreign policy.""To essentially throw sand in the gears here is not helpful, and is not, frankly, the role our founding fathers envisioned for Congress to play when it comes to our foreign policy," he said.
Sites in US, Canada and Ireland Hacked by ISIS-FBI investigates how ISIS imagery and music were placed on sites associated with car racing, Goodwill center, and rape crisis center.By Arutz Sheva Staff-First Publish: 3/9/2015, 10:47 AM-ISRAELNATIONALNEWS
The FBI is investigating a string of hacks that defaced US websites with imagery from the Islamic State (ISIS) jihadist group, NBC News reported on Monday.Websites including a race car speedway in the state of Ohio, a Goodwill center in Missouri and a church in Canada, were defaced with the radical terrorist group's black flag, the news organization reported, as cited by AFP.Attacks against similar low-profile websites were also recorded in Montana, New York, Massachusetts and Minnesota.The FBI said it was aware of the incidents and "is contacting the impacted parties." A security analyst told NBC it was unlikely the hacks had any "real connection" to the Islamic State group.The ISIS-themed hacks were on Sunday reported in Ireland, where the Dublin Rape Crisis Center in Ireland's website was defaced."Hacked by Islamic State (ISIS) We Are Everywhere," the hacked website said while playing music associated with the group.ISIS has relied on an aggressive propaganda campaign online to appeal to possible recruits to join and support the brutal Islamists in Iraq and Syria.
Al-Nusra Front Reaffirms Allegiance to Al-Qaeda-Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate denies it planned to break away from the global extremist network.By Ben Ariel-First Publish: 3/10/2015, 2:43 AM-ISRAEL NATIONALNEWS
Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, the Al-Nusra Front, on Monday reaffirmed its allegiance to the global extremist network and denied any plan to break away and become a more internationally acceptable rebel force.The angry statement followed weeks of speculation on Internet social networks of a split between the jihadist allies, AFP reported.Al-Nusra "completely denies reports of a break-up with Al-Qaeda," the group said in a statement released on Twitter.The statement added that Al-Nusra "remains the backbone of jihadists" in Syria, "the first into battle, dedicated to unifying the ranks around sharia (Islamic law)... righting injustice and defending the disadvantaged".It denied "completely all reports of a meeting with Qatari or other intelligence services or seeking Qatari or Gulf funding, as this is contrary to the principles on which Al-Nusra has been based from the start".An official branch of Al-Qaeda since April 2013, the group dominates a swathe of northwest Syria despite months of international airstrikes.As well as fighting President Bashar Al-Assad's regime, it has clashed with Western-backed rebels and its jihadist rival the Islamic State (ISIS) group. Last November, Al-Nusra and ISIS agreed to work together.Al-Nusra was formed in January 2012 by jihadists who had previously fought in Iraq, including its chief Abu Mohamed al-Jolani.The group's military chief Abu Hammam al-Shami and several top commanders were last week reported to have been killed in Syria, although there was contradictory information on the circumstances.
Could There Be 10,000 Europeans in Syria by 2016?-French Prime Minister Manuel Valls predicts exponential exodus of radicalized European Muslims to Syria and Iraq; 3,000 there now.By Arutz Sheva Staff-First Publish: 3/8/2015, 1:55 PM-ISRAELNATIONALNEWS
As many as 10,000 Europeans could be waging jihad in Iraq and Syria by the end of this year, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls warned Sunday, a three-fold increase on current numbers."There are 3,000 Europeans in Iraq and Syria today. When you do a projection for the months to come, there could be 5,000 before summer and 10,000 before the end of the year," Valls told French television channel iTele."Do you realize the threat that this represents?" he asked.He said there were around 1,400 people who were either already in these conflict zones, who had come back from there or who were planning to go."There have already been nearly 90 French people who have died out there with a weapon in their hand, fighting against our own values," Valls said.France, along with Belgium, has seen the largest numbers of volunteers leaving to join the Islamic State jihadist group, which has seized large parts of Syria and Iraq.Last month, France seized passports from six of its citizens and banned 40 more from traveling abroad after they were allegedly planning to travel to Syria and Iraq.It was the first time the measure had been used in France following its introduction as part of a raft of new counter-terrorism laws in November."We have to face a particularly high threat level in France, in Europe and in other countries," said Valls.AFP contributed to this report.
UN Calls on Airstrikes to Stop ISIS 'War Crimes' Against History-Ban calls for action after ISIS demolishes ancient cities and artifacts, as Iraqi minister says the US-led coalition must act from the air.By Arutz Sheva Staff-First Publish: 3/9/2015, 10:20 AM-ISRAELNATIONALNEWS
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon called on the international community Sunday to halt the destruction by Islamic State (ISIS) jihadists of Iraqi archaeological sites, branding the smashing of priceless and ancient artifacts a "war crime."Ban's comments came hours after Iraq's tourism and antiquities minister called on the US-led coalition carrying out air strikes against the terrorists, to try to protect the sites, stating: "We request aerial support," reports AFP.The jihadists caused outrage around the world when they bulldozed the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud and smashed artifacts in the Mosul museum.They may now have turned their attention to the extremely well preserved fortress city Hatra, which is more than 2,000 years old and a UNESCO world heritage site, with the United Nations condemning its reported "destruction.""The secretary-general urgently calls on the international community to swiftly put a stop to such heinous terrorist activity and to counter the illicit traffic in cultural artifacts," Ban said in a statement from his spokesman."The deliberate destruction of our common cultural heritage constitutes a war crime."He stressed that the perpetrators must be held to account, and said he was "outraged" by the destruction, citing the Hatra reports.The UN chief echoed a call by Iraq's tourism and antiquities minister, Adel Fahad al-Shershab earlier Sunday."The sky is not in the hands of the Iraqis, the sky is not in our hands. Therefore, the international community must move with the means it has," Shershab told journalists in Baghdad."We request aerial support," Shershab said.Asked specifically if he wanted coalition strikes to protect archaeological sites, he responded: "What I request from the international community and the international coalition is to carry out air strikes against terrorism wherever it is found."The attacks on Iraq's archaeological heritage took place in ISIS-held areas in the northern province of Nineveh, where Iraq does not have security forces that are able to respond on the ground.Targeting terrorists destroying archaeological sites would be a departure for the coalition, which is waging a campaign of strikes aimed at weakening ISIS military capabilities in Iraq and neighboring Syria.However, just this Sunday Chairman of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey stated his opposition to expanding the airstrikes, calling for "strategic patience.""It was expected" The coalition announced that it had carried out 12 air strikes in Iraq from Saturday to Sunday morning, including two near Mosul that reportedly destroyed an ISIS unit and two "excavators," but it was unclear if these were involved in attacking historic sites."The site of Hatra is a site in the desert where it is possible to see any infiltration" from the air, Shershab said of the ancient city, which features a unique blend of eastern and western architecture."It was expected that they (ISIS) would destroy it," he said.But it remains unclear whether large-scale destruction was carried out at Hatra, whose thick walls and large buildings withstood two Roman invasions in the 2nd century CE.Shershab said his ministry had not been able to officially confirm what had happened because the area is held by ISIS.The jihadists spearheaded a sweeping offensive in June that overran large areas north and west of Baghdad, and Iraqi forces backed by the US-led coalition and Iran are battling to push them back.ISIS tries to justify the destruction of antiquities by saying they are idolatrous, but experts say the group traffics in them to fund its self-proclaimed "caliphate" and destroys only those pieces that are too bulky to be smuggled.Shershab echoed the point on Sunday: "They say 'it is haram' (forbidden by Islam). At the same time they are selling (artifacts) and benefiting financially."The timing of the attacks suggests they are more for propaganda purposes than a matter of religious conviction, as the terrorists have controlled the areas where the sites are located for close to nine months before acting.The UN Security Council last month adopted a resolution aimed at choking off financing for ISIS from antiquities trafficking as well as oil smuggling and ransom payments.A ban on looted antiquities in Iraq was already in force, and was expanded to Syria under the resolution.
REBEL MEDIA NEWS
UPDATE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkE9iVlJmJA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdK_KyEYW0k
MEDIA TWISTS FREINDLY FIRE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGlieFhrWjw
FEAR OF CALLING ISLAM-MURDER TERRORISTS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFpf-SAIXfk
EZRA LEVANT-NOAM CHOMSKY COMPLETE INTERVIEW
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgxLvwKhvmY
From the Extreme Left: 'Netanyahu is Right on Iran'-A strong critic of nationalist-camp policies, author David Grossman, says 'we need to listen to Netanyahu' regarding the Iranian threat.By Hillel Fendel-First Publish: 3/9/2015, 2:18 PM-ISRAELNATIONALNEWS
Speaking to Italian newspaper La Repubblica over the weekend, prize-winning Israeli author David Grossman expressed his support for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's position on the Iranian nuclear program.As quoted in the Israeli daily Israel Hayom, Grossman Рan outspoken critic of Netanyahu and his policies Рsaid, "Iran threatens the entire world; this time Netanyahu is right."Grossman had harsh words for the American position led by President Barack Obama, terming the American approach toward Iran's nuclear program "criminal naivet̩." He emphasized that he does not want Netanyahu to win the elections on March 17, but said that world leaders should listen to Netanyahu on this matter just the same.The author, whose son was killed during the Second Lebanon War in 2006, said that Netanyahu's speech last week in the US Congress might end up being a "tragic mistake," but its content was correct.Iran's nuclear plans are "an expanding danger in the region which could soon pose a threat not just to Israel but to the entire free world. We need to listen to Netanyahu," the writer said.One of Grossman's three children, Uri, was an IDF Armored Corps fighter when he fell in the course of duty. It happened only two days after the author and two other outspoken writers РAmos Oz and A. B. Yehoshua Рheld a press conference in which they demanded that Israel's government accept a ceasefire in Lebanon.Two months later, Grossman delivered the keynote speech at the memorial rally for former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, in which he sharply and famously criticized the Likud leadership.The renowned author told the Italian newspaper, "what Netanyahu says about Iran and the destructive part it is playing in the Middle East cannot and should not be ignored. He is right when he says that according to the emerging deal there is nothing to prevent the Iranians from developing a nuclear bomb once the deal expires in another 10 years, and on this matter there is no difference in Israel between Left and Right."
Netanyahu Denies he Rejected a Palestinian State-PM's office rebuts publication that claimed the Bar Ilan speech was 'void,' saying that isn't his position but rather Hotovely's.By Arutz Sheva Staff-First Publish: 3/9/2015, 10:34 AM-ISRAELNATIONALNEWS
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has denied a publication from Saturday which claimed he had renounced his controversial 2009 Bar Ilan speech in which he supported the establishment of a demilitarized Palestinian state, a spokesman said on Monday.In the Friday brochure Olam Katan that was distributed at synagogues this Shabbat, Deputy Minister Tzipi Hotovely (Likud) claimed Netanyahu had said the Bar Ilan speech "is void."But Netanyahu "never said such a thing," his spokesman said Monday, while stressing the time was not right for any territorial concessions to the Palestinian Authority (PA), reports AFP."Netanyahu has for years been stressing that under the current conditions in the Middle East, any territory that would be handed (to the PA) will be seized by extremist Islamist elements," he said.A Likud spokeswoman had earlier clarified that the remarks in the pamphlet did not reflect that positions of the party, and were the personal opinion of Hotovely.Hotovely had also written in the pamphlet that "Netanyahu's entire political biography is a fight against the creation of a Palestinian state."The latest backflip regarding the Bar Ilan speech comes as Netanyahu is being hit by several reported documents alleging to attest to his willingness to make large concessions and create a Palestinian state.One such report last Friday allegedly showed a list of concessions Netanyahu was ready to make, but Likud dismissed the report as being an American peace agreement outline that Israel never agreed to. Jewish Home Chairman Naftali Bennett insisted that the report was accurate.In another report Monday, Netanyahu's representative was said to have agreed to a Palestinian state along the 1949 Armistice lines, but in response Likud said no concessions had ever been agreed to.some have claimed that Netanyahu is already conceding and dividing Jerusalem in a de facto manner, by freezing Jewish building for years while allowing rampant illegal Arab construction.
Obama Blasts Republicans Over Letter to Iran-President Barack Obama criticizes letter warning Iran's leaders that any nuclear agreement will not be valid after 2016.By Elad Benari-First Publish: 3/10/2015, 1:15 AM-ISRAELNATIONALNEWS
United States President Barack Obama on Monday slammed Republican senators who penned a letter attempting to warn Iran that any pending nuclear agreement will face their scrutiny."I think it's somewhat ironic to see some members for Congress wanting to make common cause with the hard-liners in Iran. It's an unusual coalition," Obama said Monday, according to CNN."I think what we're going to focus on right now is actually seeing whether we're going to get a deal or not. Once we do, if we do, we'll be able to make the case to the American people, and I'm confident we'll be able to implement it," he added.The letter, written by freshman Senator Tom Cotton and signed by the Senate's entire Republican leadership as well as potential 2016 presidential contenders Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and Rand Paul, warns Iran’s leaders that any nuclear deal they sign with Obama will not be valid after he leaves office in 2016.It comes amid disagreements between Obama and some Congress members over the talks with Iran. Senators have called for tougher sanctions on Iran, which Obama has threatened to veto so long as talks are ongoing.Last week, senators began promoting legislation that would require a congressional review of any deal the Obama administration and other western powers strike with Iran on its nuclear program. Obama has threatened to veto that as well.Iran’s Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, slammed the Republican letter on Monday, saying it “has no legal value and is indeed just a propaganda ploy”."What’s more, while the negotiations have not yet borne fruit and there no agreement yet, pressure groups in the U.S. are so worried that they are using extraordinary measures to prove that they, just like [Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin] Netanyahu oppose any kind of agreement," he added, according to a statement quoted by CNN.White House press secretary Josh Earnest, meanwhile, called the letter a "continuation of a partisan strategy to undermine the President's ability to conduct foreign policy.""To essentially throw sand in the gears here is not helpful, and is not, frankly, the role our founding fathers envisioned for Congress to play when it comes to our foreign policy," he said.
Sites in US, Canada and Ireland Hacked by ISIS-FBI investigates how ISIS imagery and music were placed on sites associated with car racing, Goodwill center, and rape crisis center.By Arutz Sheva Staff-First Publish: 3/9/2015, 10:47 AM-ISRAELNATIONALNEWS
The FBI is investigating a string of hacks that defaced US websites with imagery from the Islamic State (ISIS) jihadist group, NBC News reported on Monday.Websites including a race car speedway in the state of Ohio, a Goodwill center in Missouri and a church in Canada, were defaced with the radical terrorist group's black flag, the news organization reported, as cited by AFP.Attacks against similar low-profile websites were also recorded in Montana, New York, Massachusetts and Minnesota.The FBI said it was aware of the incidents and "is contacting the impacted parties." A security analyst told NBC it was unlikely the hacks had any "real connection" to the Islamic State group.The ISIS-themed hacks were on Sunday reported in Ireland, where the Dublin Rape Crisis Center in Ireland's website was defaced."Hacked by Islamic State (ISIS) We Are Everywhere," the hacked website said while playing music associated with the group.ISIS has relied on an aggressive propaganda campaign online to appeal to possible recruits to join and support the brutal Islamists in Iraq and Syria.
Al-Nusra Front Reaffirms Allegiance to Al-Qaeda-Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate denies it planned to break away from the global extremist network.By Ben Ariel-First Publish: 3/10/2015, 2:43 AM-ISRAEL NATIONALNEWS
Al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, the Al-Nusra Front, on Monday reaffirmed its allegiance to the global extremist network and denied any plan to break away and become a more internationally acceptable rebel force.The angry statement followed weeks of speculation on Internet social networks of a split between the jihadist allies, AFP reported.Al-Nusra "completely denies reports of a break-up with Al-Qaeda," the group said in a statement released on Twitter.The statement added that Al-Nusra "remains the backbone of jihadists" in Syria, "the first into battle, dedicated to unifying the ranks around sharia (Islamic law)... righting injustice and defending the disadvantaged".It denied "completely all reports of a meeting with Qatari or other intelligence services or seeking Qatari or Gulf funding, as this is contrary to the principles on which Al-Nusra has been based from the start".An official branch of Al-Qaeda since April 2013, the group dominates a swathe of northwest Syria despite months of international airstrikes.As well as fighting President Bashar Al-Assad's regime, it has clashed with Western-backed rebels and its jihadist rival the Islamic State (ISIS) group. Last November, Al-Nusra and ISIS agreed to work together.Al-Nusra was formed in January 2012 by jihadists who had previously fought in Iraq, including its chief Abu Mohamed al-Jolani.The group's military chief Abu Hammam al-Shami and several top commanders were last week reported to have been killed in Syria, although there was contradictory information on the circumstances.
Could There Be 10,000 Europeans in Syria by 2016?-French Prime Minister Manuel Valls predicts exponential exodus of radicalized European Muslims to Syria and Iraq; 3,000 there now.By Arutz Sheva Staff-First Publish: 3/8/2015, 1:55 PM-ISRAELNATIONALNEWS
As many as 10,000 Europeans could be waging jihad in Iraq and Syria by the end of this year, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls warned Sunday, a three-fold increase on current numbers."There are 3,000 Europeans in Iraq and Syria today. When you do a projection for the months to come, there could be 5,000 before summer and 10,000 before the end of the year," Valls told French television channel iTele."Do you realize the threat that this represents?" he asked.He said there were around 1,400 people who were either already in these conflict zones, who had come back from there or who were planning to go."There have already been nearly 90 French people who have died out there with a weapon in their hand, fighting against our own values," Valls said.France, along with Belgium, has seen the largest numbers of volunteers leaving to join the Islamic State jihadist group, which has seized large parts of Syria and Iraq.Last month, France seized passports from six of its citizens and banned 40 more from traveling abroad after they were allegedly planning to travel to Syria and Iraq.It was the first time the measure had been used in France following its introduction as part of a raft of new counter-terrorism laws in November."We have to face a particularly high threat level in France, in Europe and in other countries," said Valls.AFP contributed to this report.
UN Calls on Airstrikes to Stop ISIS 'War Crimes' Against History-Ban calls for action after ISIS demolishes ancient cities and artifacts, as Iraqi minister says the US-led coalition must act from the air.By Arutz Sheva Staff-First Publish: 3/9/2015, 10:20 AM-ISRAELNATIONALNEWS
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon called on the international community Sunday to halt the destruction by Islamic State (ISIS) jihadists of Iraqi archaeological sites, branding the smashing of priceless and ancient artifacts a "war crime."Ban's comments came hours after Iraq's tourism and antiquities minister called on the US-led coalition carrying out air strikes against the terrorists, to try to protect the sites, stating: "We request aerial support," reports AFP.The jihadists caused outrage around the world when they bulldozed the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud and smashed artifacts in the Mosul museum.They may now have turned their attention to the extremely well preserved fortress city Hatra, which is more than 2,000 years old and a UNESCO world heritage site, with the United Nations condemning its reported "destruction.""The secretary-general urgently calls on the international community to swiftly put a stop to such heinous terrorist activity and to counter the illicit traffic in cultural artifacts," Ban said in a statement from his spokesman."The deliberate destruction of our common cultural heritage constitutes a war crime."He stressed that the perpetrators must be held to account, and said he was "outraged" by the destruction, citing the Hatra reports.The UN chief echoed a call by Iraq's tourism and antiquities minister, Adel Fahad al-Shershab earlier Sunday."The sky is not in the hands of the Iraqis, the sky is not in our hands. Therefore, the international community must move with the means it has," Shershab told journalists in Baghdad."We request aerial support," Shershab said.Asked specifically if he wanted coalition strikes to protect archaeological sites, he responded: "What I request from the international community and the international coalition is to carry out air strikes against terrorism wherever it is found."The attacks on Iraq's archaeological heritage took place in ISIS-held areas in the northern province of Nineveh, where Iraq does not have security forces that are able to respond on the ground.Targeting terrorists destroying archaeological sites would be a departure for the coalition, which is waging a campaign of strikes aimed at weakening ISIS military capabilities in Iraq and neighboring Syria.However, just this Sunday Chairman of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey stated his opposition to expanding the airstrikes, calling for "strategic patience.""It was expected" The coalition announced that it had carried out 12 air strikes in Iraq from Saturday to Sunday morning, including two near Mosul that reportedly destroyed an ISIS unit and two "excavators," but it was unclear if these were involved in attacking historic sites."The site of Hatra is a site in the desert where it is possible to see any infiltration" from the air, Shershab said of the ancient city, which features a unique blend of eastern and western architecture."It was expected that they (ISIS) would destroy it," he said.But it remains unclear whether large-scale destruction was carried out at Hatra, whose thick walls and large buildings withstood two Roman invasions in the 2nd century CE.Shershab said his ministry had not been able to officially confirm what had happened because the area is held by ISIS.The jihadists spearheaded a sweeping offensive in June that overran large areas north and west of Baghdad, and Iraqi forces backed by the US-led coalition and Iran are battling to push them back.ISIS tries to justify the destruction of antiquities by saying they are idolatrous, but experts say the group traffics in them to fund its self-proclaimed "caliphate" and destroys only those pieces that are too bulky to be smuggled.Shershab echoed the point on Sunday: "They say 'it is haram' (forbidden by Islam). At the same time they are selling (artifacts) and benefiting financially."The timing of the attacks suggests they are more for propaganda purposes than a matter of religious conviction, as the terrorists have controlled the areas where the sites are located for close to nine months before acting.The UN Security Council last month adopted a resolution aimed at choking off financing for ISIS from antiquities trafficking as well as oil smuggling and ransom payments.A ban on looted antiquities in Iraq was already in force, and was expanded to Syria under the resolution.
