Prophecy and End Time Series. - Israel

[Shammu]

Rise in Israeli-Palestinian violence strains truce

By Nidal al-Mughrabi 2 hours, 30 minutes ago

GAZA (Reuters) - Israel launched an air strike against
Gaza Strip militants shelling Jewish settlements on Wednesday, in a surge of violence straining an already tenuous truce.
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The death of a Hamas militant in disputed circumstances and other violence could complicate Israeli Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon's plan to quit Gaza. A new poll showed Israeli support for a pullout was down, though a majority still favors it.

"If the
Palestinian Authority does not take the necessary steps to stop these launches, we will, with everything that entails," an Israeli official said.

It was the worst Gaza violence since the Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire took hold in February, and began with the pre-dawn death of a Hamas gunman along Gaza's border with Egypt.

Another militant was seriously hurt in the Israeli missile strike. The Israeli army said he was part of a squad that had been firing rockets or mortars into a Jewish settlement. A settler youth was lightly hurt, witnesses said.

The Israeli air attack was the first against Gaza militants since Hamas and other armed factions agreed to a ceasefire after a Feb. 8 summit between Sharon and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declaring an end to four years of hostilities.

Hamas said the gunman died when a grenade or explosive device was launched by Israeli soldiers during a patrol.

The Israeli army said its forces could not have been behind his death because they did not fire explosive devices during a brief exchange with gunmen. An army spokesman suggested a bomb the gunman was trying to plant may have detonated prematurely.

Palestinian security forces dispatched to stop the shelling were shot at by militants and stoned by bystanders, witnesses said. The security forces withdrew with three men wounded. Hamas said it was not involved in the clash.

"This is a serious escalation that cannot be accepted," said a Palestinian Interior Ministry spokesman. "National security forces will take all measures appropriate in this regard."

Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie blamed Israel for the violence. "Regrettably, there is a systematic escalation which is a clear violation of the signed understandings," he told reporters in the West Bank.

EROSION IN TRUST

Rising violence despite the three-month ceasefire shows a growing erosion in trust and confidence between the two sides, a senior U.N. official told the Security Council on Wednesday.

To help restore confidence, the Palestinian Authority must worker harder to end all violence and make tangible progress on the ground while Israel "should do more to support the Palestinian leadership in its difficult task," said Kieran Prendergast, the U.N. undersecretary for political affairs.

Israel plans to withdraw from Gaza settlements in mid-August under what Sharon has billed as a way of "disengaging" from a point of conflict. Palestinian militants see the pullback from land captured in the 1967 Middle East war as a victory.

Far-right Israeli opponents of Sharon's plan have stepped up protests, citing violence such as Wednesday's as proof that any withdrawal from occupied land would "reward terror." Many Jews consider Gaza and the West Bank theirs by biblical birthright.

Keen to see Gaza evacuated without a fight, Sharon and his top ministers said on Wednesday that settlers who agree within seven days to relocate to an Israeli community set aside for them up the coast from Gaza would get priority for interim housing, school arrangements, and other amenities.

A survey conducted by Tel Aviv University at the beginning of May pointed to a steady erosion of a previous two-thirds majority for what will be Israel's first removal of settlements from land Palestinians want for a state.

It found that 56 percent of Israeli Jews back the plan to evacuate 21 settlements in Gaza and four of 120 in the West Bank, down from 62 percent in February.

The researchers attributed the decline in support to growing concern that the withdrawal would hurt Israeli security -- contrary to Sharon's message that it would boost security.

Hamas issued a statement warning Sharon that "the security you are enjoying these days will not last long if aggression continues against our people."

Sworn to Israel's destruction, Hamas has spearheaded a campaign of suicide bombings against Israelis in the Palestinian revolt, but had pledged to refrain from attacks for now.

Palestinians welcome any withdrawal but many fear Sharon is trying to trade the coastal strip for a tighter grip on the West Bank, where the vast majority of Israel's 240,000 settlers live.

(Additional reporting by Mark Heinrich in Gush Katif and Allyn Fisher-Ilan, Jonathan Saul and Megan Goldin in Jerusalem)
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20050518/wl_nm/mideast_dc

[Evangelist]

Selahjoy:

I hope the following will be helpful.
First, what we now know as Iraq was originally called, among other things, Shinar.  Generally, the residents of Shinar were also called Babylonians, due to the building of Babylon, and also Chaldeans.
The modern day Iraq does not bear that much resemblance to the land are originally encompassed by Shinar, which actually extended into part of Iran, and into Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

However, in Jeremiah we see some specific words against that area.

"The word that the LORD spake against Babylon and against the land of the Chaldeans by Jeremiah the prophet. Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and set up a standard; publish, and conceal not: say, Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces; her idols are confounded, her images are broken in pieces. For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast" (Jer. 50:1-3).

Notice that apparently UTTER destruction is destined, in so much as that no man or beast shall inhabit the land.  Although Babylon, and Iraq have undergone much destruction through the centuries, that utter destruction has not occured.....yet.

Jeremiah also said:

"Therefore, behold, the days come, that I will do judgment upon the graven images of Babylon: and her whole land shall be confounded, and all her slain shall fall in the midst of her. Then the heaven and the earth, and all that is therein, shall sing for Babylon: for the spoilers shall come unto her from the north, saith the LORD" (Jer. 51:47-48).

This corresponds to a certain degree with the pronouncements of John (Jesus) in the book of Revelation concerning the destruction of Babylon, and how all the world will mourn her passing.

It does appear that Iraq/Shinar/Chaldea/Babylon is in for a big hit, probably occuring during the tribulation period and the battles that will occur between the beast (anti-christ/man of perdition) and the other countries that will come against him.  In particular, you should note that the "200 million" man army (China?) belonging to the King(s) of the East will travel via a dried-up Euphrates river to get to the area.

There will be a 7 year "time of trouble", but that time (the tribulation period) is decreed against (1) the Jews (it is also called the time of Jacob's trouble), and (2) against the entire world, as it encompasses the outpouring of God's wrath upon the earth.

I would suggest that the best prayers for those in Iraq would be that first, they come to know the Lord Jesus....and secondly, find someplace else to move to....

[JudgeNot]

I would suggest that the best prayers for those in Iraq would be that first, they come to know the Lord Jesus....

Amen.

and secondly, find someplace else to move to....

   

[SelahJoy]

 Notice that apparently UTTER destruction is destined, in so much as that no man or beast shall inhabit...Iraq...all the world will mourn her passing.

There will be a 7 year "time of trouble", but that time (the tribulation period) is decreed against (1) the Jews (it is also called the time of Jacob's trouble), and (2) against the entire world, as it encompasses the outpouring of God's wrath upon the earth.

I would suggest that the best prayers for those in Iraq would be that first, they come to know the Lord Jesus....and secondly, find someplace else to move to....

Evangelist,

Thank you very much for sending the recent information.  I hope you don't mind that I ask lots of questions though.  Any that you have knowledge about, I would appreciate learning.  Below is my long list of questions:

Why do you suppose our Father would want to eventually destroy the place where Iraq is?  I wonder if He finds the historical and contemporary wickedness of that area to be an abomination to Him, which is in precise contrast to His glorious peace when He once walked in the Garden of Eden.  (any Bible references?)

Why do you say that the whole earth will mourn the destruction of Iraq?

If the Bible says so, why would God want to predict our collective grief over the destruction of that part of the world?

It sounds like you are speaking of the "rapture."  If history plays out the rapture like some believe it will, do you think God would allow some saints to stay behind so they can evangelize the lost?  The reason I ask that is because when the "time of trouble" begins, there will be those who want to come to Christ, and they will be baby Christians who need tender loving care to "fill their oil lamps" and be ready for the "Bridegroom."  Who will lead them if all the Christians are raptured?

When do you think the "time of trouble" will begin?  Further, when it does, will it be too late to get our troops out of there? or to get visas for Iraqi's?  Since your quote above spells out destruction, what do you think the reason should be for our active-duty military personnel to maintain good, high morale while they are over there fighting and witnessing so many die?

If those who live there were to try to find someplace else to live, where would be the easiest, safest, and fastest place/way to go?  Is America an option?  How?

I agree wholeheartedly that the best way to pray for everyone in Iraq--military, civilian, and insurgeant--is for salvation and revival, in Jesus' name!

If you write back, thank you so much!  Some of these questions have been on my mind for quite some time.  I look forward to learning but at the same time, I don't want you to feel any pressure to write back.  God bless you today!

selahjoy*

[Bronzesnake]

Hello SelahJoy.

 I can answer one of your questions.

It sounds like you are speaking of the "rapture."  If history plays out the rapture like some believe it will, do you think God would allow some saints to stay behind so they can evangelize the lost?  The reason I ask that is because when the "time of trouble" begins, there will be those who want to come to Christ, and they will be baby Christians who need tender loving care to "fill their oil lamps" and be ready for the "Bridegroom."  Who will lead them if all the Christians are raptured?

 There will most definitely not be any Christians left behind.
There will be many people left behind who are very knowledgeable in the Holy Bible, who did not take the Bible literally before the Rapture. There are thousands of pastors right now who fit this description; these men and women believe the Bible is a "spiritual" guidebook, instead of the literal word of God. These people will come to the horrifying realization that the Bible is God's literal word, and these people will no doubt become instant literalists and ministers to the lost. These people will be hunted down, persecuted and executed by satan and his armies. There will be much suffering for these people during the seven years tribulation. None who accept the mark of the beast will be able to buy or sell anything including food and clothing, so these people will be in full out survival mode.

There are also the 144,000 Jews, which God puts His personal seal upon which protects them from the Wrath. These will most certainly be powerful ministers to the lost also.

[Reba]

Politically speaking i fall into the pro Israel category.

I have been reading some of the first posts in this thread.....

I have read how many nations are against Israel.

 We know Sadam murdered his own and invaded Kuwait, not Israel.

There were battles on the Afghan border with Pakistan, again not Israel.

There has been much talk of the jealousy of the Saudis  from the other Arabs. The Saudis have killed thier own family to maintane or gain control.

We talk of the ‘hot bed’ in the middle east as being Israel but seems to resent history Afghan has been at war for ever. Iran and Iraq have been in their own civil wars for years. Uprisings in Egypt.

   Any one here have resent historical, factual knowledge of the region? ( in reading the above sentence it does not read as kind as I would have it read but I don’t know how else to ask. Like I am not saying what has been posted in not factual etc.)

[Soldier4Christ]

Politically speaking i fall into the pro Israel category.

I have been reading some of the first posts in this thread.....

I have read how many nations are against Israel.

 We know Sadam murdered his own and invaded Kuwait, not Israel.

There were battles on the Afghan border with Pakistan, again not Israel.

There has been much talk of the jealousy of the Saudis  from the other Arabs. The Saudis have killed thier own family to maintane or gain control.

We talk of the ‘hot bed’ in the middle east as being Israel but seems to resent history Afghan has been at war for ever. Iran and Iraq have been in their own civil wars for years. Uprisings in Egypt.

   Any one here have resent historical, factual knowledge of the region? ( in reading the above sentence it does not read as kind as I would have it read but I don’t know how else to ask. Like I am not saying what has been posted in not factual etc.)

Try this link it covers the middle east from 1948 to present.

http://www.historyguy.com/War_list.html#warlist13a

[Evangelist]

Hmmmm.......a whole passel of questions!!  I'll try to take them one (or two) at a time.

Why do you suppose our Father would want to eventually destroy the place where Iraq is?  I wonder if He finds the historical and contemporary wickedness of that area to be an abomination to Him, which is in precise contrast to His glorious peace when He once walked in the Garden of Eden.  (any Bible references?)

As noted in the previously quoted scripture from Jeremiah 50:1,
"...Bel is confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces; her idols are confounded,...", the reason for God's disgust with the area is their apparently continuing penchance for idol worship.....and not just any old idols. Bel and Merodach both were pagan 'gods', and were particularly bloody in the form of their worship, with sacrifice of children and virgins being foremost. One of Bel's names was Molech, and he is referenced many times in scripture.
Lev 18:21 And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through [the fire] to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I [am] the LORD.
Lev 20:3 And I will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people; because he hath given of his seed unto Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name.

These are just two of nine references to the practices.

Merodach was the name given by Nimrod to Babel, and is a symbol of man's monument to himself.

Why do you say that the whole earth will mourn the destruction of Iraq?

Rev 18:9
And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,
10
Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.

Note that it is the 'kings' of the earth, the leaders of nations that will be the ones doing most of the crying.  Those who have profited, whether by war, or selling of munitions, or through commercial trade, will bemoan the loss.  Very possibly (this is supposition) the major loss will be in the loss of oil. Consider that that area contains well over 50% of the worlds total proven oil reserves.

If the Bible says so, why would God want to predict our collective grief over the destruction of that part of the world?

I think the above scripture covers this one.  It's an economic thing.  Also, keep in mind, that it is not "our" (as in Christians) collective grief, it is the grief of those who are still in, and part of, this world and it's controlling influence (satan....he is the 'prince of the power of the air.')

It sounds like you are speaking of the "rapture."  If history plays out the rapture like some believe it will, do you think God would allow some saints to stay behind so they can evangelize the lost?  The reason I ask that is because when the "time of trouble" begins, there will be those who want to come to Christ, and they will be baby Christians who need tender loving care to "fill their oil lamps" and be ready for the "Bridegroom."  Who will lead them if all the Christians are raptured?

No, I don't believe that any Christians will be left behind. Why? If one is a Christian, then they are saved...not a little bit, not a little more, and not just some.....saved is saved, and not saved is not saved.  Will there by "christians" in name only left behind? Yes, because they are not saved to begin with, no matter what they call themselves.  As Bronze pointed out, there will be 144,000 Jews that are saved and sealed for the purpose of evangelizing and testifying to Messiah Jesus during the period of "jacob's trouble."

We (Christians) won't be here, because:
1Th 5:9
For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

and the time of tribulation is specifically spelled out in scripture as the pouring out of the wrath of God upon this earth, and those here who deny Him.  It is also pointed out (Daniel) as having a purpose of cleansing Israel once and for all, bringing an end to sin and completing His work of redemption.

When do you think the "time of trouble" will begin?

It begins when a dark leader (often called the anti-christ) comes to power over a confederation of nations and signs a peace treaty with Israel, 'guaranteeing' her peace and safety. More details can be found in Dan. 7 and 9, and throughout Rev.  Paul refers to this also:
1Th 5:3
For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

Here Paul is referring to the Jews, and this cross references to what Jesus said in Matthew 24

In 2Th 2:3
Let no man deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
Paul is pinpointing a sequence of events culminating in the revelation, or unveiling, of this 'man of sin', or the anti-christ.

 

Further, when it does, will it be too late to get our troops out of there? or to get visas for Iraqi's?  Since your quote above spells out destruction, what do you think the reason should be for our active-duty military personnel to maintain good, high morale while they are over there fighting and witnessing so many die?

I think most of our troops will be gone....either via the rapture, or by sudden withdrawal for some reason.  Visa's?  I think it will be too late.  The reason to maintain high morale would be directly tied to their standing with Christ....if they are saved, then they will know they are doing some good, especially in witnessing.

If those who live there were to try to find someplace else to live, where would be the easiest, safest, and fastest place/way to go?  Is America an option?  How?

I have no good advice on this....sorry.

If you write back, thank you so much!  Some of these questions have been on my mind for quite some time.  I look forward to learning but at the same time, I don't want you to feel any pressure to write back.  God bless you today!

I hope it's a little help...there is so much covered in so few words that it's next to impossible to connect all the little dots, but the picture is there.

And God bless you!!

[Reba]

Thanks Roger,

that is the kinda stuff i was hoping for.  

[toolapc]

hey tim i was wondering around march 14 the north star started to move like a UFo. like a day later terrorist invaded Jerusalem it was on TV for a second my friend said but that was is nothin else no web site on it so the government coverd it up.

[Shammu]

Officials: Jihad in Syria ordered strikes

Rockets fired at southern Israeli community in recent days ordered by Islamic Jihad headquarters in Damascus; Israel relayed warning message to Syria prior to attacks. Qassam fire continues Tuesday night
Alex Fishman

The order to fire Qassam rockets at Israeli communities in recent days came from the Islamic Jihad’s headquarters in Syria, security officials say.

Following the killing of the group’s West Bank terror leader Louie Sa’adi earlier this week, Jihad leaders in Syria exerted heavy pressure on terrorists to respond by directing mortar and rocket fire at Israel, at any cost.

This time around, Syrian officials cannot pretend they had no idea what was happening right under their noses, because Israel relayed messages to Damascus, through various sources, informing the Syrians about the rocket attacks about to follow.

Some officials in Israel thought Syria, which is already facing intense international scrutiny, might push the Islamic Jihad to curb its attacks, but Syrian officials did not act.

Meanwhile, Israel also informed the Palestinian Authority hours before the Qassam strikes that terrorists are planning to launch rocket attacks. PA officials were asked to take steps in a bid to prevent the fire, but Palestinian security officials did not even pretend to be acting on the information.

Gaza’s Karni and Erez crossings were reopened Wednesday morning following a situation assessment by the IDF. The crossings were closed following the Qassam rocket attacks.

Another rocket Tuesday night

Despite the IDF’s work to prevent rocket attacks, a Qassam rocket was fired close to midnight (Israel time) at Sderot. No injuries have been reported.

On the eve of Simchat Torah (Monday night), at least five Qassam rockets were fired at the city.

Sderot’s level of alert has been raised due to fears that Palestinian organizations would try to take revenge for the killing of Islamic Jihad commander Louie Sa’adi.

Moshe Ben Sheetrit, a 29 year-old resident of the city, told Ynet: “The Red Dawn (alert system) siren was heard. Usually, there are 20 seconds to run to a protected structure, but before I got there, I heard a boom; it was less than 20 seconds. The children are asleep, thank God.”

In response to Monday night’s rocket salvo, the IAF hit targets in northern Gaza, and IDF forces fired artillery shells at Qassam rocket launching pads. An IAF combat helicopter also struck two buildings in Gaza.

Palestinian doctors said that a Palestinian woman and two of her daughters were injured by shrapnel from the air strike in southern Gaza.

On Tuesday Sderot Mayor Eli Moyal told Ynet that the IDF’s “soft” response to Monday’s barrage of Qassam rockets at Sderot encourages the Palestinians to continue attacking us, on Tuesday.

'People are angry'

“The IDF should not respond to their (rocket-launchers) attacks, but rather immobilized them completely,” Moyal said.

Sderot resident Gili Bohadana said, “It’s scary, there’s no other way to describe the lousy feeling you get when you know a Qassam rocket may be served as your main dish at the family dinner.

“People are angry, and I can understand them,” he said.

“My home is located about one kilometer (1.6 miles) from Beit Hanun and Beit Lahia (Gaza). On a clear day you can see Fatma hanging up the laundry while her son Mahmoud plays soccer in the street – they should be afraid; they should be in hiding; they should not be able to sleep at night. Better them than us. We are fed up. We simply want to live.”

A senior IDF officer told Ynet, “We expected the Palestinian Authority to prevent the Qassam fire, but as it has not done so, we responded harshly after the initial barrage. We will continue to be on alert and prepared to respond at any moment."

 Hanan Greenberg, Ali Waked and Tova Dadon contributed to the report
   
Officials: Jihad in Syria ordered strikes

[Shammu]

02:21 29/10/2005            
Iranian president repeats his call for the destruction of Israel
By Aluf Benn and Shlomo Shamir, Haaretz Correspondents, and Agencies

Iran is counting Venezuela as a friend and ally, an Iranian government official said on Friday, amid a diplomatic storm set off by comments from President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad this week that Israel should be "wiped off the map."

"We are two friendly countries, Iran and Venezuela ... When one is in need the other supports," Saeed Jalili, Iran's Vice Minister of Foreign Relations for Europe and America, said during a visit to Caracas.

Despite condemnations from the West and ally Russia, Ahmadinejad on Friday signaled he stood by his call for Israel to be eliminated. Israel said it would request an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council over the comments.

Venezuela and Iran, both members of the oil exporters' cartel OPEC, have strengthened ties since President Hugo Chavez first won office in 1998 and tightened relations with other crude producing nations.

But Venezuela's Foreign Minister Ali Rodriguez appealed for caution on Friday and said that the South American nation would have to consider the comments of the Islamic Republic.

"For us to fix a position we need the official versions of the respective countries," Rodriguez told journalists.

Meanwhile in Teheran, Over a million Iranians staged anti-Israel protests across the country as Ahmadinejad repeated his earlier call demanding Israel's destruction.

China and Turkey on Friday joined the list of nations around the world condemning Ahmadinejad's calls to destroy Israel.

The Vatican also condemned the Iranian leader's statement, calling it "particularly serious and unacceptable."

U.K's tabloid newspaper, The Sun, called Ahmadinejad 'the most evil man in the world' in a huge two-page spread.

The Iranian demonstrations are being held as part of annual Al-Quds - Jerusalem - Day protests, which were first held in 1979 after Shi'ite Muslim clerics took power in Iran.

Ahmadinejad made an appearance at the Tehran rally and took a short walk with the crowd. He rejected the West's condemnation of his original comments that "Israel must be wiped off the map" as "invalid."

"My words were the Iranian nation's words. Westerners are free to comment, but their reactions are invalid," Ahmadinejad told the official IRNA news agency.

State-run television showed Ahmadinejad surrounded by protesters, many holding banners carrying anti-Israeli and pro-Palestinian slogans including "Death to Israel, death to America."

Young girls wearing head-to-toe black chadors with green headbands covered in Islamic verses chanted anti-Israeli slogans below a banner showing caricatures of U.S. President George W. Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

Just prior, however, Iran sought to smooth over the effects of Ahmadinejad's comments, saying through its Moscow embassy that he did not mean to "speak up in such sharp terms."

World leaders have condemned the remarks, which Ahmadinejad made Wednesday. He was repeating the words of the late Ayatollah Khomeini, founder of Iran's Islamic revolution.

"Mr. Ahmadinejad did not have any intention to speak up in such sharp terms and enter into a conflict," the Iranian Embassy in Moscow said in a statement.

"It's absolutely clear that, in his remarks, Mr. Ahmadinejad, president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, underlined the key position of Iran, based on the necessity to hold free elections on the occupied territories," the statement said.

But Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki was less diplomatic, telling state-run television late Thursday that Iran does not consider Israel legitimate.

"The comments expressed by the president is the declared and specific policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran," he said. "We don't recognize the Zionist regime and don't consider it legitimate." Mottaki also said the massive demonstrations would illustrate the anger of the Islamic world over the Jewish state's existence.

China, Turkey condemn comments China said Friday it disapproved of the Iranian president's calls to destroy Israel, saying such comments ratcheted up Middle East tensions and made Beijing uneasy.

China's Foreign Ministry released a statement criticizing the comments by Ahmadinedjad.

"This kind of opinion violates the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, and intensifies tensions in the Middle East and goes against the interests of the Middle East region and its people," said the statement, which was in response to a media request for comment.

"China feels unease regarding this opinion," it said, but did not elaborate.

Turkey, the only Muslim country to have close security ties with Israel, added its voice on Friday to the international condemnation of Ahmadinejad's remarks.

"Turkey believes that regional conflicts can only be solved through dialogue and peaceful methods," Foreign Ministry spokesman Namik Tan said in a statement.

"Turkey believes that international relations should be developed in a spirit of intercultural harmony and dialogue at a time when our world faces the danger of a clash between civilizations," Tan added. "Naturally it is not possible for us to approve of such a statement (by Ahmadinejad)," he said.

Israel calls for Iran's expulsion from UN The Foreign Ministry was moving forward Friday with its diplomatic offensive against Iran, launched in response to the Iranian president's statement.

On Thursday, Israel called for the expulsion of Iran from the UN. The Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Gillerman, asked the rotating president of the UN Security Council to expel Iran from the world body. Gillerman wrote in a letter that Ahmadinejad's comments require a strong and decisive response from the international community, Israel Radio reported. He said no country that calls for violence and destruction should be allowed membership in the UN.

Sharon said at a meeting Thursday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that a country which calls for the destruction of another people cannot be a member of the UN. "Such a country that has nuclear weapons is a danger, not only to Israel and the Middle East, but also to Europe," Sharon said.

Senior Foreign Ministry officials convened Thursday to decide on the best policy for handling the issue. Some of the officials expressed reservations about the diplomatic offensive, saying it would be better for Israel to keep a low profile; however, this position was rejected.

The Iranian foreign ministry called on its ambassadors in Europe to adopt countermeasures in response to their summoning by European foreign ministries. It called on the Iranian diplomats to present their "serious protest" against the European ignorance of "crimes committed by the Zionists and suppression of the Palestinian nation."

Lavrov, meanwhile, said his government had condemned the statements and called in the Iranian ambassador to Moscow for clarification of the remarks. He said the Russian ambassador to Tehran had also been instructed to present an official condemnation.

Lavrov also met with Vice Premier Shimon Peres and said that Moscow is opposed to Iran's attempts to develop and produce nuclear weapons. He said that there was as yet no proof that Iran actually had nuclear weapons and that, according to Russia's information, it would take a long time before Tehran actually had nuclear capability.

Therefore, Lavrov added, the wide-scale diplomatic campaign against Iran should be continued unabated but care should be taken not to push Tehran to a point where it refuses to abide by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, as North Korea has done.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan reprimanded Iran's president Thursday for calling for the destruction of Israel. Annan expressed "dismay" over Ahmadinejad's comments in a statement released in a special bulletin by his spokesman.

"Israel is a long-standing member of the United Nations with the same rights and obligations as every other member," Annan said in a statement. The UN Charter is opposed to threats or use of force against the territorial integrity and political independence of any state, he said. Annan said he plans to visit Iran in "the next few weeks" and would put the Middle East peace process and the right of all states to live in peace and safety within secure borders at the top of his agenda.

As the diplomatic offensive continued, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom met with his French counterpart, Philippe Douste-Blazy in Paris, and said that "the international community must prevent Iran from developing a nuclear bomb. Tehran says its nuclear program is purely to make power but we know what the Iranians' real intentions are," he said.

"The Iranians are trying to develop a nuclear bomb in order to destroy the state of Israel," he told reporters after the meeting. "The time has come for the whole international community to be united in order to stop the Iranians."

Shalom said Iran is developing missiles with a 3,000-kilometer range that can reach Europe. Iran is a threat to the entire West; it already has missiles that can reach Israel. Shalom said it is conceivable that Tehran might have a nuclear bomb within six months.

Douste-Blazy called Ahmadinejad's comments "unacceptable and shocking." "Nobody has the right to call the state of Israel into question," he said. "We will not permit a nuclear Iran."

Iranian president repeats his call for the destruction of Israel

[Shammu]

Iran Leader Reiterates Anti-Israel Stance

By ALI AKBAR DAREINI, Associated Press Writer Fri Oct 28, 5:39 PM ET

TEHRAN, Iran - Iran's ultraconservative president — spurning international outrage over his remarks about Israel — joined more than a million demonstrators who flooded the streets of the capital and other major cities Friday to back his call for the destruction of the Jewish state.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stood fast behind his assertion that Israel should be wiped off the map and repeated the call during the nationwide protests Friday, the Muslim day of prayer.

But in an apparent attempt to blunt international outrage over Ahmadinejad's comments, the Iranian Embassy in Moscow issued a statement saying the Iranian leader did not want to "engage in a conflict."

Marching alongside the protesters, the 47-year-old former mayor of Tehran and one-time Republican Guard commander renewed his criticism of the West.

"They become upset when they hear any voice of truth-seeking. They think they are the absolute rulers of the world," he said during the al-Quds — or Jerusalem — Day protest, which was among the largest since they were first held in 1979 after Shiite Muslim clerics took power in Iran.

His fellow marchers carried placards reading "Death to Israel, death to America." It is not uncommon for an Iranian president to join marches in the capital. Ahmadinejad was accompanied by five bodyguards, but otherwise security was not out of the ordinary for such an event.

Despite Ahmadinejad's continued harsh attacks on the West, former President Hashemi Rafsanjani tried to dial back the rhetoric, suggesting that Israelis and Palestinians hold a referendum to decide the future of Israeli-Palestinian relations.

"If Muslims and Palestinians agree (to a referendum), it will be a retreat but let's still hold a referendum," Rafsanjani said in his Friday prayer sermon.

The Iranian Embassy statement in Moscow said Ahmadinejad "did not have any intention to speak in sharp terms and engage in a conflict."

But that was not the message carried by the at least 200,000 Iranians who massed in Tehran to unleashed virulent condemnation against Israel, the United States and the West in general, accusing them of oppressing Palestinians and Iran.

Some demonstrators chanted "Israel is approaching its death" and wore white shrouds in a symbolic gesture expressing readiness to die for their cause.

A resolution was read at the end of the rallies backing "the position declared by the president that the Zionist regime must be wiped out."

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki defended his president's comments, saying they represented Iran's long-held policy of not recognizing Israel.

"Unfortunately the Western countries have remained silent on the increasing inhuman activities of Israel," Mottaki said at the Tehran march.

Protests attracted at least 100,000 in each of Iran's eight largest cities, according to AP reporters. State television said millions of people assembled throughout the country. Major rallies also were held in other Middle Eastern countries.

In Beirut, the militant Hezbollah group marked the day by staging a parade that saw more than 6,000 guerrillas march in uniform through the streets of the Lebanese capital.

The Shiite group, which supports it Iranian mentors, has sought to strengthen its position in Lebanon after the withdrawal of Syrian troops.

At least 30,000 Bahrainis marched in their capital, Manama, burning Israeli and American flags and demanding their government rescind its recent decision to end its economic embargo of the Jewish state.

The United States said the Iranian leader's remarks have only underscored Washington's concern over Iran's nuclear program. Israel said Iran should be suspended from the United Nations. U.N. chief Kofi Annan expressed "dismay" at the comments in a rare rebuke of a U.N. member state.

The Vatican condemned as "unacceptable" statements denying the right of Israel to exist, although it did not mention Iran by name. The U.N. Security Council also condemned the remarks, while Russia summoned the Iranian ambassador seeking an explanation for the president's words.

Iran's seven state-run TV stations devoted coverage Friday to programs condemning the Jewish state and praising the Palestinian resistance since the 1948 creation of Israel.

Three stations also showed live coverage of crowds of people gathering Friday in streets throughout Tehran.

In Washington, the State Department said it was skeptical the demonstrators had gone into the streets voluntarily.

"I think you have over the past decade seen examples of the Iranian regime organizing protests in support of some of their more outrageous policies," spokesman Sean McCormack said.

After Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini toppled the pro-Western Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi in 1979, he declared the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan as an international day of struggle against Israel and for the liberation of Jerusalem. The founder of the Islamic regime had also called for Israel's destruction.

Iran Leader Reiterates Anti-Israel Stance

[Shammu]

Israeli Leader Threatens Islamic Jihad

Sun Oct 30, 5:13 AM ET

JERUSALEM - Israel's defense minister vowed Sunday to wage war on the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad until its capabilities are wiped out.

The threat by Shaul Mofaz follows a suicide bombing by the group last week that killed five Israelis in the coastal city of Hadera.

Israel responded Thursday with an airstrike on a car in the
Gaza Strip targeting Islamic Jihad militants, but it also killed people standing nearby in crowded streets.

"We are carrying out a broad operation against terrorism, a broad operation against the Islamic Jihad infrastructure in light of Islamic Jihad's intention to continue with suicide bombings," Mofaz said ahead of the weekly Cabinet meeting.

"We are making huge efforts to prevent these attacks ... and this activity will continue until we can say that the Islamic Jihad infrastructure can no longer carry out suicide bombings," he added.

Israeli Leader Threatens Islamic Jihad

[Shammu]

Iranians say Israel spat used to up atomic pressure
Sun Oct 30, 2005 8:57 AM ET10

 By Christian Oliver

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iranians on Sunday accused western countries of exploiting their president's bellicose remarks about Israel to turn up the heat on Tehran over its disputed atomic program.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's remark on Wednesday that Israel should be "wiped off the map" sparked international condemnation, including a rebuke from the UN Security Council.

But the uproar has caused confusion in Iran, where such rhetoric has been commonplace since the 1979 Islamic revolution. Anti-Israeli diatribes are painted as murals along most highways and are heard regularly at Friday prayers.

"Our respected president has not said anything new or unprecedented about Israel to justify such a huge political tumult," wrote Hossein Shariatmadari, who was appointed to his post as editor of the Kayhan daily by Iran's Supreme Leader.

"Iran's nuclear case ... could be a reason for the recent clamor."

The United States responded to Ahmadinejad by saying his words added to fears about Tehran's pursuit of nuclear arms.

Iran faces referral to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions after failing to convince the world that its atomic program is for power generation rather than weapons.

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told the official IRNA new agency the west was making a fuss about the remarks to ratchet up pressure before November's board meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

"Since Iran has been proven right in the atomic field, they are trying to pressure us in another sphere and make us abandon our legitimate rights," he said.

Before Ahmadinejad aired his views on Israel, European diplomats said they would probably not push for a referral to the Security Council in November.

Across Tehran, the president's remarks have drawn decidedly mixed reactions.

A group of some 200 men and women wearing black checkered Palestinian headscarves gathered to express their solidarity with the Palestinians, watching footage of Arab children killed in the conflict.

"I am ready to die for those poor children. I am ready to offer my blood," said 17-year-old Zahra, wearing the all-enveloping black chador.

But other Iranians reckon the president made an error of judgment. Although anti-Israeli rhetoric may be common in Iran's mosques, politicians have been careful not to make such inflammatory statements in recent years.

Iran's previous, reformist government, succeeded this year by Ahmadinejad's conservatives, was always careful to say it would back whatever course the Palestinians chose, leaving the way open for a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict.

"In a strategic masterstroke our president has broken the unipolar new world order and created a bipolar world," said a satirical piece posted on an Iranian Web site.

"Now there's Iran on one side and Europe, America, Asia, Africa and Oceania against us on the other."

Iranians say Israel spat used to up atomic pressure