Israel news from within Israel

[Soldier4Christ]

Jew lights 1st menorah in Antarctica 
'It is hard for me to describe the feeling ... '

Two months ago the AJN reported of a Jewish pilot who flew to Antarctica for four months on a scientific mission for the Australian government.

David Wakil, 39, from Sydney, will spend the summer facilitating scientific research in one of the most remote areas in the world.

“I have been chasing this job for a year and a half, so I’m very excited. It is a bit difficult to be away for a long time, but it will be amazing to be in a place that most people never see.”

Wakil will fly between Tasmania and Antarctica operating the Airbus A319. This service is part of the $46.3 million Australian government Antarctic Air Service.

“The role includes transporting equipment and scientists between bases, as well as any potential medical evacuation for around 120 people,” he said.

Wakil was recently presented with a “Jewish survival kit” by Rabbi Levi Wolff of Sydney’s Central Synagogue.

“The rabbi was very organised and got me a whole lot of stuff to take down, including a tefillat haderech [Traveller’s Prayer] that I will wear in my flight suit,” he said. “He also gave me his own dollar note that he received from the Lubavitcher Rebbe, and I’ll bring that back with me next year.”

Rabbi Wolff also gave Wakil a Chanukah Menorah with 44 candles telling him that "you can light these candles wherever you are even on the coldest, driest and windiest continent.

Now almost two months after we parted I received an emotional email from David, Rabbi Wolff told Shturem.net. He sent me pictures of him and the Chanukah Menorah that he lit.

"There's alot to say and to tell," he writes, "but I do not have much time. It is hard for me to describe the feeling of the first Jew celebrating Chanukah in Antarctica. Believe me, the light of Chanukah illuminates me and my enviroment. I write this as tears fill my eyes. I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to Rabbi Wolff for his caring about Judaism."

"In the course of my stay here I have already broken many records and it seems that I am now breaking a new record: the first Jew ever to celebrate two holidays in Anarctica (He'll be there Purim too. Editor).

"I am keeping my promise by sending you two pictures and am sending my regards to all Shturem surfers. Happy Chanukah.

[Soldier4Christ]

Israeli mayor's resignation 'huge victory for resistance' 
Terror leader boasts as city official steps down in wake of massive rocket attack

The resignation today of a battered Israeli city's mayor in the wake of a massive salvo of Palestinian rocket fire is a "huge victory for the Palestinian resistance" and "proof our attacks pay off," a top terror leader told WND in an interview.

Muhammad Abdel-Al, spokesman and a senior leader of the Gaza-based Popular Resistance Committees, warned if Israel pressed ahead with a threatened large-scale, anti-rocket operation in the Gaza Strip his terror group will "fire rockets until all the Zionists in Sderot run away thousands of yards from their homes."

Palestinians in Gaza today fired at least 18 rockets into Sderot, a town of nearly 23,000 residents located about three miles from the Gaza Strip. Five people were lightly injured by the attack, including one girl, who was hit by shrapnel.

Abdel-Al's Committees took responsibility for the rocket salvo along with the Iranian-backed Islamic Jihad terror group.

After the first eight rockets struck his town, Sderot's mayor Eli Moyal announced his resignation in protest of what he said was the Israeli government's "failure" to protect the city.

"I cannot take the responsibility to manage a city that is under attack for seven years," Moyal told reporters. "If 20 children are killed tomorrow from a rocket, I will be asked, 'why did you open the kindergarten?' I have been deliberating matters pertaining to human life for years now, and I cannot continue."

Said Moyal: "For seven years no one has taken responsibility for what is happening here. It is unreasonable to start the morning with eight Qassams. I am not willing to take this responsibility. I was chosen to manage a city and not this situation."

Since Israel evacuated the Gaza Strip in August 2005, Palestinian terror groups based there have fired more than 3,000 rockets aimed at nearby Jewish cities, including Sderot and Ashkelon, home to strategic power stations and fuel depots.

Speaking from Gaza, Abdel-Al told WND his terror group anticipated "further resignations from the inept leadership of the Israelis."

"This is exactly what happened after Israel lost the Lebanon war," said Abdel-Al, referring to Israel's war in the summer of 2006 against the Lebanese Hezbollah militia.

The Committees spokesman said the Palestinians' ability to fire rockets today while Israeli helicopters operated over Gaza was a "major military victory."

The Israeli army has made small-sized, isolated incursion into the Gaza Strip the past few days, including today, in an attempt to halt the rocket fire.

Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi said today a large-scale military operation in Gaza would soon be needed, telling Knesset members during a briefing that "we will come to the point where we will have to carry out the big operation."

But Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's security cabinet, which met today to debate Israel's response to the rocket barrage, failed to reach a decision on whether to embark on a large-scale invasion of Gaza.

Abdel-Al scoffed at the cabinet meeting.

"The Israelis are very good at threatening military operations, but so far they don't do anything," he said.

The terror spokesman boasted to WND his group and Hamas recently developed a more advanced rocket arsenal, but he declined to divulge specifics.

Senior defense officials told WND they have information indicating Hamas indeed enhanced its rocket capabilities, developing the ability to store rockets for a longer period of time, which now allows Palestinians to launch larger barrages of rocket at once.

[Soldier4Christ]

Revealed: Israel agreed to forfeit Temple Mount 
Documents detail deal handing Judaism's holiest site to Yasser Arafat

In spite of longstanding denials by top officials here, the Israeli government in 2000 agreed to relinquish the Temple Mount – Judaism's holiest site – to the Palestinians during U.S.-backed negotiations, according to declassified documents made public today.

The information comes as Prime Minister Ehud Olmert earlier this month denied talks started at November's Annapolis summit would lead to Israel giving up its sovereignty over the Temple Mount, while chief Palestinian negotiators tell WND the Jewish state already agreed to forfeit Judaism's holiest site to a coalition of Arab countries.

According to declassified Israeli government documents published today by Israel's Haaretz newspaper, during U.S.-led negotiations in 2000 at Camp David, Ehud Barak, then prime minister, agreed sovereignty over the Temple Mount would be either "ambiguous" or control would be determined based on the bond of each party to the site. The Palestinians would therefore control the upper sections of the Mount, which houses the Al Aqsa Mosque and also is the site of the First and Second Jewish Temples.

The 2000 negotiations fell through after Palestinian President Yasser Arafat rejected an offer of a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and eastern sections of Jerusalem.

Barak at times denied he offered the Temple Mount to the Palestinians, but he also indicated during interviews he was willing to compromise over the site.

Haaretz published excerpts from a 26-page document it obtained, signed by Barak's negotiator Gilad Sher and said to be summaries of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. The document was titled "The Status of the Diplomatic Process with the Palestinians Points to Update the Incoming Prime Minister."

Sher also wrote in his book published after the 2000 negotiations, titled "Beyond Reach," that President Bill Clinton floated a plan that called for the Temple Mount to become Palestinian sovereign territory, while the Western Wall below and its complex would fall under Israeli sovereignty.

Barak was said to have initially rejected that plan, but according to participants at the negotiations summit, he was ultimately willing to forfeit the Temple Mount.

The 26-page document published by Haaretz also said Barak was willing to give up most of the West Bank and split Jerusalem into two capitals, one called Jerusalem and another Al-Quds. Negotiations would have seen Arab sections of Jerusalem being turned over to the Palestinians.

The release of the document follow's last month's Annapolis summit at which Olmert committed to aim at creating a Palestinian state before the end of next year, handing strategic territory to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

In a briefing to reporters upon returning to Israel from Annapolis, Olmert claimed Israel's sovereignty over the Temple Mount is not up for discussion. He said negotiations started at this week's Annapolis summit had no bearing on the situation on the Temple Mount.

But a chief Palestinian negotiator, speaking to WND on condition of anonymity, said Olmert's denials were "false."

"What Olmert said (regarding the Mount) is absolutely false. I think he's not yet ready to tell the Israeli public and is waiting for the right time, and he fears his coalition with religious extremists will fall apart if he announces it now," said the negotiator.

Olmert's maintains a government coalition with the religious Shas party and Russian Yisroel Beiteinu party, but if those two bolt, the prime minister could create a new coalition with leftist parties.

The chief Palestinian negotiator said that in the months leading up to Annapolis, the Palestinian team was "surprised" by Olmert's willingness to give up the Mount.

"We had intense debates on many topics, which remain open and unsettled, but the Harem Al-Sharif (Temple Mount) is not a sticking point. The Israelis didn't argue with us. We were pleasantly surprised Olmert didn't debate about giving the lower section of the [Mount] either, which was a sticking point in the past."

According to the negotiator, Olmert agreed to evacuate the Mount but not to turn it over to the Palestinians alone. The negotiator said both sides agreed, the Temple Mount would be given to joint Egypt, Jordan and Palestinian Authority control.

He said the Israeli government felt an umbrella group of several Arab countries controlling the holy site instead of only the PA would help ease Israeli domestic opposition to giving up the Temple Mount, since Egypt and Jordan are considered by Israeli policy to be moderate countries.

The Palestinian negotiator pointed out Israeli prime ministers previously denied withdrawal plans only to later carry them out. Former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, elected on a platform against evacuating territory, denied for his first year in office he would retreat from the Gaza Strip, but in 2005 he carried out a Gaza withdrawal.

Israel bars Jews, Christians from praying on Mount

The Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism. Muslims say it is their third holiest site.

The First Jewish Temple was built by King Solomon in the 10th century B.C. It was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. The Second Temple was rebuilt in 515 B.C. after Jerusalem was freed from Babylonian captivity. That temple was destroyed by the Roman Empire in A.D. 70. Each temple stood for a period of about four centuries.

The Jewish Temple was the center of religious Jewish worship. It housed the Holy of Holies, which contained the Ark of the Covenant and was said to be the area upon which God's "presence" dwelt. The Al Aqsa Mosque now sits on the site.

The Temple served as the primary location for the offering of sacrifices and was the main gathering place in Israel during Jewish holidays.

The Temple Mount compound has remained a focal point for Jewish services over the millennia. Prayers for a return to Jerusalem have been uttered by Jews since the Second Temple was destroyed, according to Jewish tradition. Jews worldwide pray facing toward the Western Wall, a portion of an outer courtyard of the Temple left intact.

The Al Aqsa Mosque was constructed around A.D. 709 to serve as a shrine near another shrine, the Dome of the Rock, which was built by an Islamic caliph. Al Aqsa was meant to mark where Muslims came to believe Muhammad, the founder of Islam, ascended to heaven.

Jerusalem is not mentioned in the Quran. Islamic tradition states Muhammad took a journey in a single night from "a sacred mosque" – believed to be in Mecca in southern Saudi Arabia – to "the farthest mosque" and from a rock there ascended to heaven. The farthest mosque later became associated with the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

Currently under Israeli control, Jews and Christians are barred from praying on the Mount.

The Temple Mount was opened to the general public until September 2000, when the Palestinians started their intifada by throwing stones at Jewish worshipers after then-candidate for prime minister Ariel Sharon visited the area.

Following the onset of violence, the new Sharon government closed the Mount to non-Muslims, using checkpoints to control all pedestrian traffic for fear of further clashes with the Palestinians.

The Temple Mount was reopened to non-Muslims in August 2003. It still is open but only Sundays through Thursdays, 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., and not on any Christian, Jewish or Muslim holidays or other days considered "sensitive" by the Waqf.

During "open" days, Jews and Christian are allowed to ascend the Mount, usually through organized tours and only if they conform first to a strict set of guidelines, which includes demands that they not pray or bring any "holy objects" to the site. Visitors are banned from entering any of the mosques without direct Waqf permission. Rules are enforced by Waqf agents, who watch tours closely and alert nearby Israeli police to any breaking of their guidelines.

[Soldier4Christ]

 The Israeli Knesset has chosen the symbol for Israel's 60th birthday

The Israeli Knesset's Symbols and Ceremonies Committee decided recently on Israel's official symbol for its 60th anniversary which features a child holding a white and blue sheet of cloth swirling into the number 60. This symbol will be the trademark for the year-long celebration of the Jewish state's 60th birthday, celebrating the rebirth of a state of Israel after almost 2,000 years with Jews scattered across the world.

The Israeli government has many plans for this 60th anniversary which may be interrupted by the events unfolding in the Middle East as it relates to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as well as the continuing threat from Iran.

The fact that the Jewish state of Israel is celebrating its 60th birthday is absolute evidence that Bible prophecy is being fulfilled.

Out of more than 100 nations of the world over the last 100 years, Jews from around the world have been slowly but surely making their way back to the homeland of their forefathers. Even as these Jews from around the world gather together to rebuild their own nation, their ancient Jewish language has also been restored so that Hebrew is the official language of the Jewish state.

The last 60 year history of this modern-day state of Israel has been marked by conflicts and full-scale wars, but the state of Israel continues to stand strong living among her enemies.

A number of the ancient Jewish prophets pre-wrote this modern-day history. Moses wrote that the Jews would return to their land after they had been punished for almost 2,000 years as recorded in Deuteronomy 28, 30. Micah wrote that God would punish the Jews, but then bring them back into their ancient homeland, Micah 7. Ezekiel, in chapter 37, said that the Jews would be regathered, that's the bones coming together as talked about in verse 7. They would be restored as a Jewish state, that's the flesh covering these bones that have come together as recorded in Ezekiel 37:8.

With Israel celebrating their 60th birthday, there is indeed evidence that Bible prophecy will be fulfilled.

[Soldier4Christ]

Exposed: U.S. funded Hamas university 
Audit reveals funds sent to school terrorists boast is used for jihad

An audit has revealed the U.S. government authorized nearly $1 million in aid to a Hamas-controlled university senior terror leaders told WND is openly utilized by Hamas to recruit fighters, manufacture explosives and train on campus grounds for attacks.

The audit concluded the American tax dollars were provided to Gaza's Islamic University between 2002 and 2006. It stated officials from both the U.S. Agency for International Development in Tel Aviv, which initiated the fund request, and the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, which conducted an investigation, found no "derogatory information" on the university.

Also in March 2007 State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told WND U.S. officials concluded after a review Islamic University does not supports terrorist activities.

But Israeli and Palestinian security officials and Palestinian terrorist leaders themselves scoffed at the State Department claims.

An Israeli security official took offense with McCormack's statement.

"It's the height of absurdity to hear Hamas' Islamic University is not involved in terrorism," the official said.

Islamic University was founded by Hamas spiritual leader Ahmed Yassin, who was assassinated by Israel in 2004. Hamas leader in Gaza Ismail Haniya sits on the college board, which was raided in January by Palestinian security forces who seized rocket-propelled grenades and rockets.

Abu Abdullah, considered one of the most important operational members of Hamas' so-called military wing, told WND Islamic University is regularly used by Hamas to support "resistance activities."

"It is no secret that we utilize all tools at our disposal, including our fighters at Islamic University in preparations to fight the Zionists," said Abu Abdullah of Hamas' Izzedine al-Qassam Martyrs Brigades, Hamas' declared "resistance" department.

Muhammad Abdel-Al, spokesman of the Popular Resistance Committees, a Hamas-affiliated terror group, told WND Islamic University is "extremely important" for recruitment of militants. He said several members of his group study chemistry at the university to aid in the manufacture of explosives and suicide belts. The Committees is responsible for hundreds of rocket attacks from Gaza aimed at nearby Jewish cities.

According to Israeli and Palestinian intelligence officials Islamic University's main campus in Gaza City has been used by Hamas' so-called military wing to recruit terrorists and suicide bombers. The officials told WND chemistry labs were used to manufacture and improve explosives for Hamas-affiliated militias.

Reuven Erlich, director of the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center and Israel's Center for Special Studies, told WND his organization analyzed material captured in previous Israeli raids of Islamic University, which yielded mass quantities of weaponry and Hamas incitement material supporting terrorist attacks.

Officials from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party last February claimed they captured seven Iranian military trainers – including a general of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards – inside Gaza City's Islamic University, which they said was being utilized as a Hamas military training ground.

The Fatah officials said they also found some 1,000 Qassam rockets, rocket-propelled grenades and equipment to manufacture the rockets inside the university. They previously suspected kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was being held for a time on the university grounds.

Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) asked USAID's inspector general to conduct the audits following media reports detailing the funding to Islamic University. He told the Chicago Tribune the U.S. government's failure to detect terrorist ties at the school suggested "either incompetence or a complete breakdown of the vetting system as run by the State Department."

U.S. law prohibits transactions with terrorists or their supporters. The audit initiated by Kirk concluded the U.S. government lacks adequate controls to stop foreign aid from being provided to terrorists. One of the follow-up audits reportedly concluded USAID "did not always follow applicable federal laws" when approving aid to the university.

While the USAID audit in question focused on Islamic University, WND previously broke the story the U.S. is also funding another terror-saturated university.

USAID the past two years has reportedly provided $4 million to Arkan, a Palestinian program that funds law schools at several universities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, including Al-Najah University. The Arkan program is entirely funded by USAID.

Israeli security officials say Al-Najah University is one of the most important recruitment grounds for West Bank terror organizations. The Israeli Defense Forces a number of times has raided the college and arrested terror suspects. At least 15 Palestinians who carried out suicide bombings the past six years attended the school.

Senior members of the Islamic Jihad and Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror groups are openly enrolled at Al-Najah, WND has learned.

One senior leader of the Brigades, the declared military wing of Abbas' Fatah party, told WND many Brigades leaders study at the university, which he described as a "recruitment center for jihad."

The senior leader said he is studying sports education.

A leader of the Islamic Jihad terror organization said he is studying chemistry to enhance his terror group's bomb-making capabilities. He said others in the chemistry department manufacture explosives for Palestinian groups.

Islamic Jihad and the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades has taken joint 2006 bombing in Tel Aviv last April that killed eight Israelis and American teenager Daniel Wultz.

According to the U.S. Foreign Operations Bill of 2006, it is illegal to fund universities which the Secretary of State "knows or has reason to believe advocates, plans, sponsors, engages in, or has engaged in, terrorist activity."

USAID has a history of funding anti-American Palestinian projects.

WND first reported a northern West Bank street funded by USAID was renamed for Saddam after his execution.

Zacharias Zubeidi, leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in Yaabid, told WND the city changed the name on the U.S.-funded street to show "Saddam Hussein is still alive."

"We will honor his memory until the American and Zionist occupation is driven from our land," Zubeidi said.

WND reported USAID also reconstructed roads and municipalities in areas in the Gaza Strip controlled by Hamas.

In a WND interview, Hamas Foreign Minister Mahmoud al-Zahar thanked USAID for its efforts.

According to Palestinian Media Watch translations, after USAID funded road projects in the West Bank city of Jenin in 2004, a central street there was named after the first Iraqi suicide bomber, who killed four American soldiers in Fallujah. The mayor of Jenin reportedly participated in an anti-American dedication ceremony in which speakers blessed the "resistance of the residents of Fallujah"

Also, a USAID-funded Palestinian sports center was named after Salef Khalef, operational head of the Black September terror organization, which was behind the killing of two U.S. diplomats in Sudan in 1973 and the massacre one year earlier of 11 Israeli Olympic athletes in Munich.

[Soldier4Christ]

Israel approves 'no land for Jews' patriarch 
Church leader's cancellation of property sale could affect dividing city

After two years of debate, the Israeli government yesterday officially confirmed the man enthroned here as Greek Orthodox patriarch, amid accusations the religious figure would cancel the sale to Jewish groups of land comprising much of a key entrance to Jerusalem's Old City.

Theofilos III was elected patriarch in 2005 amid charges of church irregularities. He has been quoted by church officials as opposing the sale of Jerusalem property to Jews.

Church officials say once approved by the Israeli government, Theofilos would work to cancel the sale Jerusalem property to Jews.

"The deal must be canceled and Theofilos knows this. We as a church will fight any smuggling of real estate to Jewish organizations," Atallah Hanna, the church's archbishop of Sebastia, told WND.

Ownership of the land in question – two hotels that comprise a large section of the Jaffa Gate, the principal entrance to the Old City of Jerusalem – could be crucial in the future status of Jerusalem during upcoming Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.

Following last month's U.S.-backed Annapolis summit, Israel is widely expected to evacuate eastern Jerusalem neighborhoods for the creation of an eventual Palestinian state. Previous U.S.-backed proposals have allotted Jewish-owned sections of Jerusalem to Israel and Arab-occupied real estate to the Palestinians.

Theofilos was elected patriarch after church officials ousted the previous patriarch, Irenios, in May 2005 by holding new elections after it was exposed Irenios allegedly leased for 99 years the church's Jaffa Gate real estate to Jewish groups.

Regional bylaws require Jerusalem's Greek Orthodox patriarch – the religious leader of 100,000 Christians in the Holy Land – to be recognized by Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority.

Jordan and the PA approved of Theofilos, but Israel has withheld its support amid reports, first exposed by WND, that prior to the patriarchal elections Theofilos, along with other candidates for patriarch, signed a secret church document stating if he were elected leader he would nullify all transactions made by Irenios, the previous patriarch, including the Jaffa Gate sale.

Still yesterday, after two years of deliberations, the Israeli government approved Theofilos by a vote of 10 to 3.

Theofilos has claimed he is still obtaining all the information on the real estate deals conducted under Irenios, and that he hasn't made any decisions yet regarding the Jaffa's Gate sale. But some Israeli officials chalk up Theofilos' reluctance to immediately cancel the deal to the fact that the Jewish state until yesterday was deliberating whether or not to recognize his leadership.

But WND revealed Theofilos already signed a document stating he would nullify the Jaffa land deal.

The document, addressed to the Palestinian Authority and obtained by WND, states, "We, the candidates of the Greek Orthodox Church, hereby agree that we are obliged to abide by the law of the Greek Orthodox patriarchate. ... In the event that we are elected, we shall act for the cancellation of all transactions made during the period of Irenios I, and shall keep the Orthodox religious trust."

High-placed sources close to the church said the document was drafted by a PA government minister with the specific goal of canceling Irenios' lease of the Jaffa Gate hotels to the Jewish groups.

"The candidates were essentially blackmailed by the Palestinians that if they didn't sign the document and cancel the lease, they would not get approval of the PA as candidates and could not run in elections," a church source told WND. "This is an outright racist policy against the Jews."

A senior church leader close to Irineos told WND: "Theofilos has made statements about not providing Jerusalem land to Jews. He agrees with the Palestinians that they have the rights to eastern Jerusalem."

In May, Jordan temporarily suspended Theofilos for three months, reportedly asking him to immediately cancel the Jaffa's Gate deal. According to informed sources, Theofilis was reinstated in August after assuring Jordan he would ultimately nullify the land sale.

Speaking to WND, Irineos said he could not comment on the secret document regarding nullification of the Jaffa Gate sale, but said, "There is a lot at play here in the election of Theofilos and attempts at deposing [me]."

"The electorate was blackmailed into supporting Theofilos," Irenios said. "They were told by fathers and brotherhood members and others that if they didn't vote for Theofilos, they would be kicked out of the church. Documents were made to be signed, including a letter that said 'I will not stand with Irenios.'"

[Soldier4Christ]

 The Israeli government has allowed Hamas to broadcast incitement against the Jews from the Temple Mount in Jerusalem

Rabbi Chaim Richman, a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin and leader of the Temple Institute, claims that the Israeli government is responsible for allowing Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist organization, to broadcast live from the Temple Mount in Jerusalem while at the same time Jews and Christians were banned from the holy site.

Rami Kaoud, a manager of Hamas-al Aqsa Radio, said that broadcasting daily from the Temple Mount helps to bring al Aqsa to the Gaza Strip and to challenge the siege imposed on the Palestinian people by the Zionist state of Israel.

Live radio broadcast by the Palestinian terror group Hamas from the Temple Mount in Jerusalem is evidence of the nearness of both the positive and negative scenarios that can be found in Bible prophecy for the Last Days.

For a number of years, the PA has broadcast the Friday Moslem services from the Al Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Now, the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas has been granted permission to broadcast live and daily to the Hamas followers in the Gaza Strip from the Temple Mount. In a joint statement by the New Jewish Congress, the different Jewish Temple Movements and the Sanhedrin, they claimed that the Israeli government has decided to give over the Temple Mount, the apple of the Jewish nation's eye, for the use of enemy incitement as Hamas calls for the destruction of the Jewish state of Israel.

There is a positive and negative aspect to this story as it relates to the prophetic scenarios that can be found in bible prophecy for the Last Days. The ancient Jewish prophet Micah revealed that the Word of the Lord, Word from the Messiah, that will go forth from the House of the Lord, the Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, in the future Kingdom Period, Micah 4:1-2. However, this story also reveals to us that the Palestinian people, people in Biblical times known as Edomites descendants of Esau, would call for the destruction of the Jewish state and the demise of the Jewish people in the Last Days, Ezekiel 35.

Live radio broadcasts by Hamas from the Temple Mount in Jerusalem is indeed evidence that Bible prophecy will be fulfilled.

[Shammu]

'Nuclear bunker being built for Olmert'
Associated Press , THE JERUSALEM POST    Dec. 20, 2007

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office issued a statement Thursday strongly denying a report that Olmert's residence was being outfitted with a bunker that can withstand a nuclear or chemical attack.

The PMO called the Yediot Ahronot report "unfounded and misleading." The statement said workers were merely adding a "safe room," a room with thick concrete walls and metal-shuttered windows that is a feature of many Israeli buildings. Israeli construction codes require such rooms to protect residents in case of rocket attacks.

"No atomic bunker is being constructed at the prime minister's official residence, or a bunker equipped with special filters or any special equipment," the statement said.

Yediot Ahronot had claimed that workers at Olmert's official Jerusalem residence were thickening walls, digging, and installing air decontamination equipment capable of countering chemical agents.

Yediot said that the work at Olmert's residence follows the renovation of a bunker underneath the building housing his office, where Cabinet ministers are supposed to convene in case of an attack on Israel's government center in Jerusalem.

As part of the push to protect Israel's leaders from a a non-conventional attack, the paper wrote, Israel is also building a giant nuclear bunker in the hills several kilometers (miles) outside Jerusalem that will be accessible via a tunnel leading from government offices inside the city.

The bunker is supposed to house the military's headquarters and top government officials if the country comes under nuclear attack. Work on the bunker began several years ago and is expected to end in 2011, the report said.

The report added that Israel's concerns about a nuclear attack are focused mainly on Iran, its most bitter enemy. Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has said Israel should be "wiped off the map."

Iran is pursuing a nuclear program, but insists it isn't for military purposes. A US intelligence report this month said Iran had abandoned its push to become a nuclear power. But Israel believes Iran is still trying to develop nuclear weapons and fears the Jewish state - which also has a sizable nuclear arsenal, according to foreign reports - would be the primary target.

'Nuclear bunker being built for Olmert'

[Shammu]

Rabbinic leaders rebuke Israeli government
Slam Hamas terror group's Temple Mount broadcast as 'fostering bloodshed, war'
Posted: December 19, 2007
2:15 a.m. Eastern

By Aaron Klein
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

JERUSALEM – A group of prominent rabbinic elders and the leaders of Israel's major Temple Mount activist groups issued a joint statement today calling on "all nations who believe in the word of God to" rebuke the Israeli government for reportedly failing to halt the Hamas terror group from broadcasting live today from the Temple Mount, Judaism's holiest site.

"We call upon all nations who cherish freedom and who believe in the word of God as manifest in the Torah of Israel and its prophets to rebuke the government of Israel for its disgraceful treatment of all that is holy to the Jewish people before the eyes of the entire world," said a statement by the New Jewish Congress, the Sanhedrin and the Holy Temple and Temple Mount movements.

The Congress is a group of religious Zionist leaders here while the Sanhedrin consists of prominent rabbinic leaders who in 2004 reformed the ancient group of Jewish judges that previously constituted the legislative body of Israel. The reformed Sanhedrin has been a subject of debate within some Jewish communities.

Continued the statement: "The contemptible and vile consent of the government of (Prime Minister) Ehud Olmert for the Hamas terror organization to broadcast from the Temple Mount endangers and weakens Israel's peace and security.

"Whoever cooperates with the Israeli government in its campaign to banish the Jewish people from the Temple Mount and close it before Jewish worshippers is party to bloodshed, negates any chance for peace in the future and fosters war and strife in this region and throughout the entire world."

The joint statement was read earlier today by Rabbi Chaim Richman, director of the international department at Israel's Temple Institute and an English spokesman for the various groups that issued today's call.

WND broke the story that the Hamas terror group today broadcast live from the Temple Mount and announced it would commence daily programming from the site while Israeli police banned all Jews and Christian from ascending the Mount.

Jewish Temple Mount groups had wanted to lead tours this morning, which marked the start of Jewish fast day of the Tenth of Tevet, mourning the First Temple's destruction and the siege placed on Jerusalem leading up to Temple's destruction during the reign of the Babylonian ruler Nebuchadnezzar.

But the Israeli government barred all non-Muslims from ascending for the rest of the week due to a Muslim holiday. Along with the Jewish fast day, today also marked the start of Ein ul-Adhaa, which commemorates the Islamic belief of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael for Allah. According to the Jewish and Christian tradition, Abraham nearly sacrificed his son Isaac, not Ishmael.

"Our broadcast is a victory for the Al Aqsa Mosque, which is suffering from Judaization efforts imposed by the Zionist government. Broadcasting daily radio is a way to bring Al Aqsa to the Gaza Strip and challenge the siege imposed on us by the Zionist entity," said Rami Kaoud, a manager at Al Aqsa Radio, Hamas' official radio network.

[Shammu]

Israel says it opposes Russian plans for Moscow peace summit
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Russia, Quartet, Moscow

Israel said Thursday it is opposed to Russian plans to stage a Middle East peace conference in Moscow within the coming months as a follow-up to the recent Annapolis summit.

In explaining their reservations, government officials in Jerusalem cite the need to focus on bilateral talks with the Palestinians "and not be dragged onto a slippery slope of opening negotiations on other issues like Syria and Lebanon during the present time."

Nonetheless, senior Israeli officials acknowledge that Jerusalem would be compelled to take part in the conference should the event take place.

Using diplomatic backchannels, Israel urged participants of the Quartet's Paris donors conference earlier this week to omit any mention of a Moscow peace summit from the final statement.

The United States, the United Nations, and the European Union acquiesced to Jerusalem's demand, and the matter was not included on the agenda. Government officials say Israel is perturbed by Russia's behavior, chiefly Moscow's delivery of nuclear fuel to the Iranian reactor in Bushehr.

"There are other things that the Russians are doing that we are aren't thrilled with," said an Israeli official. "But, at this point, we have no plans to create a crisis."

Israel says it opposes Russian plans for Moscow peace summit

[Soldier4Christ]

Israeli police silent amid Hamas' Temple Mount broadcasts 
But security forces impose week-long ban on Jews, Christians at holy site

The Hamas terror group continued exclusive broadcasts of Muslim prayers yesterday from the Temple Mount – Judaism's holiest site – while the Israeli police imposed a week-long ban on all Jews and Christians from ascending the Mount.

Police here are responsible for security on the Mount and theoretically must approve broadcasts from the site. Asked four times for comment by WND, National Police Spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld said on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and again yesterday he would release his department's official response to the Hamas broadcasts, but he did not return calls before press time.

WND broke the story that Hamas Wednesday exclusively broadcast Muslim prayers from the Mount's Al Aqsa Mosque on the group's official radio station, Al Aqsa Radio. The services are broadcast alongside anti-Semitic commentary, including incitement against Jews.

The official Hamas radio network announced it would continue airing exclusive daily streams of Muslim morning services from the Temple Mount, and, indeed, the broadcasts continued yesterday as scheduled. Hamas' radio is heard throughout Palestinian cities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Spokesmen for both the Jerusalem Police and Israel's National Police said their respective departments were not aware of Hamas' planned broadcast until the publication of WND's original story on the topic Monday.

A senior National Police source earlier this week, and again on Wednesday, said that such a broadcast would be halted.

But Hamas for the second consecutive day broadcast yesterday's morning services from 5:05 a.m. Jerusalem time until 5:50 a.m.

"Our broadcast is a victory for the Al Aqsa Mosque, which is suffering from Judaization efforts imposed by the Zionist government. Broadcasting daily radio is a way to bring Al Aqsa to the Gaza Strip and challenge the siege imposed on us by the Zionist entity," said Rami Kaoud, a manager at Al Aqsa Radio.

Hamas would not say how it coordinated yesterday's broadcast, but Palestinian security sources said the stream was fully coordinated with the Waqf, the Islamic custodians of the Temple Mount.

All broadcasts from the Mount must be approved by the Waqf, which guard the Muslim entrances to the Temple Mount along with the Israeli police. Broadcasts in theory must also be approved by the Israeli police, but cameramen and reporters routinely enter the site from Muslim gates to broadcast without prior police approval as long as Waqf agents allow the entry.

While Israel again did not act to halt Hamas broadcasts, it has barred all non-Muslims from ascending the Mount for the rest of the week.

This week marked the start of Muslim holiday of Ein ul-Adhaa, which commemorates the Islamic belief of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael for Allah. According to Jewish and Christian tradition, Abraham nearly sacrificed his son Isaac, not Ishmael.

On Wednesday, Jews commemorated the Jewish fast day of the Tenth of Tevet, mourning the First Temple's destruction and the siege placed on Jerusalem leading up to Temple's destruction during the reign of the Babylonian ruler Nebuchadnezzar.

Jewish organizations and Temple Mount activist groups here were planning visits to the Temple Mount in observance of Wednesday's Jewish day of mourning. Rabbi Chaim Richman, director of the international department at Israel's Temple Institute, a Mount activist group which planned to lead a tour of the site this week, said Israeli police informed his group earlier this week that they had decided the Mount would be closed the rest of the week to non-Muslims for fear of offending Muslims on the Islamic holiday.

Due to Israeli restrictions, the Temple Mount is open only to non-Muslims Sundays through Thursdays, 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., and not on any Christian, Jewish or Muslim holidays or other days considered "sensitive" by the Waqf, the Mount's Islamic custodians.

Jerusalem Police Spokesman Shmulik Ben Ruby confirmed to WND the Mount would be completely closed to non-Muslims for the rest of the week due to the Islamic holiday.

Rabbi Richman called Hamas broadcasts "astounding."

"The siege of Nebuchadnezzar is recurring again in our time, this time through the Israeli government, which is banning Jews and Christians but is allowing Hamas, who will defile God in our holiest place. There is no greater demonstration of the total spiritual bankruptcy of the Israeli government," he said.

[Soldier4Christ]

 The Israeli government has allowed Hamas to broadcast incitement against the Jews from the Temple Mount in Jerusalem

Rabbi Chaim Richman, a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin and leader of the Temple Institute, claims that the Israeli government is responsible for allowing Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist organization, to broadcast live from the Temple Mount in Jerusalem while at the same time Jews and Christians were banned from the holy site.

Rami Kaoud, a manager of Hamas-al Aqsa Radio, said that broadcasting daily from the Temple Mount helps to bring al Aqsa to the Gaza Strip and to challenge the siege imposed on the Palestinian people by the Zionist state of Israel.

Live radio broadcast by the Palestinian terror group Hamas from the Temple Mount in Jerusalem is evidence of the nearness of both the positive and negative scenarios that can be found in Bible prophecy for the Last Days.

For a number of years, the PA has broadcast the Friday Moslem services from the Al Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Now, the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas has been granted permission to broadcast live and daily to the Hamas followers in the Gaza Strip from the Temple Mount. In a joint statement by the New Jewish Congress, the different Jewish Temple Movements and the Sanhedrin, they claimed that the Israeli government has decided to give over the Temple Mount, the apple of the Jewish nation's eye, for the use of enemy incitement as Hamas calls for the destruction of the Jewish state of Israel.

There is a positive and negative aspect to this story as it relates to the prophetic scenarios that can be found in bible prophecy for the Last Days. The ancient Jewish prophet Micah revealed that the Word of the Lord, Word from the Messiah, that will go forth from the House of the Lord, the Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, in the future Kingdom Period, Micah 4:1-2. However, this story also reveals to us that the Palestinian people, people in Biblical times known as Edomites descendants of Esau, would call for the destruction of the Jewish state and the demise of the Jewish people in the Last Days, Ezekiel 35.

Live radio broadcasts by Hamas from the Temple Mount in Jerusalem is indeed evidence that Bible prophecy will be fulfilled.

[Shammu]

Rabin's bodyguard to accompany Bush on Holyland visit
12.20.07

US president's visit to Israel one of the largest protection operations Shin Bet has ever known. Director of bodyguard operations who stood next to Rabin on the night of his murder will meet with American counterparts Thursday

Dani Adino Ababa

One of bodyguards escorting Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin on the night of his murder will be responsible for the security of US President George Bush when he visits Israel next month, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Thursday.

The bodyguard, who has since been promoted, has spent the last month in a flurry of activity, scurrying between the offices of anyone connected to the president's visit. Bush is slated to arrive January 9th for his first official visit to Israel, which will last three days and constitute one of the most complicated bodyguard operations of the last decade.

On Monday a meeting on the issue took place at the Prime Minister's Office with the participation of PMO Deputy Director General Amnon Ben-Ami, Rabin's bodyguard, officials responsible for the official ceremony, and representatives of the President's Residence, the IDF, the police, and the Jerusalem Municipality.

In the meeting, the bodyguard spoke of the difficulties expected during the president's visit and of frantic preparations in the Shin Bet. He stated that the event was one of such proportions so as to require special preparations: "Eight thousand policemen will provide security during the visit in addition to members of the American secret service."

Three large Galaxy cargo planes will bring special protection equipment to Israel, including a few armored vehicles. It became clear during the meeting that the Americans will use little, if any, Israeli equipment.

On Thursday, the bodyguard will conduct an introductory conversation with representatives of the president's personal bodyguard staff, and the two sides will scout the locations the president is set to visit.

On the day the president lands, Highway 1 (in the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv corridor) will be closed on both sides until Bush arrives at Jerusalem's King David Hotel. The capital itself will be decorated with over 1,500 American and Israeli flags, and dozens of Israeli children will greet the president at the hotel, a well-known Jerusalem landmark. He will stay in the royal suite facing the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, which will be illuminated with green lights for the occasion.

More than simply holy

"We wish to show him that Jerusalem is not just an important place, holy to three religions, but also environmentally conscious and tourist friendly," a source from the municipality said. From the hotel, Bush will proceed to President Shimon Peres' residence, the Prime Minister's Residence, and Yad Vashem.

The American president is likewise expected to meet with senior Palestinian Authority officials in Jericho. Sources in the Jerusalem Municipality have expressed disappointment that the president will not tour the Old City or the capital's various churches.

It would seem that Bush can expect a pleasant stay in Israel, something that can not be said of the capital's residents themselves: they can only look forward to the myriad traffic-jams bound to befall the city when different areas of the city are declared 'sterile' and sealed over the course of the visit.

Rabin's bodyguard to accompany Bush on Holyland visit

[Shammu]

Israeli Test of Upgraded Defensive Missile Successful

By Amihai Zippor

(IHC News, 20 December 2007) Israel successfully tested an improved version of the defensive Patriot missile called 'Yahalom' on Wednesday, 20 December 2007. Its purpose is to intercept incoming missiles before they strike.

The IDF said the test was “part of a series of improvements conducted on the missile's operational system towards a new radar system that allows a wider cover and detection ranges.”

Using the advanced radar system, the missile shot down a target simulated for attack.

Brigadier-General Daniel Milo, commander of the Israel Air Force's Anti-Aircraft division said, “The success of the test allows us to put the new version into use, something which improves our abilities in the face of relevant threats.”

The threats he was referring to are most likely Syrian and Iranian missiles capable of reaching Israel.

Meanwhile, Israel is still working on a missile defense system to counter the small Qassam and Katyusha rockets that Palestinian terrorists in Gaza or Hizbullah in Lebanon have used against the Jewish state.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak said it will take 2-3 years to complete it, which leaves many southern communities at risk from the daily rocket attacks from Gaza.

The only other way to stop all launchings from Gaza would be an extensive ground operation and the retaking of the Gaza/Sinai border.

Israeli Test of Upgraded Defensive Missile Successful

[Shammu]

'Yahalom'  I had to look it up..... It is the word for diamond, and means fearless or invincible.

David had that trait when he met Goliath, Meshach, Shadrach and Abenego in the fire, Daniel in the lions den, Moses in the face of Pharoah, Messiah in the Garden. Israel in the present world........

We should be Yahalom...