Prophecy and End Time Series. - Israel

[Shammu]

Dichter: US may have to attack Iran
Jerusalem Post Correspondent,
THE JERUSALEM POST    
Oct. 30, 2005

If Iran reaches the point of no return in its drive for a nuclear capability, America will have to resort to a military option to thwart it, the former head of the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), Avi Dichter, said on Sunday.

Speaking at a conference of the AIPAC pro-Israel lobby in Los Angeles, Dichter said he saw no prospect whatsoever of Iran abandoning its nuclear program of its own volition. Only "western pressure," led by the United States, could halt Teheran's nuclear drive.

Dichter recalled that the entire international community condemned Israel for bombing Iraq's nuclear facility at Osiraq in 1981, only to subsequently recognize how crucial Israel's action had been in blocking Saddam Hussein's push for nuclear weapons.

Similarly, he said, if Iran were to reach "the irreversible point," America would have to do in Iran what Israel had done in Iraq.

Dichter: US may have to attack Iran

[Shammu]

Sharon: We are at war

I will not meet Abbas as long as terror continues, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon tells Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini in a meeting Tuesday. We are at war, and in such a situation no talks can take place, Sharon adds
Ronny Sofer

A meeting with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas is not on Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's agenda, at least as long as Palestinian terror continues, Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini was told Tuesday.

"A Qassam rocket was launched again at Sderot last night. We are at war, and are fighting terror. A meeting with Abbas cannot be held in such a situation," a source in Sharon's office reportedly told the Italian official.

Sharon's associates told Ynet that the meeting between the prime minister and Abbas, which was meant to take place ten days ago,  has been postponed indefinitely because of a recent surge in Palestinian violence. A suicide bomber struck the coastal town of Hadera last weeking killing four Israelis and injuring another 20.

Israel responded with a military operation vowing to irradicate Islamic Jihad, the Palestinian terror group that masterminded the attack.

The level of diplomatic negotiations between Israel and the PA has been reduced to a minimum, a source said.

Palestinians slam Sharon

Palestinian Planning Minister Ghassan Khatib told Ynet, in response to Sharon's statement that "these words are a continuation of Sharon's policy, and of his refusal to meet with the Palestinians."

"The war on violence necessitates a strengthening of the ties between the two leaders. Halting the relations will lead to an escalation in violence," Khatib said.

He accused the current Israeli government of adopting a unilateral policy towards the Palestinians in order to avoid negotiations with the PA.

Speaking at a news conference in Ramallah Khatib said that “seven weeks have passed since the completion of the pullout and we remain pessimistic about things.” Khatib lamented the dire economic situation in Gaza warning that poverty will lead to more violence and extremism.

The Palestinian minister voiced claims by international observers that an alleviation on the freedom of movement of the Palestinians between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank will improve the economic situation of the populace and reduce violence.

“Yet what as been happening over the last two months confirmed suspicions by the World Bank feared --- restriction of movement only increase unemployment and poverty in Gaza,” he said.

He refuted Israel’s claim that the restrictions of movement imposed on Palestinians stem form security concerns, saying the Jewish State “is concerned with controlling the Palestinians and their economy.”

Sharon: We are at war

[Shammu]

Away from the manger - a Christian-Muslim divide
Khaled Abu Toameh, THE JERUSALEM POST    Oct. 21, 2005

Tourists and pilgrims who visited Bethlehem over the past decade or so must have run into Farid Azizeh, a Christian businessman who, together with his wife, ran a small coffee shop on Manger Square.

The couple was famous for the fresh orange juice and Turkish coffee they used to serve to their customers. On the eve of the millennium, many foreign journalists who converged on Bethlehem turned the place into a makeshift media center.

Azizeh's coffee shop was among the few businesses in Bethlehem that had remained open after the intifada began in September 2000. "The situation will one day return to normal," he once said when asked about the new cycle of violence. "One day there will be peace here because this is the city of peace and the birthplace of Jesus."

But life will never return to normal for Azizeh, who for many years served as a member of the Bethlehem municipal council.

About three years ago, unidentified gunmen opened fire at Azizeh's car on one of the main streets of the city, hitting him in the head. Shortly after the attack, and with the help of Israeli friends, he was transferred to Hadassah University Hospital in Jerusalem, where doctors managed to save his life. However, several surgeries failed to save his eyesight.

Since then, the coffee shop has closed and Azizeh, who was known as a socialite, rarely leaves his home.

Azizeh's attackers remain at large, although their identity is known to many. Only days before the shooting, Azizeh had refused to withdraw a complaint he had filed against a Muslim driver who killed two of his relatives in a car accident. The driver's family is said to have sought the help of local Fatah militiamen in "persuading" Azizeh to back off.

Regardless of the motive, the case of Azizeh, 72, is seen by many Christians in the context of a campaign allegedly waged by Muslims against the Christian minority in the city. Azizeh, they argue, would not have been targeted had he belonged to one of the large and influential Muslim clans in Bethlehem.

"The Christians here are perceived as easy prey," complains a prominent Christian businessman. "In recent years there has been an upsurge in the number of attacks on Christians in Bethlehem."

Muslim and Christian political leaders in the city strongly deny the existence of an organized anti-Christian campaign, insisting that the violence is mostly the result of "personally motivated" disputes that are unrelated to religion. The victims of crime include both Muslims and Christians, they add, accusing Israel and Jewish organizations of spreading lies about "Muslim persecution" of Christians.

"Reports of Muslim attacks on Christians are wildly exaggerated and you should be careful not to play into the hands of the Israeli propaganda machine," advises Omar al-Khatib, the imam of a mosque in Bethlehem. "Relations between Muslims and Christians have never been better."

Yet off the record, many Christians in Bethlehem who were interviewed during the past week expressed deep concern over increased attacks by Muslims on members of their community. Moreover, most of them said that they were seriously considering moving to the US, Canada and Latin America, where many of their relatives already live.

Jihad, a Christian merchant from the nearby town of Beit Jala, who has been dealing in antique furniture for over 30 years, says he is planning to leave for good to Chile, where at least 80,000 of his townsfolk now live. "There are less than 10,000 Christians living in Beit Jala today," he explains. "There's no future here because of the deteriorating economic conditions."

His friend, George, who used to own a souvenir shop, says he's planning to move next week to Peru, where his brothers and sisters have been living for the past 15 years. The two, who asked to be identified only by their first names, are extremely cautious when the issue of Muslim-Christian relations is raised. "It's true that there have been a number of cases of violence against Christians, but generally speaking the situation is not that bad," George stresses.

Other Christians in Beit Jala disagree. According to a local physician, the plight of the Christians has been aggravated over the past decade in general and since the outbreak of the intifada in particular. "After the Palestinian Authority arrived here in 1995, many Muslim families from Hebron and other parts of the West Bank have moved to Beit Jala," he says. "What's worrying is that some of them have illegally seized privately-owned lands. When one of the Christian owners refused to sell his land to a senior Palestinian security official, he was arrested for a number of days."

In another case, a 60-year-old Christian man was briefly detained by one of the Palestinian security forces because he had forbidden his daughter to date a Muslim security officer. Other Christians who tried to stop Fatah gunmen in Beit Jala from firing into the Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo in the first years of the intifada later reported that they had been beaten or threatened by the gunmen.

The same gunmen are also responsible for the rape and murder of two Christian teenage sisters from the Amr family. The assailants then claimed that the sisters had been murdered because they were "prostitutes" and had been "collaborating" with Israeli security forces - a claim that has been strongly denied by the victims' relatives and many residents of the town. "The gangsters murdered the two sisters so that they would not tell anyone about the rape," says a family member. "Some of the murderers were later killed by the Israeli army, but others are now living in Europe after they had sought refuge in the Church of Nativity. It's absurd that Muslim men who rape and murder Christian girls are given political asylum in Christian countries like Ireland, Spain and Italy."

Last week Beit Jala was once again the scene of religious tensions after a Christian woman complained that she had been harassed by Muslim men from the village of Beit Awwa in the Hebron area. "Such incidents have become a daily phenomenon," says Mary, who runs a small grocery in the town. "Many Christian families have sent their daughters abroad for fear they would come under attack by Muslim men."

Earlier this year tensions between Muslims and Christians in Bethlehem reached a peak after a Christian family complained that their 16-year-old daughter had been kidnapped by a Muslim man. Following the intervention of senior Palestinian officials and Muslim leaders, the girl was reunited with her family after spending a few days in a village near Hebron. With the help of American diplomats, the girl was flown immediately to the US to begin a new life with relatives and friends.

Some Christians point a finger at the foreign media and diplomatic missions in Israel, accusing them of ignoring their predicament for "political" reasons. "Although most of the foreign journalists and diplomats are Christians, they don't seem to pay enough attention to what's happening to the Christians in Bethlehem," says Bishara, a Christian tourist guide. "They're obviously afraid of damaging their relations with the Palestinian Authority."

While it's almost impossible to find a Christian who's prepared to go public in airing such grievances, Samir Qumsiyeh, a journalist from Beit Sahur, is a notable exception. Last month he was quoted by the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera as saying that Christians were being subjected to rape, kidnapping, extortion and expropriation of land and property.

Qumsiyeh, who was not available this week for an interview because he was out of the country, heads a local TV station called Al-Mahd [Nativity]. In a daring step, Qumsiyeh drew up a list of 93 cases of anti-Christian violence between 2000 and 2004.

"This file is incomplete and it's not up-to-date," he told the Italian newspaper. "Look at the case of Rawan William Mansour, a 17-year-old girl from Bet Sahur. She was raped two years ago by four members of Fatah. Even though the family protested, none of the four was ever arrested. Because of the shame her family was forced to move to Jordan.

"Almost all 140 cases of expropriation of land in the last three years were committed by militant Islamic groups and members of the Palestinian police." Qumsiyeh said he was now preparing a book on the conditions of the Christian minority. "I will call it 'Racism in Action,'" he says. "The racism against us is gaining pace in staggering ways. In 1950 the Christian population in Bethlehem was 75%. Today we have hardly more than 12% Christians. If the situation continues, we won't be here any more in 20 years."

Away from the manger - a Christian-Muslim divide

[nChrist]

Dreamweaver Said:

"Almost all 140 cases of expropriation of land in the last three years were committed by militant Islamic groups and members of the Palestinian police." Qumsiyeh said he was now preparing a book on the conditions of the Christian minority. "I will call it 'Racism in Action,'" he says. "The racism against us is gaining pace in staggering ways. In 1950 the Christian population in Bethlehem was 75%. Today we have hardly more than 12% Christians. If the situation continues, we won't be here any more in 20 years."

Brother, the trend is really becoming clear around the world. The world hates Christians, maybe even worse than they hate Jews. Everyone should realize that the hate factor is the same in America and other countries, but there is just too many of us to deal with here. So, those who hate us try to gain control of the courts and run the things of GOD underground! I, for one, will do everything reasonable and legal that I can to STOP THAT! It's really time to do the opposite of what the world wants us to do. They want Christians to shut up and disappear. Instead, I think we should shout the GOSPEL from the roof- tops. We should be determined to do MORE!, not less! This really might be the last part of the world soon where Christians can still communicate the WORD OF GOD without fear of persecution, prison, or death.

May GOD give us the strength, courage, and determination to do HIS Will until JESUS comes to take us home!

Love In Christ,
Tom

John 17:21-23 NASB  that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. "The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.

[Shammu]

Palestinian cleric: God bless Osama

Asks Gaza congregation to pray for global terror leader, deputy
Posted: November 6, 2005
1:00 a.m. Eastern

By Aaron Klein
© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com

JERUSALEM – The Palestinian cleric from one of the most popular mosques in the Gaza Strip this weekend asked his congregation to pray for al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden and his deputy Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, explaining the global terror leaders share the Palestinian goals of destroying Israel and ending "American world domination," WND has learned.

The reports are the latest evidence of ideological links between Palestinian groups and al-Qaida, with Israeli security officials saying bin Laden's network infiltrated Gaza last month and is currently operating from the territory.

"May Allah guard and bless Sheikh Osama bin Laden and Sheikh Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who are both leading the jihad against the Zionist entity and against American domination of the world. Pray for Sheikh bin Laden and Sheikh Zarqawi," said Dr. Jamil Mutaweh, a leader of the large Abu Dur Mosque in Khan Yunis, Palestinian sources in Gaza told WND.

Khan Yunis, a southern Gaza city, is one of the most populated Palestinian towns.

Mutaweh made the comments during his Friday sermon at the mosque, which was particularly crowded this past Friday, Palestinian sources say, because it was the second day of Eid al-Fitr, a three day Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan.

Sources close to the Palestinian Authority told WND the PA has been made aware of Mutaweh's comments and is deciding whether to investigate.

Mutaweh's sermon seems to stress an ideological link between al-Qaida and Palestinian groups.

Reuven Erlich, director of the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at Israel's Center for Special Studies, previously told WND the link can be emphasized through Palestinian cleric Dr. Abdullah Azzam, who was al-Qaida's ideologue and, until Azzam's death, Osama bin Laden's spiritual mentor.

"We found Azzam's picture on Hamas posters from Gaza and a lot of Hamas' material," said Erlich. "Azzam's portrait in materials reveal that he is perceived by Hamas as one of the four 'outstanding figures' of the Islamic 'struggle' in Palestine and around the world."

Mutaweh's speech also comes as Israeli security officials tell WND al-Qaida is present in the Gaza Strip and is seeking to attack the Jewish state.

"Al-Qaida operatives took advantage of the opened Rafah border [with Egypt immediately following Israel's withdrawal from the area last month] and entered Gaza," said Maj. Gen. Aharon Zeevi Farkash, chief of intelligence for the Israeli Defense Forces.

Following Israel's troop withdrawal Sept. 12, Gaza's border with Egypt was wide open, with thousands of Palestinians – including known terrorissts – passing freely from one side to the other for a period of at least six days.

Egyptian officials attempted to close the border several times, but Hamas and other terror groups managed to reopen the crossing, once using a controlled explosion along the border fence and another time ramming a dump truck through the border wall.

Palestinian officials admitted to reporters terror groups were able to smuggle tons of weapons into Gaza, including explosives, ammunition and rocket-propelled grenades that had long been stockpiled in Sinai, but denied al-Qaida was present.

"These reports are baseless," chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat told WND. "Egypt did a good job in cracking down on cells in their country, and they wouldn't have allowed any al-Qaida people to get into Gaza."

An aide to Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei told WND on condition of anonymity, "It would certainly be against our interests to say al-Qaida was in our territory."

Hamas chief Mahmoud al-Zohar went so far as to accuse Israel of sending fake al-Qaida agents into Gaza so it can claim the global jihad group was liaising with Palestinian organizations.

"All these talks about the presence of al-Qaida is Israeli talks and propaganda," said al-Zahar in an exclusive WND interview.

"We know that Israel tried through its agents to have contacts with marginal activists in the Palestinian resistance. The agents represented themselves as al-Qaida members and tried to tempt these people with money and weapons. This is part of the Israeli effort to represent things even though they are not that way in order to say that al-Qaida exists in the Gaza Strip," al-Zahar said.

But WND reported last week some members of al-Zarah's Hamas have become disillusioned with the terror group, renouncing their membership and instead trying to form their own al-Qaida network.

Palestinian cleric: God bless Osama

[Soldier4Christ]

Peretz vows to achieve peace, security for Israel
By Yair Ettinger, Mazal Mualem and Daniel Ben-Simon, Haaretz Correspondents

Several hours after he was announced as the new leader of the Labor Party, Histadrut Chairman Amir Peretz on Thursday returned to his political roots to outline his political vision as the Labor candidate for premiership.

The victory is an unexpected result and a blow to the Labor old guard by Histadrut labor federation chairman Amir Peretz who was named Thursday morning the new chairman of the Labor Party, defeating the incumbent and favorite, Vice Premier Shimon Peres.

Speaking near the grave of slain prime minister Yitzhak Rabin at the Mount Hertzl cemetery in Jerusalem, Peretz stressed that reaching a peace accord with the Palestinians is at the top of his political priority list.

"We will not rest until we reach a permanent agreement (with the Palestinians) that would secure a safe future for our children and that would provide us with renewed hope to live in a region where people lead a life of cooperation and not, God forbid, where blood is shed from time to time," Peretz said.

The new Labor chairman emphasized this move is a direct continuation of Rabin's political heritage: "I came today to make a vow to Rabin, once again, that I intend to do everything I can to continue his way, I intend to do everything I can so that [Rabin's] assassin would know he failed to murder peace."

Peretz recounted his long tenure as a loyal supporter of the late prime minister: "I was by Rabin's side in the days he struggled for his place in Israeli politics, I was with him in his days of isolation, and also in the days of overwhelming support from the people of Israel when they flooded him with warmth and admiration. I was also next to him on that dreadful night when we lost Yitzhak (Rabin) in the murder that shocked Israel and sought to severe and end his life and his way."

Soon after the official results were announced, the new Labor chief quickly reiterated his intention of pulling the party out of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's government, propelling the country into political disarray and advancing the likelihood of early general elections.

"We will notify the prime minister that we want to leave. We want to leave... certainly out of a desire to turn the Labor Party into an alternative that intends to take power in the next elections," he said.

"Amir will discuss with the prime minister an agreed date for an election," said Yuli Tamir, a Labor legislator and Peretz supporter.

Winner of a tightly-run race
The voting result, which came at dawn, followed a tightly-run race between the two opponents, which initially showed a slight lead for Peres.

Peretz, a fiery union leader, wants to steer the party back to its socialist roots, pull out of the coalition and force early elections. His message has resonated with Israelis disenfranchised by government cuts in social spending and the country's growing gap between rich and poor.

Shortly after 6 A.M., amid cheering from Peretz's supporters, Labor Secretary-General Eitan Cabel announced that Peretz had won with 42.35 percent of the votes, while Peres was backed by 39.96 percent of voters. In third place was Benjamin Ben Eliezer, with 16.82 percent of the vote.

Cabel was quick to rebuff claims of fraud and irregularities in the elections, which caused Peres to issue a last minute call for a halt in the count.

The release of the vote's final results was stalled by several hours as the Labor election committee, led by Cabel, headed early Thursday morning to the vote counting center in Petah Tikva after several claims of fraud in polling stations.

Peres appeals against results
In a pre-dawn press conference, Peres called on Labor's legal institutions to look into claims of severe irregularities in polling stations in Sderot and Be'er Sheva, two Peretz strongholds.

Some of the vote results "raised exceptional doubts," Peres said. "It is unreasonable that in communities where I had a majority I have now dropped to seven votes."

"I expected a better evening," Peres said.

Sitting alongside Peres, former prime minister Ehud Barak said the outcome of the primaries did not reflect the will of the party's voters.

But several hours later, the election committee announced it had rejected Peres' claims of fraud and okayed the completing of the counting of the votes in the remaining 13 polling stations from a total of 318.

Peretz did not immediately respond to the accusations, but his supporters were already claiming victory.

The Peretz camp erupted into celebrations when the Histadrut chief took the lead in the vote count early Thursday, and Israel Radio said he was headed to party headquarters to make an announcement. The uncounted districts were believed to favor Peretz, and Israeli radio stations said his victory was imminent.

Implications for government
The outcome of the vote will have wide-ranging implications for the future of Sharon's shaky governing coalition, in which Labor is the junior member.

Peres had said that he would keep Labor in the government until the next elections scheduled in November 2006.

The 82-year-old politician led Labor into the government this year to shore up support for Sharon's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. The pullout divided Sharon's Likud Party, and without Labor support, the plan could not have been carried out.

[Soldier4Christ]

11/10/2005 - 10:16
CHRONOLOGY-Ethiopian immigration to Israel

Israel said earlier this year it would double the pace of Jewish immigration from the Horn of Africa nation in order to bring out the remaining Falasha Mura members by 2007.
1973: Status of Ethiopian Jews is formally decided by Israeli chief rabbis who determine they are descendants of the Jewish biblical tribe of Dan and entitled to immigrate.

1984: Under tight military censorship, Israel brings 12,000 Ethiopians to the Jewish state in a secret airlift through Sudan known as Operation Moses.

1985: Israeli magazine breaks censorship in interview with Israeli immigration official. The story appears worldwide. Sudan, a Muslim country, responds angrily to disclosure of its involvement, halting airlift.

1989: Israel and Ethiopia restore diplomatic relations, bringing hope to those awaiting stranded relatives.

1990: Under a family re-unification programme, then-President Mengistu Haile Mariam allows Jewish emigration but interrupts it several times. About 3,500 arrive in the year.

1991: Planeloads of Ethiopians arrive several times a week with about 350 passengers each in what Israel dubbed "Operation Solomon". About 2,000 Ethiopian Jews arrive in Israel by February. In March, immigration stops abruptly. In May, Mengistu flees to Zimbabwe. Israel airlifts out more
than 15,000 Ethiopian Jews.

2003: Ethiopia blocks a plan by Israel to move the Falasha Mura to Israel.

2004: Following a visit by Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, Israel says it plans to start moving the remaining 20,000 Ethiopians of Jewish origin to Israel.

2005: Prime Minister Ariel Sharon approves the decision to allow 700 Falasha Mura a month to fly to Israel.

In September, about 1,000 members of the Falasha Mura group begin a three-day hunger-strike in Addis Ababa to complain of delays in their promised transfer to Israel.

Ethiopia agrees to step up immigration to a monthly 600 people to Israel, double the previous number.

[Soldier4Christ]

PA police: Our guns are aimed at Israel

By Ryan Jones
November 10th, 2005

In an ominous letter to PLO chief Mahmoud Abbas, a large number of Palestinian Authority security officers confirmed Israeli's worst fears regarding the “Oslo” peace process – the guns Israel allowed them to obtain are to be used against Jews and their allies only, not terrorists.

The Arabs “know very well that if they use these guns against us once, at that moment the Oslo Accords will be annulled and the IDF will return to all the places that have been given to them,” late-Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin warned after signing that agreement with Yasser Arafat in 1993.

Rabin's words were neither heeded nor backed up.

Despite “Palestinian” police officers having turned their weapons on Israelis numerous times over the past decade, the “peace” process has rolled on.

In fact, many members of recognized terrorist organizations actually double as PA policemen. Abbas is trying to add more by bringing his Fatah faction's Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades into the fold.

But if the man Washington insists is a “moderate” thinks such a move will lessen, at least temporarily, the violence between those he governs and Israel, this week's letter sought to set him straight.

According to The Jerusalem Post, the officers who attached their names to the document stressed “that their weapons would be used only against Israel and suspected collaborators” - those Palestinian Arabs that, in the spirit of “Oslo,” cooperate with Israel in the war against Islamic terror.

Cracking down on terror groups such as Hamas in compliance with US and Israeli demands is out of the question, the officers wrote.

“We are the soldiers of the homeland, not [US security coordinator] General William Ward. Neither are we a branch of the Israeli Shin Bet nor members of a hired gang serving certain centers of power.”

They also cautioned Abbas over the rampant corruption and cronyism his regime has facilitated, and which threatens to tear the security forces apart.

“We urge you to get acquainted with what's really happening inside the security forces, which have begun disintegrating because of corruption, mismanagement and placing private interests above the national interests of the people,” the officers wrote.

The letter appeared to contradict Abbas' recent claims that he has taken concrete steps to reform security in line with his Road Map commitments, as well as recent upbeat US State Department assessments concerning the situation within the PA.

PA officials attempted to play down the letter, telling the Post “it was written by a group of disgruntled officers who had been retired or dismissed.”

In another challenge to Abbas' rule, several long-serving PLO ambassadors originally placed by Yasser Arafat have refused to relinquish their posts to new appointees.

These incidents again called into question the validity of Israel relying on the Abbas-run PA as a peace partner capable of enforcing the laws born out of any final peace agreement.

[Soldier4Christ]

Pakistan to Recognize Israel on Condition
By Anadolu News Agency (aa)
Published: Saturday, November 12, 2005


Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has said his country will recognize Israel when the Palestinian state is founded.

Musharraf received American Jewish Council head Jack Rosen, according to a statement issued by the President's Spokesman Shaukat Sultan and he said an independent state of Palestine is "sine quo non" for Pakistanis to officially recognize Israel. In response, Rosen conveyed Israel wished to establish diplomatic, commercial, and economic relations with Pakistanis.

Rosen also expressed Israel wants friendship with Pakistan, noting the Jewish congregation in the United States is collecting donations for the earthquake survivors in Pakistan.

 

[Soldier4Christ]

Bush: Radicals want to destroy Israel

 

Terror groups seeking more economic, military and political power 'to advance their stated agenda: to develop weapons of mass destruction, destroy Israel, intimidate Europe, assault American people, and to blackmail our government into isolation,' Bush says
Ynet

 
President George W. Bush on Saturday defended his decision to go to war in Iraq in a speech focusing on terrorism, saying that terror groups are exploiting Islam to justify their attacks and "push for the establishment of a totalitarian empire that denies all political and religious freedom."

 

Speaking at the Tobyhanna Army Depot, Pennsylvania, Bush said that the ultimate aim of Islamic radicalism is to destroy Israel, arguing that terror groups seek “greater economic, military and political power” which will enable them “to advance their stated agenda: to develop weapons of mass destruction; to destroy Israel; to intimidate Europe; to assault the American people; and to blackmail our government into isolation.”

 

Bush offered no concessions to “these extremists” who “have used a litany of excuses for violence: the Israeli presence on the West Bank, the U.S. military presence in Saudi Arabia, the defeat of the Taliban, or the Crusades of a thousand years ago. In fact, we're not facing a set of grievances that can be soothed and addressed. We're facing a radical ideology with inalterable objectives: to enslave whole nations and intimidate the world.”

 

In a clear assault on his critics Bush refuted claims that the war in Iraq has fueled terrorism. He warned that the free world should not underestimate the threat posed by a radical ideology that serves a clear set of evil goals.

 

With his popularity at an all-time low Bush reminded the American people that it is forbidden for the United States to withdraw from Iraq under mounting insurgencies and attacks aginat Iraqi and U.S. troops. “Against such an enemy, there is only one effective response: We will never back down, we will never give in, we will never accept anything less than complete victory,” Bush said.

 

Bush did not fail to touch on Syria and Iran, calling Damascus and Tehran authoritarian regimes, and accusing the two states of harboring
terror groups. “The influence of Islamic radicalism is also magnified by helpers and enablers. They've been sheltered by authoritarian regimes, allies of convenience, like Iran and Syria, that share the goal of hurting America and modern Muslim governments and use terrorist propaganda to blame their own failures on the West, on America and on the Jews,” he said.

 

Bush mentioned a recent “strident speech” by Syrian President Bashar Assad whom he accused of trying to intimidate and destabilize the Lebanese government, and reminded Damascus that it “must do what the international community has demanded: cooperate fully with the Mehlis investigation, and stop trying to intimidate and destabilize the Lebanese government. The government of Syria must stop exporting violence and start importing democracy.”

 

[Soldier4Christ]

There is still a big push going on to attempt to bring all Jews home and thereby bring the end times to a head.

_______________________________


 An Invitation to Return Home
by Eli Newman
November 10, 2005

If there's ever been a time to think seriously about making aliyah, that time is now.

Our people have been praying to the Almighty throughout the centuries for the Final Redemption. Our sages have instructed us that in the End of Days, preceding the Final Redemption, our people will have begun returning home in considerable numbers. This process is already well underway.

Right now, the majority of the global Jewish population still resides outside of Israel, but not by much. Every Jewish soul that relocates to Israel counts for two in this calculation; one towards increasing Israel's Jewish population, and one towards decreasing the number of Jews residing outside of Israel.

Religious or Political?

Whichever school of thought you're coming from, the Jewish Homeland is, was and will be in the Land of Israel. Not the United States, not the United Kingdom and certainly not Uganda. Still, after so many generations of wandering, "Next Year in Jerusalem" has lost meaning for some of us. Why stand and wave a flag at a pro-Israel rally in Washington, London or Toronto, when you can be contributing daily by living in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa or Netanya?

It baffles me to hear Jews in the Diaspora complaining about Israel trading land for promises of peace with the Palestinians. I'm not a fan of these policies either, only because I don't believe they will be successful. However, as long as I'm not living in Israel, paying taxes in Israel, serving in the IDF, celebrating holidays on holy land or voting in Israel, who am I to complain?

G-d has shifted history for us such that we now have the option of going home without considerable difficulty, compared with the previous generations, who faced much peril on their road to Jerusalem.

Imagine if Nefesh B'Nefesh had been available to the Jews of Eastern Europe in the early 20th century? Or to the Jews of Spain in the Middle Ages?

What is Nefesh B'Nefesh?

Are you serious? If you still haven't heard of Nefesh B'Nefesh (NBN), I'd be honored and delighted to tell you a little bit about them.

NBN is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing Jews home. They've been at it for a few years so far. They help in so many ways. NBN has entire departments devoted to helping new olim find jobs and communities to live in. They also provide financial assistance to eligible applicants to help them get started.

Big Picture

We've been all over the world throughout our history. Often from one exile into the next. The only place left to go is home. North America is currently home to the majority of our people. Next is Israel, followed by England and France. When the majority of our people have settled in Israel, interesting things are sure to happen. In a political sense, most likely, and in a religious sense, most certainly.

What are you waiting for? Moshiach? It's coming. The Rambam said so. I believe him.

Seasonal Sentimentality

Following the holiday of Sukkot, let's keep in mind the differences between all that is temporary and all that is permanent. In starting to read the Torah again, let's try to understand it better this year.

[Soldier4Christ]

'Lost tribe' still dreaming of Israel

Community is mentally and physically prepared to get converted to Judaism and leave for promised land
Associated Press

GAUHATI, India - Thousands of people in a remote corner of India who claim to be members of a lost tribe of Israel are pressing ahead with their studies of Judaism in hopes of moving to the Jewish state, community leaders said.

 
Israel on Wednesday announced it would stop the conversions of the 6,000 Bnei Menashe in the wake of complaints from the Indian government. Instead, Israel said it would allow them to emigrate and then perform the conversions.

 
Members of the group from the northeastern Indian states of Mizoram and Manipur call themselves the "Bnei Menashe," or children of Menashe, and believe they are descendants of the Israelite tribe of Manasseh.

 
"We are aware of the Israeli government decision, but our people have not lost hope," Jeremiah Hnamte, adviser of the Bnei Menashe Council, told The Associated Press from Aizawl, capital of Mizoram.

 
The community "are mentally and physically prepared to get converted to Judaism and leave for their promised land," he said.

 

Recognized

 
Earlier this year, an Israeli chief rabbi recognized the Bnei Menashe as one of the 10 lost tribes of Israel, ruling that they followed several Jewish traditions. The rabbi, Shlomo Amar, ordered their formal conversions to Orthodox Judaism, which would be crucial to their recognition as Jews by Israeli religious authorities.

 
Bnei Menashe members believe they are descendants of Jews who were banished from biblical Israel by the Assyrians in the eighth century B.C.E. and gradually worked their way eastward to India. In the 19th century, British missionaries to India converted the Bnei Menashe members - who were then animists - to Christianity.

 
In September, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's office sent six rabbis to India, who converted 600 members of the tribe to Judaism to ensure they could immigrate to Israel under state law.

 

Delhi's concerns

 
But New Delhi expressed concerns after the mass conversions.

 
Hnamte said the rabbis returned to Israel after being turned away from Manipur state.

 
Instead of converting the Bnei Menashe in their home region of northeastern India, the rabbis will now wait to convert them after Israel brings them to the Jewish state, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said.

 
The Bnei Menashe continue to prepare for their conversions with the help of community members who have already undergone the process.

 
"I am still carrying out my job as I have not received any fresh instructions from the Rabbinate," said Rabbi Yahuda Gin, who originally hails from Mizoram and returned to Aizawl about four months ago to teach the Bnei Menashe the finer points of the religion.

 
"These are matters of faith, not governmental affairs, and, therefore, our work should go on," Gin told The Associated Press.

 

800 in Israel

 

Gin said he was sent with the consent of Amar.

 
About 800 members of the Bnei Menashe have been brought to Israel - and formally converted - over the last decade by the private group Amishav, Hebrew for "my people returns."

 
According to Amishav, there is ample evidence to show the Bnei Menashe are of Jewish descent. Their customs, including mourning rites, hygiene and the use of a lunar calendar, closely mirror Jewish traditions.

 

[Soldier4Christ]

Israel Approves EU Role at the Rafah Border Crossing

By BICOM

IHC Abstract
Israel is prepared to involve a third party in the supervision of the Rafah border crossing, namely the European Union. Whereas in the past Israel has been reluctant to involve international bodies in security arrangements between Israelis and Palestinians, now it is open to granting the EU an active role in administering the Rafah border crossing. The Palestinian Authority, on the other hand, is disinclined to give the EU an active role, preferring instead to limit EU involvement to an advisory position.

Starting 1 January 2006, the Rafah terminal will serve Palestinian citizens and holders of VIP accreditation who wish to enter and leave Gaza for Egypt. It will also be used for goods leaving Gaza and entering Egypt. Goods entering Gaza from Egypt will be processed at a new terminal to be built at the Israeli-Palestinian-Egyptian border tri-point at Kerem Shalom, to the south of Rafah.

BICOM perceives this imminent development as a welcome change in Israel’s uncompromising predispositions. It believes this about-face will open up the possibility for international expertise and goodwill to help Israel and the Palestinians to move towards peaceful relations.

[Soldier4Christ]

Bush singles out Israel – again

By Ryan Jones

November 13th, 2005

For the third time in recent weeks, US President George W. Bush Friday pointed to defense of Israel as a major reason behind American's ongoing global war against Islamic terrorism.

“With the greater economic and military and political power they seek, the terrorists would be able to advance their stated agenda -- to develop weapons of mass destruction, to destroy Israel, to intimidate Europe, to assault the American people and to blackmail our government into isolation.”

So said Bush in a Veteran's Day address, repeating the exact words used in two previous speeches explaining is determination not to prematurely withdraw from Iraq and relinquish his quest to smash the forces of Islamic terror.

Bush noted that while these goals may seem far fetched, “fanatical and extreme...they should not be dismissed.”

“Our enemy is utterly committed,” the president warned.

While Bush correctly and unashamedly identified the enemy as adherents of Islam, he also attempted to paint that religion as a faith of peace and tolerance which a scattered few killers are twisting and exploiting.

“These extremists distort the idea of jihad into a call for terrorist murder against Christians and Hindus and Jews and against Muslims themselves who do not share their radical vision.”

In holding to this position, the president is ignoring that fact that polls and demonstrations throughout the Middle East regularly show widespread – frequently majority – public support for terrorism against the West, and in particular against Israel.

Following the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York City and Washington DC, for example, Arab Muslims across this region burst forth in joyous celebration. From Cairo to Damascus to Ramallah, candies were passed out to mark Osama bin Laden's successful strike at the heart of America.

[Soldier4Christ]

 Islamic Radicals Plan World Revolution from Temple Mount
Sunday, November 13, 2005 / 11 Cheshvan 5766

Islamic radicals have been using the Temple Mount as a focal point for planning and preaching the establishment of a world Islamic state with Jerusalem as its capital.

One of the radical groups operating on the Temple Mount is Hizab Altahrir (The Islamic Liberation Party), which espouses an ideology similar to Al Qaeda. Hizab Altahrir’s network spans most Western European countries. The party puts Islamic revolution and an uncompromising form of Jihad (holy war) at the top of its political agenda.

The group advocates subjecting the entire world to Islamic law (Shariya), and destroying non-believing nations and religions.


Hizab Altahrir’s activity, however, is not limited to the Temple Mount. The group is sending out charismatic Islamic preachers to spread its radical ideology to mosques in villages near Jerusalem, Hebron, Kalkilya, and Tulkarem.

Last October, during Ramadan, when large numbers of Moslems visit mosques, the party expanded its efforts to recruit new members and activists.

Thousands of young Arabs living in the Palestinian Authority have been participating in the party’s youth movement under the slogan, “Campaigning to Preach Revolution.”

On the Temple Mount, near the Dome of the Rock, Altahrir’s youth recently put up a giant banner declaring “Revolution is a Divine Command.” The party’s flag appears on the right and left hand side of the banner. (See photo above). The youth were greeted by party members who shouted, “Next year in Jerusalem, under the rule of the Islamic revolution.”

The party has targeted Europe, specifically Denmark, for spreading its revolutionary ideology, and providing a springboard for renewing Islamic conquests in Europe. A senior party activist in Jerusalem, Sheikh Issam Amira, expressed this philosophy in a recent speech which he made on the Temple Mount:

“Listeners! The Moslems in Denmark make up three percent [of the population], yet constitute a threat to the future of the Danish kingdom. It’s no surprise that in Bitrab (the ancient name of Medina, a city in Arabia to which Mohammed immigrated) they were fewer than three percent of the general population, but succeeded changing the regime in Bitrab.

“It’s no surprise that our brothers in Denmark have succeeded in bringing Islam to every home in that country. Allah will grant us victory in their land to establish the [Islamic] revolution in Denmark.”

After Denmark, the Sheikh said, the party will carry the revolution to Oslo and change its name to Medina. “They will fight against their Scandinavian neighbors in order to bring the country into the territory of the revolution,” he said. “In the next stage, they will fight a holy jihad to spread Islam to the rest of Europe, until it spreads to the original city of Medina where the two cities will unite under the Islamic flag.”

Sheikh Riyad Salah, head of the Islamic movement in Israel has also been active teaching the tenets of “Islamic revolution.”

“We are at the gates of the Islamic revolution,” he proclaimed in one of his sermons to Arab citizens of Israel. “The global forces of evil will be eliminated from the world and the Islamic nation will remain in place in order to bring about the world Islamic revolution, with its capital, Jerusalem.”

Salah, who until a few months ago was under arrest for allegedly assisting an organization connected to the Hamas terror group, has for a number of years been attempting to organize Israel’s Arab citizens into an “independent Palestinian society,” disconnected from the State of Israel and its institutions.

Salah’s organization has also contributed to efforts to repair Arab mosques on the Temple Mount, and attempts to erase the remains of Jewish antiquities on the Mount.