China cautions Israel not to sell AWACS to India
China Moves Troops to Diffuse Indian War Threat

Dec. 28….In a veiled attack on Israel, China on Thursday cautioned countries against doing anything that would endanger peace and stability in South Asia in the wake of reports that Israel was planning to sell advanced Phalcon Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) to India. "We hope that the various countries will make their efforts to preserve stability and peace in South Asia," Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue told reporters here when asked to comment on reports that Israel may sell the Phalcon AWACS system to India. China has also moved a significant number of troops to its border with India. Israel backed out of an impending sale of the same Phalcon system to China at the behest of the United States. Also, Moscow has firmly told Washington to check the Pakistani nuclear arsenal as the present Indo-Pak stand-off is the logical consequence of the US-led operation in Afghanistan.

Note: Russia and China are each calculating their courses in the Middle East. Ezekiel and The Revelation detail that Russia and China ( kings of the East ) will make a move towards Israel during the Great Tribulation. Are we already witnessing geopolitical intentions for that eventuality? ( Russia and China have signed a mutual defense pact )

Moscow: Anti-terror expansion 'Very Dangerous'

Dec. 27….Russia, touted as a key U.S. partner in the war against terror, describes the possibility of further U.S. action in the “war against terror” as "aimed at subjugating" other nations to "America's will," according to official Russian sources. Moscow also is sharply criticizing the stated U.S. policy of not only pursuing those involved in the Sept. 11 attacks, but also confronting nations providing assistance to them, stating: "This policy of meddling in other countries' affairs is very dangerous." Declaring that any U.S. expansion of the war on terrorism serves only to expand America's military influence abroad, Moscow asserted: "The Pentagon … wants to extend its influence into other countries' affairs." The Voice of Russia quoted Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, "even if the U.S. military action in Afghanistan were legal and fruitful," any further use of force must be "authorized by the U.N. Security Council.

India, Pakistan Prepare for War

Dec. 27….Pakistan has deployed its army, anti-aircraft guns and moved most troops from the eastern garrison town of Sialkot to the border with India. The two neighbors have reinforced positions on either side of their disputed border in Kashmir since a December 13 suicide attack on the Indian parliament. An all-out war between the two nations could become really horrific for the entire world, especially in light of the nuclear weapons that each could use. Some experts see China instigating the uprising between the two nations to offset the American presence in Afghanistan.

Bin Laden: Attack on US to Stop Support for Israel

Dec. 26….Osama bin Laden, the world's most wanted man, said on a video broadcast by al-Jazeera satellite television on Wednesday that the September 11 suicide attacks were intended to stop U.S. support for Israel. “Our terrorism against the United States is worthy of praise to deter the oppressor so that America stop its support for Israel”.

The hunt for Osama bin Laden came dramatically alive again December 26, 2001 when al-Jazeera television broadcast a videotape of the world's most wanted man. He accused the United States of leading its own campaign of terror against Muslims. "We say our terror against America is blessed terror in order to put an end to suppression, in order for the United States to stop its support to Israel," bin Laden said. "It has become crystal clear that the West in general, led by the United States, are full of hatred against Islam.”

Vatican Accommodates Yasser Arafat's Bethlehem Charade

Pope John Paul II arrives for the midnight mass as part of Christmas celebrations in St. Peter's Basilica, December 24, 2001. The Vatican on Monday condemned Israel's ban on Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat from traveling from Ramallah to Bethlehem for a Christmas Mass. Earlier in the day, Arafat met with Christian leaders, including Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah, the highest-ranking Roman Catholic cleric in the Holy Land and the first Palestinian to hold the post. ''The dignity of President Arafat is the dignity of all of us,'' Sabbah said. ''The occupation situation is unfair to the Palestinians, and they have to have their freedom. ( The Vatican continues to oppose Israel )

UN votes for International force in Israel

Dec. 21…..Five days after the United States vetoed a Palestinian-backed Security Council resolution calling for “monitoring Israeli actions”. Palestinian supporters put their case to the larger General Assembly and won overwhelming approval in the 189-nation Assembly by a vote of 124-6, with 25 abstentions. The Assembly also passed a second resolution, demanding that Israel as an occupying power, immediately refrain from such acts as targeted killings, torture, and destruction of terrorist property. That vote was 133-4, with 16 abstentions. Arab nations called on the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday to back the crucial role of Yasser Arafat in the Middle East Peace Process. The session was called for by Egypt, on behalf of the Arab League and South Africa, which leads the Non-Aligned Movement of largely developing countries. The second draft resolution would urge the U.N. World Court to clarify the Israeli settlements legal status and set out Israel's legal obligations concerning its illegal occupation of Palestinian territory, including the city of Jerusalem.

Note: Talk about the absurd! The world wants to “monitor” Israel to keep them from defending themselves against terrorists, and chasing after them in their evil nests!

World Council of Churches Condemns Israel

Dec. 21….The World Council of Churches (WCC) has compiled a resource pack of prayers and messages to help its member churches and partners launch a campaign in 2002 in support of peace in the Middle Eas, a campaign which focuses on ending the illegal occupation of Palestine, by Israel. The campaign was initiated by the WCC executive committee at its meeting in September, calling upon member churches and ecumenical partners "to focus attention in 2002 on intensive efforts to end the Illegal Occupation of Palestine. Using their messages of hope, justice and reconciliation to initiate the 2002 Holy Land focus is an appropriate way for churches around the world to participate in a collective effort of prayer, reflection and active solidarity with the Palestinians and Israelis striving for the end of the occupation and for a true peace in the Middle East, the WCC reported.

Note: The Church of Jesus Christ needs to recognize that there is absolutely nothing illegal or wrong about Israel occupying the Promised Land. For the world's churches to take this stand against Israel is tantamount to being incorporated into the Apostate Church, and siding with the Antichrist against God's chosen people!

UN Warns U.S. Against War Expansion

Dec. 20….Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Wednesday warned the United States against expanding it wars on terrorism to Iraq, saying there is no evidence connecting Baghdad to the Sept. 11 attacks. “I have not seen any evidence linking Iraq to what happened on Sept. 11,'' Annan told a year-end news conference. Any attempt to do that can exacerbate the situation and raise tensions in a region that is already under strain because of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.''

Would Hamas strike U.S.?

from: Stratfor, the global intelligence company

Dec. 20….Former Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani has warned that Palestinian suicide bombers might attack American targets. Speaking to crowds rallying on Jerusalem Day, a Dec. 14 event marking the importance of Jerusalem to Islam former Iranian President Hashemi Rafsanjani warned that Palestinian suicide bombers might target U.S. assets. Rafsanjani warned "of a day when exhausted Palestinians, embracing martyrdom, decide to hit America! Iran has been involved with Hamas since 1993. Iran funds Hamas with $18 million a year.

Arafat Calls for More “Martyrs”

Dec. 19….Just three days after appearing on Palestinian television to call upon Palestinans to cease from attacks on Israel, Yasser Arafat in a fiery speech in Ramallah, called for more martyrdom, reportedly saying: "I am willing to sacrifice 70 to die to kill one Israeli." Arafat called for all to join in the struggle to stop what he termed the Israeli program to Judaize Jerusalem. The crowd roared back to Arafat, "Millions of martyrs are already marching to Jerusalem." A review of the terrorist attacks on Israel reveals that 56 percent of all the terror attacks have been carried out by Fatah Tanzim, Hamas carried out 23%, the PFLP 14%, and Islamic Jihad 7%.

Note: The Fatah and Tanzim are directly under Yasser Arafat's command!

Jerusalem Mufti: Suicide Bombings are Just

Dec. 19….The mufti of Jerusalem, Sheikh Akrameh Sabri, says that suicide bombings are justified and should be encouraged. Sheikh Sabri was appointed by PLO leader Yasser Arafat. According to Sabri, "We must not stand in the way of the intifada and jihad (holy war ). Rather, we must stand at their side and encourage them."

Bush Postpones U.S. embassy to Jerusalem

Dec. 19….U.S. President George W. Bush has again postponed any movement of the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem for at least six months. Making use of an escape clause in the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995, Bush cited grounds of “national security” for making his decision, the second time he has delayed the embassy move during his tenure as President. "I hereby determine that it is necessary to protect the national security interests of the United States to suspend for a period of 6 months'' implementation of the Jerusalem Embassy Act, Bush wrote in a memorandum to Secretary of State Colin Powell. The American government continues to fear that moving the embassy would infuriate Palestinians and other Arabs, and launch terrorist attacks on American targets. The Act declared that the U.S. Embassy should be established in Jerusalem no later than May 31, 1999.

Christian, Islamic and Judaism Leaders meet on Terror

Dec. 19….Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders are meeting in Brussels to try to curb conflicts fought in the name of religion. More than 80 religious representatives are at the conference chaired by the head of the Orthodox religions, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, and Romano Prodi, “President of the European Union Commission”. The 2-day meeting under the moto, “The Peace of God in the World'' is to forge new means to ensure that "no individual or organization succeeds ever again to use religion to instigate violence and terrorism." They are expected to agree on an "Announcement of Principles" condemning the abuse of religion to justify violent acts, and take steps towards peaceful co-existence and collaboration between Monotheistic Religions.

Netanyahu: No peace with Arafat's Regime

"If Israel wants to attain peace, it will have to cause the collapse of Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat's regime," former Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu says. "We cannot continue to follow the path of appeasement, just to implement some tactical ability to improve our ability to thwart future suicide attacks.

Palestinian to Succeed Osama bin Laden?

Dec. 18….Al-Qaeda has named a Palestinian to be Osama bin Laden's successor in case the latter is arrested or killed. Quoting sources in Dubai, Al-Qaeda members fleeing Afghanistan have revealed that the leadership of the terrorist outfit would pass over to Zain Al-Abedin Hasan, a 30-year-old Palestinian from Gaza Strip, in case of Bin Laden's death or arrest. Hasan has been based in Peshawar for the last few years, overseeing the recruitment and dispatch of mercenaries from different parts of the world to Afghanistan. The Palestinian is accused of masterminding the terrorist attacks in western countries.

Hamas, Islamic Jihad Reject Arafat's Call For Quiet

Dec. 18….Hamas and Islamic Jihad issued a leaflet yesterday rejecting Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat's call for an end to all armed activities and terror attacks and called for a continuation of the intifada until the end of the occupation. They also vowed to continue suicide attacks and denounced the US as the enemy of the Palestinian people, threatening to target US targets in the future.

Iran's Rafsanjani suggests Nuclear Attack on Israel

Dec. 17…One of Iran's most influential ruling clerics called on the Muslim states to use nuclear weapons against Israel. While such an attack would annihilate Israel, it would cost us "damages only". If the day comes when the world of Islam is duly equipped with nuclear arms, we should annihilate Israel. Former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani told the crowd at the traditional Friday prayers in Tehran that Iran could survive such warfare, but that Israel could not, therefore the nuclear option was an option Iran should consider. Rafsanjani's speech marks the first time a prominent leader of the Islamic Republic had openly suggested the use of nuclear weapon against the Jewish State. Rafsanjani advised Western states not to pin their hopes on Israel's violence because it will be "very dangerous". "We (Iran) are not willing to see security in the world harmed", he said, but we will tolerate Colonialism and Zionism on our lands”. We will bring on World War III if Israel is not reigned in! Iran, with Russian help, has succeeded in advancing its nuclear project and they could acquire nuclear weapons capability as early as 2005.

Note: Ominous warnings of the impending Tribulation events involving Russia and Iran! ( See Russian President Putin's warning to America on War on Terror )

US Preparing to Take on Iraq?

Dec. 17….American military movements in the last two weeks in the Indian Ocean, Persian Gulf and the Middle East radically shift the strategic focus of the US war on terror westward, bringing Iraq, Lebanon and its Syrian-controlled Beqaa Valley into range. The US aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk is heading out of the Arabian Sea, its task in Afghanistan as a floating command center for air and marine forces passing to Kuwait and combining with the Third Army command that is moving out of Atlanta, Georgia. The 70,000-strong US Third Army is being transferred to Kuwait with several hundred Abrams and Bradley tanks. This relocation of strength may be wound up in early January. Third Army units will be taking up positions at additional points in the Middle East. Elements of its elite 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions will be posted in US bases in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, centering on the giant Sharm el-Sheikh air base at the southern tip of Sinai, with the northern Red Sea, western Saudi Arabia and southern Jordan in its sights.


Putin warns US over “War on Terror”

Dec. 17….Russia expects the US to consult it before taking the "war against terrorism" anywhere beyond Afghanistan, President Vladimir Putin said today. And the Russian President warned specifically against military action in Iraq. He said there is no evidence that Iraq is financing the terrorists that we are fighting against. Mr Putin criticized the past bombing of Iraq by U.S. and U.K. warplanes. The main concern of the international community, he said, was to prevent Iraq from developing weapons of mass destruction. America's bombing does not advance this aim.

Note: the stage for the Ezekiel 38 and 39 Russian invasion into the Middle East could revolve around the issue of Iraq today. A quick review of the allies of Russia in the days of the assault on the mountains of Israel, reveals that Iraq is ominously absent from mention. ( Persia-Iran is included ) What becomes of Syria and Iraq? Will the War on Terrorism deal with these two countries first?

Arafat Calls For Halt To Suicide Attacks

Dec. 17….Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, who just last week was declared "irrelevant" by the government, responded to international pressure last night by calling directly upon Palestinians to halt all "terrorist activities," including suicide bombings, against Israelis. Speaking in Arabic on Palestinian television on the eve of Id al-Fitr, the holiday ending the holy month of Ramadan. Arafat also said the Palestinian Authority would hold steadfast to its goals for a Palestinian state that has Jerusalem as its capital.


Yasser Arafat is searching for wiggle room in his struggle against Israel. His call for a cessation to terrorism is long overdue. Only when it is beneficial for Yasser Arafat does Yasser Arafat call for and end to violence. His gesture is intended to gain him leverage with the West, and to alleviate the growing charges that he is in fact a terrorist. (DY)


China Supports Palestine

Dec. 17….China said at the United Nations Saturday that it will continue to support Palestine and its leader Yasser Arafat. China strongly condemn the present series of violent attacks on the civilians by Israel.

Note: China has a vested interest in the Middle East. Revelation 16:12 reveals that China prominently figures into the last great battle in the Middle East.

PLO says Israel is on Verge of Collapse

Dec 17….The Palestine Liberation Organization's political director, Farouq Al-Qaddumi, says Israel is on the verge of collapse and that the Sept. 11 terror attacks on the U.S. should be a lesson to America. "Sharon is the last bullet in the Israeli rifle. If Sharon is defeated, the rapid countdown to the end of Israel will begin, because that country was established through “historical coercion” and will find its end.

Note: So the PA is after the “end of Israel”?

Arafat Has No Intention of Delivering

US Looks at His Terror-Money Links

Dec. 17….In a key speech delivered Sunday, December 16, Day One of Eid el Fitr, the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat vowed the Palestinians would continue their struggle against Israel until a Palestinian state is attained, with Jerusalem its capital. At the same time, he instructed his people to obey Palestinian Authority resolutions and halt armed operations completely and immediately. In his first public appearance since the Israeli government declared him “irrelevant” on December 13, Arafat solemnly promised his people eventual victory and a state capital in Jerusalem!

But why has Arafat waited till now to herald the end of the intifada he launched against Israel last year?

Palestinian sources report a last-minute incident over the text of Arafat's speech, as he worked on it Saturday night. Some of his advisers, including the heads of the Palestinian preventive security agencies, urged him to heed American, European and Israeli demands to call a stop to Palestinian terrorist operations, at least for a time. They said Palestinian security forces were ready to impose this directive if necessary. Some warned him he was leading the Palestinians into a head-on collision with the United States. The exhaustive US investigation into the funding of World Terrorism and led to Washington demanding the shutdown of two financial bodies in Palestinian-ruled territory, the Holy Land Foundation and the Beit El-Mal Holding Company, which funnel money to the Hamas terrorist organization. Yasser Arafat refused to shut these entities down. US undercover investigations into the sources of Palestinian terrorist funding and its destination strongly point to the Holy Land Foundation and the Beit El-Mal Holdings Company as being in fact an integral part of the Palestinian Authority's social welfare ministry and the channel through which Arafat obtains moneys for keeping the intifada going. This flow of funds is the bedrock of the partnership in terror between the Palestinian Authority and the Hamas and the Jihad Islami.

Immediately after the United States declared war on terror in September, pledging an exhaustive inquiry into its funding, Arafat secretly sacked Dr. Attal El-Awna as chairman of the board of the central Palestinian Bank and appointed himself instead. US investigators began to suspect that Arafat was anxious to hide the misdirection of moneys, mostly US and European donations to the Palestinian Authority, to groups listed in Washington as terrorist organizations. As the investigation unfolded, it began to look as though Arafat initiated his financial deal with the Hamas and Jihad Islami as early as May 2000, at the time of the Camp David peace talks brokered by President Clinton between him and the Israeli prime minister at the time, Ehud Barak. Thus the real reason why Arafat stormed out of the Camp David Final Status talks in August, 2000. That was five months before the intifada was actually launched. The Palestinian leader, preparing himself for the cutoff of US and European funds after the armed uprising erupted, organized a new source of funding in good time from the two Islamic terrorist groups. Their price? An active role in Palestinian “military operations” against Israel and a free rein for terror against Isarel.

In light of those discoveries, President Bush issued a veiled warning to Arafat to crack down on the two Islamic terrorist groups, or else face the prospect of exposing all the Palestinian Authority's links with the terrorist financers. Washington would thus take a critical step towards declaring the Palestinian Authority an organization supporting terror. Yasser Arafat turned a deaf ear to this warning, and his call for a cessation of terrorist activity against Israel is a charade to save himself from being targeted in America's War on Terror. Furthermore, his public plea for a halt to suicide attacks in Israel is in reality an appeal to Hamas and Islamic Jihad to co-operate with him in their unwritten understanding of destroying Israel.

Iran, Iraq, Syria must be confronted

Dec. 17….Israeli Defense analysts have concluded that Iran, Iraq and Syria must be confronted on the international level, because those three countries mix terror, weapons of mass destruction, and threaten the State of Israel. The “War on Terror, down the road, will need to operate against groups and the terrorist states Iran, Iraq, and Syria. They must be dealt with on an international level as soon as possible.

Note: It seems inevitable that the War on Terrorism will catapult our world closer and closer to the “Burden of Damascus” depicted in Isaiah 17 and Jeremiah 49. With that eventuality drawing nearer and nearer, the call to “Look Up; Your Redemption draweth nigh” is close at hand! ( Rapture )

Vatican Wants to Mediate Mideast Talks

Dec. 15…The Holy See will make every possible effort to bring to an end the conflict in the Middle East, including the role of mediation, if the parties involved request it. Archbishop Jean-Louis Tauran, Vatican secretary for relations with states made the Pope's wish known while Pope John Paul led the world's Roman Catholics in a day of fasting for global peace in solidarity with Muslims. The Pope offered his prayers for world peace and religious union in conjunction with Islam's season of Ramadan.

Note: Irony, or Bible Prophecy? We are witnessing the “building components” that will ultimately form the superstructure of the two beasts of Revelation chapter 13.

US Wants Lebanon to Back Anti-Terror Campaign

Dec. 14….U.S. Assistant Secretary of State William Burns called on Lebanon on Friday to back the U.S.-led war on terrorism. Burns' visit to Lebanon caps a week of diplomatic sparring between the United States and Lebanon over Hizbollah, the Shi'ite Muslim guerrilla group that Washington deems ''terrorist'' but which Beirut defends as legitimate national resistance. The U.S. ambassador to Lebanon this week told local television that Hizbollah trained and equipped ``terrorist'' organizations, prompting Hizbollah head Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah to demand Washington present proof to back up its charges. The United States suspects Hizbollah of the 1983 suicide bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut that killed 241 people, and has asked Lebanon to freeze Hizbollah's assets as a contribution to the anti-terror war. Lebanon has refused. The country's stance on terror has also become an issue in relations with Europe, as a long-awaited trade pact with the European Union has been reported to be threatened with delay over British demands that it include a pledge to fight terror.

Hezbullah terrorist guerilla leader Hasan Nazrallah speaks to the children of Lebanon!

The head of Lebanon's Hizbollah guerrilla group on Friday urged Palestinians to launch more suicide bomb attacks on Israelis and defy U.S.-led demands to crack down on ``terrorist'' militant groups. “These suicide bombings are the only way to defeat the Zionists,'' Hizbollah head Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah told thousands at a rally in Beirut. These suicide operations are the weapon that God gave this nation, and no one can take it away.''

Uniformed children stand in units named after guerrillas killed fighting Israel as part of Hizbollah's Jerusalem day rally December 14, 2001 in Beirut. The head of Lebanon's Hizbollah guerrilla group urged Palestinians to launch more suicide bomb attacks on Israelis and defy U.S.-led demands to crack down on 'terrorist' militant groups.

Vatican Says No Peace Until Israel Gives Territories

Dec. 14….The Vatican said Thursday peace between Israelis and Palestinians would never be possible until the Jewish state withdrew from the occupied territories and a Palestinian state was born. The Vatican made its position clear after a meeting presided over by Pope John Paul II and attended by Catholic religious leaders from the Middle East. A statement from the Vatican spokesman said peace between the two peoples "can be realized only if rights and equality about fundamental questions are respected."

It listed these fundamental points as "security for Israel, the birth of a state for the Palestinian people, the evacuation from occupied territories, an internationally guaranteed special statute for the city of Jerusalem, and a fair solution for Palestinian refugees."

The future of Jerusalem, which Israel had declared its "united and eternal" capital, is one of the most thorny topics in the Middle East peace process, and a major stumbling block between Israel and the Vatican! Israel has thus far resisted calls by the Vatican for a special statute to protect Jerusalem, as the city sacred to Christians, Muslims and Jews, and established as an international religious capitol. "How we would have liked to see our Jewish and Muslim brothers walk side by side with us in a united pact of love that would give back to the Holy Land its true face of being a crossroads of peace and a land of peace," he said. The pope said people in the Holy Land "have for a long time been sorely tried by acts of violence and by discrimination."


Pope John Paul II looks on during his weekly general audience at the Pope Paul VI hall in the Vatican, December 12, 2001. The Vatican said on Dec. 13 that peace between Israelis and Palestinians would never be possible until the Jewish State withdrew from the “occupied territories” and a Palestinian state was created in those territories, and the city of Jerusalem was accorded international religious status.


Note: FOJ has long surmised that the Vatican has worked with Yasser Arafat to preempt Israel from possessing the territories in question, and to disengage the city of Jerusalem from Israeli claims. ( The Antichrist may emerge upon the platform arranged through the inter-networking intrigue of these religious-geopolitical operations )

Is Arafat trying to provoke full-scale War?

Dec. 14….Israeli security sources say there is growing evidence that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is plotting to lead the Middle East into a major new conflict, which they say could be part of a larger effort to bring much of the world to war. The security sources point out that several recent Palestinian terror attacks appeared to be joint operations carried out by groups that Arafat is supposed to be suppressing, working with terrorists connected to his own PLO Fatah movement. More ominously, they seem to have coordinated their operations with the Iranian and Syrian backed Hezbollah militia stationed in southern Lebanon. The Israeli sources say the latest attacks add to growing indications that Arafat has decided to provoke an all-out war in the region in an attempt to save his skin. This may be the only explanation for his almost total failure to close down the terrorist networks operating in his midst. Arafat's apparent war plan is being coordinated with Lebanese Hezbollah forces and Saddam Hussein, with probable knowledge and approval of Syria and Iran, and possibly also North Korea. They point out that the radical Lebanese militia and the Iraqi dictator both fear that they will be future targets of the American-led anti-terror campaign.. They warn that the tense region, and the entire world, could be sitting on a powder keg much larger than most people might imagine, with Yasser Arafat and his comrades possibly getting ready to light the fuse.

Israel: Arafat No Longer Relevant!

Dec. 13…The Israeli security cabinet decided late last night that Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat is "no longer relevant" and ordered the IDF to target PA facilities and recapture territory in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Israel has cut all contacts with the P.A.

Note: It is the opinion of FOJ that Yasser Arafat will likely be eliminated from the Middle East Peace Process equation. The EU and the U.S. have endured all it can stand of Mr. Arafat's terrorism craftmanship, while exploiting the peace process.

Jordan: Arafat is Israel's only Alternative

Dec. 13….Jordan considers Yasser Arafat the leader of the Palestinian people and worries that searching for an alternative to him could mean a civil war on its border. Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher said today that Arab countries are discussing holding a ministerial meeting within the next 48 hours to decide how to respond to the Israeli move against Yasser Arafat. King Abdullah, referring to Arafat said, "Our position is that the Palestinian Authority represents the Palestinian State. It has an embassy, which is accredited in Amman, and Arafat represents the Palestinian people. President Arafat is my brother and I will stand by him, but I will not interfere in the domestic affairs of the Palestinians." Abdullah noted that the militant group Hamas has presented itself as an alternative to Arafat's Palestinian Authority as the representative of the Palestinian people. "I am very concerned that these developments will push the situation into a civil war on the West Bank and Gaza."

Another Palestinian Terror Attack

Dec. 12….Palestinians attacked an Israeli bus in the West Bank and set off explosions near Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip in near simultaneous attacks today. The army said eight people were killed in the bus attack, and at least 30 people were wounded. The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, an armed group linked to Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's Fatah group, claimed responsibility for the attack on the bus near the Jewish settlement of Immanuel.

Islamic Leader Defies Terror Crackdown

Ramadan Shallah, head of the militant Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, speaks at a Palestinian rally in Damascus, December 12, 2001. Shallah said Arab and Muslim governments that lend support to the dismantling of Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups are acting as puppets of the U.S.

He also said that by asking the Palestinian Authority to dismantle Islamic Jihad and Hamas -- which is responsible for a recent wave of suicide bombings that killed 26 Israelis , the United States and European Union were inviting more attacks on Israel.

John Paul II Entrusts Peace of World to Virgin Mary

Dec. 11….John Paul II expressed words of sadness and concern Friday when he entrusted the peace of the world to the Immaculate Conception of Mary. The Holy Father´s words were part of a prayer he recited on his knees, before the historic statue of the Immaculate Conception, in Rome´s Piazza di Spagna. "Peace in the world is endangered," the Pontiff said, as he prayed to the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is why "we come to you, Immaculate Virgin, to ask you to obtain, as an understanding and strong Mother, spirits, freed from the smoke of hatred, to be open to mutual forgiveness, constructive solidarity and peace."

Note: Why not entrust the world to the “Prince of Peace”; Jesus Christ himself?

“Muslims” Hand Embattled Arafat Rare Political Win

Dec. 11….Representatives of the world's 1.2 billion Muslims have displayed a rare unity in backing Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, who faces one of the toughest challenges of his political career. The 57-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) called on the Palestinian people to “rally around its Palestinian Authority led by President Yasser Arafat.'' The plea was intended to rally the Palestinian peoples around Arafat to support him against the mounting pressure to act against Hamas and Islamic Jihad. ( terrorism )

U.S Envoy Zinni Blames Arafat

Dec. 11….Gen. Anthony Zinni met with Yasser Arafat yesterday, and afterwards said about him, "I have never encountered an individual of such lack of trustworthiness in my life." He said it was a "waste of time to try to reach a serious agreement with Arafat," and that he will now concentrate on talking with other top figures in the PA, - probably a reference to Muhammad Dahlan, Jibril Rajoub, and others.

Note: As Gomer Pyle would say; “Surprise, Surprise”! The world has come to grips with the reality that Arafat is still a terrorist.

Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres (L) talks with his Italian and Belgian counterparts, respectively Renato Ruggiero (C) and Louis Michel at the start of a meeting with European Union foreign ministers in Brussels December 10, 2001. EU ministers were debating branding the Palestinian groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad 'terrorist networks' for the first time and demanding that Palestinian President Yasser Arafat call an end to armed attacks on Israel.

Bin Laden Aide Justifies Terror

Dec. 11…Terrorist attacks on Western civilians are justified because they live in democracies and are directly responsible for government policies that anger us Arabs, says Osama bin Laden's top lieutenant in the latest excerpt of his memoirs. Ayman al-Zawahri says the West understands only the language of self-interest coupled with oppressive power. “If we want to make them understand our rights we have to speak to them in the language they understand.” ( terrorism ) In his memoirs, al-Zawahri accuses the West of the “Crime of Creating Israel”.

Note: The creation of Israel is a crime? Is there the slightest possibility that Jehovah has overseen the creation of the state of Israel? God is still sovereign, and he is still reigning, and will overwhelm all the powers surrounding the subject of Israel. ( The creation of the state of Israel did not catch God by surprise, and Satan is utilizing that creation to attempt to supplant God )

EU Makes a Move in Mid-east

Dec. 10….The European Union demanded on Monday that Palestinian President Yasser Arafat call an end to the armed Intifada (uprising) against Israel and dismantle what it called the “terrorist networks'' of Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The EU demanded the Palestinian Authority commit immediately to ``the dismantling of Hamas' and Islamic Jihad's terrorist networks, including the arrest and prosecution of all suspects; and make a public appeal in Arabic for an end to the armed Intifada.'' Of Israel, the ministers demanded “the withdrawal of its military forces and a stop to extra-judicial executions, the lifting of closures and of all restrictions imposed on the Palestinian people, and a freeze on settlement construction.'' The ministers mandated EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana to travel to the Middle East on Monday night to try to persuade Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to end reciprocal violence and return to peace talks. Solana will report back to an EU summit at the Brussels royal palace of Laeken on Saturday.

Note: FOJ has been prognosticating an increasing prophetic role for the EU in the Mid-east Peace Process for years. Finally now, the ever growing EU is establishing the basis for the stage that will require a unique leader to emerge and “Confirm the Covenant” between Israel and the Arab world.

Moscow opposes Attacks on Iraq

Dec. 10…."Russia is vehemently opposed" to a U.S. attack on Iraq. President George W. Bush's demand that Iraq allow the re-entry of U.N. weapons inspectors could cause a division between the U.S. and Russia in the war on terrorism. Moscow is convinced that Washington has no proof of Iraq's connection with the events of September 11th, or Iraq's involvement in terrorism. Russia is a major supplier of military hardware to Iraq, and is seeking to forge greater ties to the Iraq-Iran-Syria region.

Note: ( These particular associations will eventually compel Russia to act against Israel during the Great Tribulation )

Arafat has not fulfilled his Commitments

Dec. 10….Vice President Dick Cheney stated that the fact that Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat has not stood by his commitments to fight terrorism, pushes off the vision of a Palestinian state.

Worried Pope Calls on Humanity to Overcome Hatred

Dec. 10….Pope John Paul, indicating he believed the United States should not expand its war on terrorism beyond Afghanistan, urged people on Sunday to push for peace and not pursue vendettas. “In the current complex international situation, humanity is being called on to mobilize its greatest energies so that love triumphs over hate, peace over war, truth over lies, forgiveness over vendettas,'' the Pope said in a regular weekly address. He urged the world in apocalyptic terms to pull back from the brink of further conflict, apparently signaling his anxiety that once the Afghan war was over the United States would strike elsewhere. “Dark clouds are gathering on the horizon. World peace is at risk,'' the Pope said. The 81-year old Pontiff appealed on Sunday for Christians and Muslims to pray together and renewed his call for Roman Catholics to fast for peace along with Muslims on Friday, the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.


Anan Calls for Third Party in Mideast

Dec. 10….Speaking at a news conference at the Norwegian Nobel Institute, Annan said that Israeli and Palestinian leaders "have been trying to end the conflict" but that "the parties alone cannot do it themselves." "They need help from a third party, and in this case I believe it has to be a collective international effort," Annan said.

Note: Do you have anybody in mind Mr. Anan? ( perhaps the 10 kings of Revelation 17:12 could provide the international collective effort )

Terror Strike in Haifa

Dec. 10….The latest Hamas suicide-bomber to strike Israel may have been planning to detonate a crude chemical weapon. The suicide bomber that struck near Haifa on Sunday planned to detonate a bomb strapped to his chest as he boarded a bus at Checkpoint Junction. Minutes later, with the street full of rescue workers and bystanders trying to help the wounded, the second bomb hidden in his hold-all would have been timed to explode. It was this that police claimed may have contained chemicals. Forensic teams who examined the bomb believe that it had been dipped in pesticides. However, the suicide bomber was shot dead by police as he lay grievously wounded on the street after triggering the explosives hidden under his coat. With what little life he had left, he was crawling towards the second, even bigger bomb to detonate it.

Geneva Convention Officials Cite Israel

Dec. 5….Ignoring U.S. protests, Switzerland opened an international conference Wednesday to examine whether Israel is violating the Geneva Conventions on warfare by its occupation of Palestinian territory. The meeting of nations that signed the 1949 treaties on the conduct of war has evaluated the situation in the Middle East and is expected to cite Israel for breaching the accords. It is expected also to call on Israel to respect the agreement on the treatment of civilians in occupied territory and allow independent observers to monitor the situation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The United States is boycotting the meeting, claiming it is counterproductive. Israel also has refused to attend. Convention officials have also criticized the Israeli 'targeted killings' of Palestinian terrorists suspected of carrying out attacks within Israel.

Note: How dare Israel defend itself? ( More evidence that the world is confederated together against Israel ) Psalms 83:2-5 For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head. They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones. They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance. For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee: ( Israel )

Jerusalem Bombing Again Today

Dec. 5….Yet another suicide bomber detonated a bomb on King David Street in the Mamila neighborhood in Jerusalem. Eight people were very lightly injured from flying glass or were being treated for shock. The Jerusalem Brigades of the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine", claimed responsibility for the attack. Police believe the bomber was en route to carry out an attack in nearby downtown Jerusalem or was planning to enter the hotel and detonate the device, but that the bomb detonated prematurely. The hotel is in West Jerusalem, close to the walled Old City.

UN General Assembly Condemns Israel

Dec. 4….Ignoring Israel's plea to make "a moral choice" and reject Palestinian terrorism, the UN General Assembly followed a familiar beat last night and strongly condemned Israel's policies toward the Palestinians. The General Assembly ended a three-day Mid-east debate yesterday and voted on half a dozen Mid-east resolutions while Israeli helicopter gun-ships fired missiles near Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat's main and Ramallah headquarters. The strikes were in retaliation for the Islamic militants weekend suicide bombings which killed 28 people in Israel. The key resolution, entitled "Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine," was approved by a vote of 131 to 6, with 20 abstentions. The resolutions accused Israel of doing everything it could "to sabotage all efforts to resume the peace process.

Note: When will the UN ever condemn Arafat and his PLO henchmen?

Iraq Threatens Israel

Dec. 4….Iraq has publicly threatened Israel with retaliation for any U.S.-led campaign against the regime of President Saddam Hussein. A senior Iraqi diplomat said Saddam has seven million combatants called the Al Quds Army. ( Al Quds is the term meant for Jerusalem ) The diplomat said Iraq would "swallow Israel up" if his country is attacked. "The Palestinian cause and liberation of Jerusalem as well as campaign against Israel is a fundamental issue for Iraq. The warning came hours after Iraqi President Saddam Hussein convened his defense chiefs for a meeting which focused on Iraqi preparations for any U.S.-led war against Baghdad.

Second Front in Global Anti-Terror War?

Dec. 4…. The key decision of the Bush-Sharon meeting Sunday after the suicide bombing attacks over the weekend was that the next phase of the war against world terrorism would not necessarily be launched against Iraq, Somalia or Sudan, but against the Palestinian and Lebanese Shiite Hizballah terror machines. Israeli Defense Forces may be given the task of smashing Palestinian terrorist organs, including the Palestinian Authority's preventive security and intelligence branches which answer to Arafat personally. Their targets will include senior Palestinian officers engaged in terrorist activities. The Hizballah's turn could come once the operational links between Arafat and the Lebanese Shiite extremists are proven. Sharon produced intelligence revealing a joint Arafat-Hizballah plan for an imminent attack on a major Israeli city on a scale comparable in Israeli terms to the World Trade Center atrocity. The only real sticking point the Israeli Prime Minister faced in the White House conference was over the fate of Yasser Arafat in person. Before launching his Temple Mount Intifada uprising in September 2000, Arafat elevated to the operational plane his long-standing ties with the Lebanese Hizballah, the Palestinian Hamas and Jihad Islami, the Damascus-based Palestinian Liberation Front, the PLF-General command and the pro-Iraqi Arab Liberation Front. For the latest terror cycle, launched to coincide with the arrival of US envoy Zinni on November 26, Arafat called up the operational Hizballah elements he imported to the Gaza Strip and West Bank to plot the attacks.

Yasser Arafat has been a fixture of Palestinian politics for 34 years. He has wreaked havoc and death in Jordan, Lebanon, and Israel.


Note: Some analysts wonder if Arafat can control the multiple terrorist cells he has employed within his circle. If it were true that he could not control terror, then it is all the more apparent that he should not be granted a State. ( Arafat has never tried, nor convicted, let alone execute a single terrorist )

Sharon Lashes Out at Arafat

Dec. 3….Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon declared a “war on terror” today and said Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat was directly responsible for attacks on Israel over the weekend. Just as the United States acts in its battle against world terror, under the brave leadership of President Bush, just as it acts with all its strength, so shall we do.'' Arafat is responsible for all that has happened.'' “Arafat is the main impediment to peace and stability in the Middle East,'' he said. “Arafat will not succeed in deceiving the government of Israel. Arafat has chosen the path of terror ... to try to make diplomatic gains through murder.'' Israel will ``chase after those responsible for terror: Those who carry it out, and those who assist, and they will pay the price,'' Sahron said.

Hamas: We Have Suicide Bombers to Last 20 Years

Dec. 3….The Palestinian Islamic movement Hamas, which killed 28 Israelis in less than 24 hours, has enough suicide bombers to last another 20 years, a senior Hamas leader said today. "We have the means to resist and offer up martyrs for another 20 years," Khaled Meshaal, the group's political leader, said at a Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus. "At the final count, we will be victors, because the enemy cannot stand the losses," he said during a fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Israeli missiles hit near Arafat HQ

Palestinian leader was not in Gaza office at time of attack

Dec. 3 — Israel sent a personal warning to Yasser Arafat on Monday, blowing up two of his presidential helicopters and striking security targets around his headquarters in Gaza City as part of retaliatory measures following a wave of suicide bombings over the weekend. Arafat was not in the office at the time. The attack followed a meeting of Israeli's high-level security cabinet. Israeli helicopter gunships fired at least 10 missiles near Arafat's headquarters. In addition to his helicopters, which Arafat uses to move between his offices in Gaza and the West Bank, the missiles also damaged the Palestinian television station and buildings in a compound that houses offices of the Force 17 presidential guard and other Palestinian security units. Palestinian spokeswoman Hanan Ashrawi stated that Arafat wasn't in Gaza City. Instead, he was spending Monday at his office in Ramallah in the West Bank.

Ariel Sharon is slated to address the nation later Monday before convening the full Cabinet.

Smokes rises over the area of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's Gaza office after it was hit by Israeli missiles December 3, 2001. A White House spokesman said that Israel had the right to defend itself after the attack in apparent retaliation for Palestinian suicide bombings.

Israeli government spokesman Gideon Meir said the Cabinet will consider further measures against Arafat, which he blamed for the terrorist attacks on Israel. “We are at war,” said a banner headline in the Yediot Ahronot daily.

Yasser Arafat: The gig is Up

Dec. 3….US President George W. Bush was receptive to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's message yesterday that Israel will take the fight against terror into its own hands, and has no expectations that Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat will do anything against terror. "The US knows we have to wage a battle against terrorism too," said a senior official in the Prime Minister's Office. Mr. Sharon was "satisfied" with the talks, and made it clear to President Bush that Israel will now take the battle against terror into its own hands. He also told the President that Israel views Arafat as responsible for everything that is happening on the ground, and that the lack of prevention of terrorism is one of its causes. The official dismissed as "Arafat's stories" reports that the PA was arresting terrorists, and called the PA an "empire of lies." Bush did not urge restraint by Israel in responding as the administration has in the past. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, who in an interview with NBC's Meet the Press questioned his leadership.

Rumsfeld said Arafat "is not a particularly strong leader, and I don't know that he has good control over the Palestinian situation." "He has not ever delivered anything for the Palestinian people throughout history," Rumsfeld said. "His record is not particularly impressive."