Iraqi President Saddam Husssein called Tuesday on Arab states to mobilize their armed forces to liberate the Palestinian territories, rejecting any deals with Israel. In a speech read to the Arab summit in Amman , Saddam told Arab leaders to build an army of men as concerned to sacrifice themselves as the Zionists are concerned for their lives. "We do not agree to any deals on Palestine, all of Palestine from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean, including Jerusalem, its crown." Saddam has rallied Iraqis to the Palestinian cause, offering millions of dollars and fighting forces since the intifada, or uprising against Israel erupted last September.
PRESIDENT ASSAD of Syria called Israelis “Nazis” yesterday and offered to “forgive and forget” the decision of Yassir Arafat, the Palestinian leader, to negotiate with the late Yitzhak Rabin. We offer our hands to our Palestinian brothers and tell them we stand beside them in the service of the Palestinian cause. Speaking at the start of the first Arab League summit in a decade, Mr Assad overshadowed Mr Arafat’s efforts to win support for the Palestinian uprising. His speech, which often assumed the tone of a lecture to the league’s 22 heads of state and their representatives, was delivered as a suspected suicide bomber blew up a bus in Jerusalem, killing himself and wounding a dozen others. Mr Assad said that the Arab world had been “too emotional” and had failed to analyse properly the election of Ariel Sharon to head a national unity government in Israel. He said that successive Israeli elections had proved that Israelis in general “gave us nothing and took everything. “It is the Israeli public and not just the leaders who are like the Nazis themselves,” he said in an improvised speech that could have been delivered by his father, Hafez, 20 years ago. The speech shocked foreign diplomats, many of them sympathetic to the Palestinian cause, who had gathered in Amman, the Jordanian capital, for the summit.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has warned the Palestinians not to form an alliance with Iraq and Syria. Arab diplomatic sources said Mubarak has sent a series of messages to Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat that warn of the consequences of his emerging alliance with Iraq and Syria. The sources said these messages warn Arafat that such an alliance would cost the Palestinians both political and financial support and lead the region into war. On Tuesday, the Arab League summit heard an appeal from Iraqi President Saddam Hussein for an Arab war against Israel. "We do not agree to any deals on Palestine, all of Palestine from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean, including “Jerusalem”, its crown,"!
In between yesterday morning's car bombing in Jerusalem's busy Talpiot industrial and shopping area and the afternoon's suicide- bomber attack in the capital's French Hill neighborhood, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan calmly said the world has every right to criticize Israel for occupying Arab land and for its "excessively harsh response" to the Palestinian uprising. Speaking at the opening meeting of the Arab League summit in Amman, Annan said: "Blockades and closures have paralyzed the Palestinian economy, isolated the West Bank and Gaza, and prevented the delivery of medicine, food, and fuel. Interestingly, Annan thought it of no importance to criticise the esteemed Arab gatheringover the deliberate murder of a 10-month-old baby by sniper fire, or the steering of a speeding bus into a crowd of soldiers and pedestrians waiting for a ride to work also did little to promote the cause of peace. Nor did the world statesman see fit to point out that the Palestinian decision to resort to violence, after the failure of last summer's Camp David talks, was hardly the way to win over Israeli confidence to the trustworthiness of the Palestinian Authority as a partner for peace.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that peace in the Middle East could only come if Israel returned the Golan Heights to Syria. "Without the Golan Heights return and the resumption of normal relations between Lebanon and Israel, peace cannot be restored in the Middle East region," Putin said, in a statement aimed at Arab League leaders holding a summit in Amman. Note: Perhaps Israel should just move to the moon! The day is coming when Russia will fall on the mountains of the Golan. ( see Ezekiel 39:2,4,17 )
Wearing a kaffiya and speaking to a forum of Arab lawyers in Beirut, PLO senior official Faisel Husseini stated that Ariel Sharon must not get a chance to act. He said that Sharon must not be allowed to achieve security because that would defeat the Palestinians politically. Husseini added that the Palestinian strategic goal is a state from the Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea. The current Intifada has domestic external and inevitable causes. It is not an act of protest, but rather a liberation movement, which must not be stopped until it reaches full Palestinian independence. Blessed be Beirut who broke the enemy and proved that we can defeat the super powers. Blessed be the resistance [Hizbullah], which gave us the hope that the future is in our hands. The Lebanese victory is the great and most important example of the reality in which the Israeli enemy is living. "The current Intifada has domestic external and inevitable causes. It is not an act of protest, but rather a liberation movement, which must not be stopped until it reaches full Palestinian independence." "In the first Intifada we succeeded in breaking many Israeli taboos. Golda Meir said that there are no Palestinian people, but we earned our recognition. In the past they said no to a Palestinian state, but we broke that taboo. In the past they refused to recognize the PLO but they do recognize it today as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. In the current Intifada as well, we have broken the Israeli taboos regarding Jerusalem and the refugees." "In Barak´s period, despite all the tragedies and the barbaric [Israeli] behavior we have broken many taboos and now Sharon is trying to roll things back. Barak agreed to a withdrawal from 95% of the occupied Palestinian lands and if we now allow Sharon to succeed in his political plans whose point of departure is [Israeli] security, it will mean that we will return to the negotiating table on the basis of a right to only 42% of the territory. On the other hand, if we pull Sharon down from the security standpoint, no other [Israeli] party will be able to conduct a dialogue with us except from the point where Barak stopped, namely, from the right to 95% of the territory. This is why we must not let Sharon succeed. The Palestinian Authority will not grant Sharon a safety net even though today he speaks moderately but does not change his policy." "The Arab summit must stay away from the logic under which Sharon must be given the chance. We expect many real clashes with the Israelis in the upcoming months, especially in Jerusalem. All the elements for an explosion exist. We are convinced that the confrontation in Jerusalem will move the world from Indonesia to Morocco. It will be a sign for the U.S., which will be forced to understand that its support of Israel will destroy stability in the whole region. We are facing a battle and we are already preparing ourselves for it from this moment. We must not let Sharon succeed from the security standpoint because then he will defeat us, politically." "The Palestinian people face the present battle hand in hand with the open [leadership of] the Palestinian Authority. There is no internal clash between the two. The Intifada must be given priority. There may be errors and misgivings, but priority must now be given to the battle." "There is a certain delicate thing that must be understood by all. I may be obliged to have contacts with Sharon´s government in order to achieve some vital of the needs of our people. But this is not to justify opening relations with Israel by other Arab states. I am maintaining contact in order to put an end to the relationship. It is not like Israel has a right to our land! "There is a difference between the strategic goal of the Palestinian people, who are not willing to give up even one grain of Palestinian soil and the political effort that has to do with the present balance of power and with the nature of the present international system. The latter is a different effort than the former. We may lose or win tactically but our eyes will continue to aspire to the strategic goal, namely, a Palestine from the river to the sea. Note: Feisal Husseini is Yasser Arafat’s cousin. He is also the Chief Muslim Cleric of the Temple Mount. His speech reveals the true intent of the Palestinian leaders!
A ten-month-old Israeli baby was shot and killed Monday afternoon when a sniper fired at a playground in the Avraham Avinu neighborhood of the Jewish settlement in Hebron. The shots were fired from the nearby village of Abu Sanina. The Israeli army said the baby was shot dead by a Palestinian sniper. The baby's 24-year-old father, Yitzhak, was also shot and sustained moderate wounds. The shooting sparked a heavy exchange ofgunfire between Palestinian gunmen and IDF troops in Hebron. The 'hill of terrorists' , Abu Sanina was given to the terrorists by the Likud government. Israel reported that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon held consultations with Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer and senior security officials. Sharon said that he holds the Palestinian Authority responsible for the murder of the baby.
Yassir Arafat is coming under fire in Washington for sticking to what officials say are old ideas and negotiating styles that run counter to the Bush administration's approach to the Arab-Israeli conflict. President George W. Bush will receive Hosni Mubarak, Egyptian President, and King Abdullah of Jordan next month, following his meeting this week with Ariel Sharon. But senior administration officials do not expect Mr Arafat to be invited to the White House anytime soon. Yasser Arafat was President Clinton’s most frequent foreign guest. European diplomats, however, are warning against giving Mr Arafat the cold shoulder, and insist that undermining the Palestinian leader will only strengthen more radical Palestinian factions.
Israel's Antiquities Authority has finally acknowledged that the Muslim Waqf is damaging antiquities with its extensive construction work on the Temple Mount. Leading Israeli archaeologists have documented and decried the Waqf's wanton destruction of ancient artifacts on the Temple Mount in recent years, and have led a public campaign to force the government to intervene. Yet under apparent instructions from former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Israeli police and the Antiquities Authority have downplayed the seriousness of the offenses. But on Wednesday, Authority Director-General Shuka Dorfman told the Knesset Education Committee, "I can categorically state in an unequivocal manner that there is archaeological damage being done to antiquities on the Temple Mount." Dorfman said that archaeologists from his Authority, which by law is responsible for supervising any construction work carried out on the holy sites, have not been allowed on the Mount since the outbreak of violence in late September! Note: The Muslim Waqf has routinely claimed that Israel has never had an existing Temple on the Mount, and further claimed that Jews have no rights of access even to the Wailing Wall.
Marwan Barghouti, the senior Fatah leader in the West Bank, is having a hard time explaining how a "popular" Palestinian uprising is not so popular among the public anymore. The level of public support for the six-month-old Palestinian campaign of violence against Israel has begun to tumble, as the "nationalist and Islamic forces" commanding the renewed intifada have nothing to show for the loss of over 440 lives so far. With economic woes mounting, fewer Palestinians are showing up for planned violent demonstrations and some have begun advocating the use of non-violent means of protest to win world sympathy. Note: Apparently it is becoming increasingly difficult to find people who want to blow themselves to pieces over a hatred for Israel, when the people enjoy no freedom of any kind, and their dictators become wealthy.
Israel is purportedly making preparations for a possible military strike against new Iranian missile positions in Lebanon! Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told the Wall Street Journal and President Bush about the presence in Lebanon of Iranian Pager surface missiles with a range of 120 kilometers, capable of striking heavily populated central Israel. The missiles were flown in last year through Damascus military airport and transported by truck to bases in Lebanon. From there they passed to the direct command of Iranian Pazdaran (Revolutionary Guard) officers who maintain them. The Israeli Defense Force has begun assembling soldiers and military assets on the northern frontier, in readiness for a large-scale exercise. Also, the Syrian army, Hezbollah militia units and the Lebanese army have been placed on alert. Syria has 35,000 troops occupying Lebanon and controls the central government and military forces
Arafat sent a delegation to Beirut, Lebanon headed by his cousin, and Temple Mount Chief Faisal al Husseini. This morning, the group headed south for a visit to the Ein Hilweh refugee camp of Sidon. For years, the dissident Fatah factions of south Lebanon have kept their distance from Yasser Arafat’s mainstream movement, objecting to Oslo and any peace moves. Husseini’s mission was to patch up the long quarrel. To this end, he called on Muneir Makdakh, the head of Fatah militia of south Lebanon to discuss burying the hatchet and recruiting his militiamen into the Intifada. Sending Lebanon-based Palestinians to launch terrorist strikes against Israeli targets in Galilee and the Golan is Arafat’s ploy for opening a own second front against Israel. Arafat intends to confront Mr. Sharon with the prospect of a wider-scale conflict.
Supporters of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) demonstrated Friday in southern Lebanon and threatened to bomb the U.S. embassy in Israel, if it is moved to Jerusalem. We will bomb the U.S. embassy if it is moved to Jerusalem. We will send suicide bombers to flatten the embassy complex. "We call on the Arab Alliance to stop the Americans from moving their embassy.“
Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon informed US President George W. Bush of the presence in Lebanon of Iranian Pager surface missiles with a range of 120km, ie capable of striking at points in heavily populated central Israel. The missiles were flown in last year via Damascus military airport and transported by truck to bases in Lebanon. There they passed to the direct command of Iranian Pazdaran (Revolutionary Guards) officers who are in charge of their maintenance.: The IDF has begun assembling forces on its northern, in readiness for a large-scale exercise. The Syrian army, Hizballah units and the Lebanese army have been placed on alert. The timing is significant: US President Bush gave Sharon the green light to strike at the blossoming radical Middle East bloc linking Baghdad, Gaza, Tehran, the Hizballah and possibly Damascus, before it ripens. Both understood that a major Israeli action against the Palestinians could, if the Hizballah joined in the fray, spread to Lebanon and Syria and, under certain circumstances, to Iraq too or even Iran. The decision of whether to administer the blow before or after the Arab summit was left to Sharon, in consultation with Washington. A comprehensive Israeli offensive directed simultaneously against the Iranian force commanding the missile strength in Lebanon, the Hizballah and the Syrian arms supply routes from Damascus airport, at the same time taking out Palestinian bases, would all fall within the province of the understandings Sharon reached with President Bush last Tuesday in the White House.
Ariel Sharon reported to US President Bush last week that both their predecessors Ehud Barak and Bill Clinton had received the intelligence data on the Iranian missiles placed in Lebanon; but each decided to keep that information secret so as not to abort the Israeli troop withdrawal from South Lebanon in May of 2000. Barak and Clinton both intimated that peace would be within reach after the Israeli withdrawal. Now, the Palestinians believe the Israeli’s will also withdraw from the entire West Bank if they simply persist in terrorist activity, rather than pursue the defunct Clinton peace process.
Israel and the U.S are planning to develop further weapons systems, aside from the Arrow anti-missile system, to counter threats from Iranian and Iraqi long-range missiles. The U.S. will do all it can to prevent Iran and Iraq from establishing non-conventional weapons programs, and the U.S. is aware of the threat posed to Israel by Hezbollah's missiles and is prepared to deal with this threat.
Capping off his first visit to the US as Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon addressed a hotel conference room packed with more than 1,500 supporters Wednesday night at the Sheraton New York. In his address, Sharon emphasized Diaspora Jewry's responsibility toward Israel, including the responsibility of keeping Israeli sovereignty over a united Jerusalem. "Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, the holiest site of Judaism, belongs to all the Jewish people," said Sharon. "Jerusalem belongs to you not less than ourselves. You are obliged to stand and to raise your voices. That is your obligation and you have to speak out about it," he said. Sharon also talked of his vision of Israel's future, which he said is based on bringing one million more immigrants to Israel by the year 2020
Syria was seeking a "firm-and-biding position" by the Arab leaders, meeting in Jordan next week, to politically isolate Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, a Syrian source said Thursday. The source told United Press International that Damascus would push in the direction of the Arab summit in Amman adopts a biding position that would raise up to the collective responsibility. Especially for "isolating Sharon and exposing him at the international level by reminding about his terrorist past."
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon , wrapping up a two-day U.S. visit, said Palestine President Yasser Arafat has "reverted to terrorism" and called him the chief roadblock to a Middle East peace. "It is clear that the main obstacle to peace today – and really I am sorry to say it – is Chairman Arafat, who has reverted to terrorism,". Sharon also warned Washington that any official invitation to Arafat could spur militant attacks unless the Palestinian leader called for an end to nearly six months of violence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said upon returning home from four days in the US yesterday that he has sent messages to Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat that if he does not rein in the terror activities of his Force 17 personal guard Israel will take matters into its own hands. Sharon, who has said repeatedly in the last few days that he will try to improve the economic lot of innocent Palestinians, while striking out forcefully at those who are involved in terrorist activity. At a meeting in Ramallah last night, the Palestinian cabinet expressed concern that Israel is planning to kill Palestinian leaders and invade PA territory.
Iran has called upon the Arab world to find a new approach to the Middle East that supports the Palestinians' uprising against Israel and excludes the United States from the region. "New solutions and new choices must be sought to resolve the problem in the Middle East, because solutions that have already been tried have failed," Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi told reporters on a visit to Damascus, Iran's chief Arab ally. He called on Arab leaders holding a March 27-28 summit in Amman to throw their support behind the nearly six-month-old Palestinian uprising, or intifada, and demand Palestinian refugees' right to return to what is now Israel. "We hope that the Arab summit will make clear, frank and decisive decisions to support the intifada. Iran will then support these decisions and back Arab and Islamic countries with all the force and abilities it has available," Kharazi said. He also said the Middle East "must stop being a (US) monopoly." "Other powers must also be associated with to deal with the crisis, such as European countries, Russia, the United Nations.
The theme of John Paul II's catechesis during today's general audience, held this morning in St. Peter's Square, was: "Mary, Pilgrim in the Faith, Star of the Third Millennium." "We turn to her," the Holy Father said, "that she may continue to guide us towards Christ and the Father, even in the dark night of evil, and in moments of doubt, crisis, silence, and suffering." "For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." ( 1 Timothy 2:5 ) Thou shalt have no other gods before me." ( Exodus 20:3 )
Russia is trying to allay concerns by Gulf Arab states that Moscow's relations with Iran threaten the region. Of particular concern is the agreement to sell Teheran Russia's S-300 anti-aircraft system, which defense sources here say could disrupt cooperative defense efforts by the regions Gulf states. Russia is offering its S-300 anti-aircraft system as a means of defending against enemy ballistic missiles. Russian officials said the S-300 has been touted as superior to U.S. anti-missile systems such as the PAC-3. Moscow is trying to sell the S-300 to both Iran and Syria.
President Bush should not meet Yasser Arafat until the Palestinian leader renounced the "armed struggle" against the Jewish state, the new Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, told him yesterday. A senior Israeli source said Mr Sharon told American officials that Mr Arafat should not be invited to Washington because he "activates terrorism against Israel and if they invite him it will give legitimacy to terrorism". Under Bill Clinton, Mr Arafat was the foreign leader who visited the White House most often. But the Bush administration has signaled a change of policy. Gen Powell has abandoned the term "peace process", one of Mr Clinton's favourite phrases - and abolished the office of the special Middle East co-ordinator. Palestinian and American officials said there were no plans for a meeting between Mr Bush and Mr Arafat. "Arafat must understand that with violence he will gain nothing and that his adoption of violence is actually setting him back." Note: Mr. Arafat promised to renounce terrorism at the outset of the Middle East Peace Process seven years ago. He has always been a terrorist, and only utilized the Oslo process to gain something ( land ) for nothing!
In their get-acquainted encounter in the White House Tuesday, President George W. Bush responded affirmatively to Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon’s request for American endorsement of an Israeli military crackdown against Palestinian terrorists - provided the Israeli Army did not step beyond limits set forth in the plan of action he submitted to the administration prior to the visit. The US President has thus taken his first major foreign policy decision, a green light for an Israeli army strike at the core of the blossoming radical Middle East bloc linking Baghdad, Gaza, Tehran, the Hizballah and possibly Damascus, before it ripens. Both understood that a major Israeli action against the Palestinians could, if the Hizballah joined in the fray, spread to Lebanon and Syria and, under certain circumstances, to Iraq too. Indeed, while Bush and Sharon were talking, intelligence was received of the Iranian foreign minister Mohammed Harazi’s visit to Beirut, to be followed Wednesday with a call on Syrian president Bashar Assad in Damascus. His mission was to coordinate the Hizballah-Damascus-Tehran front’s preparations to open a second front against Israel from Lebanon. Bush assured Israel of military aid and diplomatic cover for mutually agreed limited military actions as well as intelligence and air support from US satellites, spy planes, cruise and anti-missile missiles, should Israel be subjected to Iraqi or Syrian missile attack. Sharon made it clear he is determined to crush escalating Palestinian terrorism “soon” - but not how soon – whether before the Arab League summit convening in Amman in six days time and the threatened turbulence of Israeli Arab Land Day on March 30, or after. The American side insisted on Israeli sticking to the agreed military plan in every particular and checking back with Washington on any changes.
Secretary of State Colin Powell pushed for moderation, while Vice President Dick Cheney, defense secretary Donald Rumsfeldand national security adviser Condoleezza Rice urged a tough line. Once the president decided, Powell fell in fully with his decision. The argument that carried the day was that the new presidency could afford to sit on the sidelines of world affairs no longer without suffering grave damage to its superpower standing in view of the flow of intelligence uncovering unrest brewing up in one trouble spot after another. China has in the past fortnight deployed a second short-range surface missile battery opposite Taiwani islands, while Moscow and Tehran have secretly decided to develop jointly an anti-missile missile system to pre-empt America’s planned national missile shield program. In response to what is perceived in Washington as a Russian provocation to the US president, Powell issued an unusually stern warning Monday, putting Russia and Iran on notice that the US would respond to any moves to destabilize the Middle East. Washington, he said, would not turn a blind eye to repression by Tehran or arms sales by Moscow to the Islamic Republic. The Americans are also deeply disquieted by Russian arms shipments to Iraq, especially electronic warfare units, as well as the violent spillover of Albanian iridescence into Macedonia that is uncontainable by the local government without outside military assistance.
As for the Sharon blueprint okayed by the Americans, all military sources can disclose is that Israeli raider forces will initially be sent into action against Palestinian command centers and military camps in Gaza Strip and West Bank, whence originate terrorist operations against Israeli targets. The campaign may also expand at some point to non-Palestinian military elements. Nothing but a most dramatic peace move by Yasser Arafat to check spiraling Palestinian attacks can avert the Israeli offensive, but there is no sign of this happening. To the contrary, Arafat, Saddam Hussein, the Iranians and the Hizballah all appear to be up to their eyes in military preparations programmed to catch both the Israelis and the Americans off guard.
Knesset Speaker Avraham Burg met with the “Council of Europe” subcommittee for Middle East affairs, and said the following: "There can be no solution in which Israel and the Jewish people are excluded from the Old City and the Temple Mount." On the other hand, he accused senior Palestinian Authority officials of giving a green light for murderous terrorist attacks against Israeli citizens. Burg emphasized that Israel views with utmost severity the active participation of PA security elements in these attacks. Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, also meeting yesterday with the “Council of Europe” delegation, laid down four principles for progress on the Israeli-Palestinian diplomatic track:
* The violence must end Note: A solution for the burdensome dilemma of Jerusalem is being searched for in the “Council of Europe”! ( The Bible predicted precisely this scenario! )
Iran said Wednesday it was seeking a broad alliance of Arab and Islamic countries to drive Israel out of all occupied Arab lands, including Jerusalem, just as Hizbollah guerrillas drove the Israelis from Lebanon last year. Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi said on a visit to Damascus, that Tehran wanted to build on and expand the alliance between Syria, Lebanon and Iran that had backed the guerrillas. “Fortunately, there is good coordination between Syria, Iran and Lebanon regarding resistance against Israel. This coordination led to the Israeli enemy's withdrawal from south Lebanon We hope to expand this coordination and extend it to group all Arab and Islamic countries in order to liberate the occupied Arab lands and restore all the rights of the Palestinian people”. Kharrazi also urged the Arab summit, being held March 27 and 28 in Amman, Jordan, to end U.S. control over the Middle East peace process "because Washington is totally biased to Israel, and not playing an honest role in the negotiations." Russia, the European Union and the United Nations should have bigger roles in the peace process. Note: The world geopolitical stage is being prepared for the appearing of a World Leader that can resolve the Middle East quagmire. The Bible would indicate the likely prospect for that leader to emerge from the EU or the UN. Iran will eventually drag Russia down into the fireworks.
Israel is being urged to extend the range of its air force to ensure the elimination of threats from as far as 700 kilometers from the borders of the Jewish state. The recommendation was made in a report commissioned by Israel's Defense Ministry that examines the nation's strategy and military force. The report said Israel must boost its air power and missile defense to confront the increasing prospect of a multi-front and multi-level war. Drafted by a private security and strategy task force headed by former Air Force commander Maj. Gen. Eitan Ben-Eliahu, urges Israel to develop a capability to collect intelligence, monitor air traffic and eliminate air threats at a range of between 350 and 700 kilometers from Israel’s borders. This would include an area of eastern half of Iraq, to Iran, and points deep within Egypt.
The Bush administration has decided to focus on Syria as a major element in U.S. policy in the Middle East. U.S. officials said the decision was based on the assessment that Syria is required for any attempts by Washington to tighten exports of dual-use items that could help Iraq to develop weapons of mass destruction. Over the weekend, President George Bush discussed Iraq with Syrian President Bashar Assad. Officials said the Israeli-Palestinian mini-war was also discussed. In the absence of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, Syria is the most important element in Middle East stability. They cited Syria's hold over Lebanon and its power over the Lebanese Hizbullah terrorist organization. Note: Syria and Iraq are military allies. ( neither are mentioned in Ezekiel’s great invasion )
Most of today’s nations that produces military arms, has shipments which are bound for the Middle East region. The EU, The Chinese, the North Koreans, The Russians, and the USA are all working together to supply Israel's enemies with the latest and greatest in the field of weaponry. Several of the Arab nations have started to cut out the middleman by producing their own tanks, bombs, and missiles. Iran has been working on a long-range missile called the Shehab. It now has a range that puts Israel within its striking distance. The main goal is to develop nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. Iran and Iraq are the most advanced in the area of nuclear capability. Chemical and biological arms are becoming rather common features among most Arab states. Military analysts have recently commented over how Egypt and Syria have greatly narrowed the technology gap that once stood between them and Israel. In some categories Egypt now has better weaponry than Israel. Thanks to the US and Europe, the Egyptian navy has ships that are far superior to Israel's naval fleet. When war comes to the region, Israel will win once again, by God’s grace, but this time victory might not come as easy as it has in the past. A war where Israel suffers heavy loss of life might cause the nation to seek a “political savior.” The strain from the Lebanese conflict compelled Israel down the path of what has ironically been dubbed the "peace process." As the supply of arms and hate grows larger every day, eventually something is going to explode. The trigger could come from the most unlikely source. With all of Israel's neighbors in a prolonged state of the readiness, we could see an instantaneous eruption of armed conflict. Note: Eventually, the Antichrist will arrive on the scene and shall appear to have a peaceful resolution to all the problems of the region.
As tensions in the Middle East continue to simmer on slow boil, kept alive by the current "intifada" or uprising waged by Palestinians against Israel, the upcoming Arab League Summit in Amman, Jordan, is not likely to diffuse the worsening crisis. Military analysts say the next-most-likely timeframes for violence are April and May-June. Violence could take the form of a wider regional war, depending on whether Arab nations not presently directly involved decide to throw in with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and the few Arab leaders willing to back him already. "All past Middle East conflagrations have seriously jolted the world economy and global balance of power," Since the United States, Russia and China are deeply involved financially and militarily with some of the potential belligerents, the governments of these powers can not escape untouched either! Note: A Middle East war in the near future could really affect the whole world's balance of power, and set the stage for other regional wars. These smaller-scale wars ( rumors of war ) could lead to the Ezekiel 38 war, as these nations start to focus attention on the emerging drama surrounding Israel.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is set to begin the most important part of his visit to the United States when he meets with President George W. Bush. Five hours have been set aside for the leaders and their staffs to meet, including an hour in which Sharon and Bush will meet alone. To be discussed is the growth of the terrorism threat to Middle East and global stability. Sharon noted proof of the PA's direct involvement in the recent terrorist incidents. While the Prime Minister again declared his willingness to negotiate with Arafat and make every effort to achieve peace, Mr. Sharon reiterated: "One thing must be clear: There is no possibility at all that we will negotiate under the threat of terror and violence! We want to reach peace, but we must first restore the quiet. It is the basic right of every nation to defend herself. Following the meeting with President Bush, Prime Minister Sharon will depart for New York. He will meet there with UN Secretary-General Kofi Anan, with whom he will raise the matter of the abducted Israelis in Lebanon.
The United States will no longer be the third man in the Israeli-Palestinian ring, a role Bill Clinton tried to fill, only to fail. Secretary of State Colin Powell took the occasion of the first Washington visit by the new Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, to draw that distinction between former-President Clinton's policy of full engagement and how President Bush intends to deal with the persisting conflict in the region between Arabs and Jews. "The United States stands ready to assist, not insist," Powell said. That does not mean the Bush-Cheney administration is turning its back on America's close ally Israel, or that the perilous status quo should be allowed to continue. Rather, Powell said, the new administration in Washington believes the parties at conflict must start the dialogue for peaceful settlement themselves without the U.S. intervention and direction they came to expect from Clinton. The Bush-Cheney administration offered two things the Palestinians wanted to hear. First, Powell made clear the new U.S. administration stands committed to the formula expressed by the United Nations that “Israel should yield land for peace”, a position long held by the Palestinian Authority. Later, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said Bush "would like to see an easing of economic pressure" on Palestinians by Israel. Then, in a bow to the Israelis, Fleischer urged Palestinians to take immediate steps to end the violence. Note: The “land for peace formula” will never work when it involves the ”Promised Land”!
US Secretary of State Colin Powell delivered a stern warning to Russia and Iran Monday, putting both nations on notice that the United States was watching their actions closely and would respond should they make moves that could destabilize the Middle East. In an address before the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Powell said Washington would not turn a blind eye to repression by Tehran or arms sales by Moscow to the Islamic Republic. The secretary said while President George W. Bush's administration was reviewing its policy toward Iran, it was troubled by Tehran's continued support for terrorism, opposition to Middle East peace efforts and its treatment of minorities, particularly Jews. Powell also picked up on heavy criticism of Russia leveled by US officials last week after Moscow announced plans to boost military and nuclear cooperation with Iran."We are also concerned about Iranian efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction and to increase Iran’s conventional military strength”
China has detained two Christian leaders who were preaching at a home in central China, Human Rights in China has reported. Local police took Luo Gang and He Ping, preachers for the underground Chinese Evangelical Fellowship, from a family prayer service in Hubei province last week.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s entourage to the US has said that Israel would call on the nations of the world to remind Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat about the gravity of his actions and warn him that he will pay a steep price for attacking innocent civilians and undermining regional stability. Sharon consulted with Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer regarding the measures to be taken following this morning’s deadly terrorist shooting in Gush Etzion and last night’s shelling of Kibbutz Nahal.
The Pope as universal spokesman for Christianity? Lutheran bishops in Germany are split over whether the Pope can act as the universally accepted spokesman for all of Christianity. Hans Christian Knuth, presiding bishop of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church in Germany, suggests that Protestants can recognize the pontiff in this role. Johannes Friedrich, Lutheran bishop of Bavaria, agrees with Knuth.. “We need a Global leader for Christianity”! Note: umm! World Globalization needs a global spokesman for all Christians?" The False Prophet of Mystery Babylon, perhaps?
U.S. President George Bush refuses to meet with Yasser Arafat until the PA Chairman either stops the violence against Israel or issues a directive to his people, in Arabic, to call off the violence. CIA head George Tenet has informed President Bush that he has information directly connecting Arafat with the ongoing violence, and senior sources say that the U.S. will therefore reserve security cooperation with the PA, until Arafat keeps his promises to deflate the rhetoric of violence. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell left with a very negative impression of Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat after his recent Mideast tour.
On Sunday, March 18 Ariel Sharon embarks up on his maiden voyage to the United States as Prime Minister of Israel. At a preparatory meeting this week, Sharon's national security advisor, Uzi Dayan, said it is important to reach an understanding with President George Bush's administration on both the conflict with the Palestinians, and the tension on the Lebanese border, to ensure that the U.S. will support Israel in the event of a regional escalation in violence. The Bush administration has not yet finalized its Mid-east policy, and Sharon will be the first Middle Eastern leader to meet the new president. Like Sharon, Bush and his team are primarily interested in “regional stability” rather than the grand ideas of a comprehensive peace. President Bush has not yet even issued an invitation for a Washington trip to Arafat, who visited the White House more frequently than any other foreign leader under former President Bill Clinton. His predecessor, Ehud Barak, agonized until his last day in office over whether or not Mr. Arafat was a peace partner or an enemy. Sharon has no such hesitations. Sharon will present Arafat's actions as a danger to regional security, and the Palestinian violence as threatening not only the very existence of the diplomatic process, but also moderate Arab regimes that are American allies. He will portray Arafat as a liar, a violator of agreements, a supporter of terrorism, and an ally of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
According to Nabil Shaath, who holds the PA's international planning portfolio, the daily warfare throughout Yesha known as the 'Intifada' willcontinue until the new government of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon tumbles. According to Shaath, if Mr. Sharon does not agree to the PA calls to return to the negotiating table, the violence will continue until the government would falls. Note: And the world-media thought the violence was unorchestrated.
Israeli President Moshe Katsav said that the unauthorized digging work now being conducted by the Wakf Islamic trust on the Temple Mount is an "archeological crime." In a meeting with the Committee Against the Destruction of Antiquities on the Temple Mount, Katsav called on Jews and Muslims alike who share an interest in the preservation of cultural heritage, to prevent all actions that could result in irreversible damage to antiquities of historic value. Dr. Shmuel Berkovitch, a member of the committee, said that Hamas has a plan to convert the entire Temple Mount into one large mosque and to prevent the entrance of Jews to the site.
The majority of Americans are on Israel's side in its conflict with the Palestinians, and views Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat as a terrorist leader According to the poll, which has a margin of error of 2-3 percent, American Jews and their non-Jewish counterparts are on the same wavelength regarding Israel, with as much as two-thirds of the general public and 75% of elites viewing Israel favorably, while less than one third of Americans view Arafat favorably. Among Jewish Americans polled, 15% view Arafat favorably. Less than a third of those surveyed support a Palestinian "right of return" to Israel. Israel's relationship with the US is seen in a favorable light throughout America, with more than 80% agreeing that the US and Israel "share common values, including a commitment to freedom and democracy." Nearly two-thirds agreed that the US should defend Israel if needed, and 78% of the public supports US involvement in the peace process. Half of Americans, and 77% of Jews, think Palestinian leaders "put children on the front lines of violence for propaganda purposes. A majority of Americans think the Palestinians instigate the clashes in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and 75% of Americans blame Palestinians more than Israelis for the recent violence. Note: God will not be taking a poll regarding the Middle East controversy. He loves all peoples, regardless of nationality. But, let there be no misunderstanding, He does have a controversy with the nations over Jerusalem! (Jere. 25:31 and Isa. 34:8) And he has brought Israel back for a end-times purpose!
Saddam Hussein has been pumping funds to the Ramallah-based operations of Marwan Bargouti, the Fatah West Bank secretary and Tanzim chief. Saddam’s motive is devious and far-sighted. A militant Palestinian force under his control on the West Bank means a readymade territorial extension should a decision be taken at some point to send Iraqi volunteers, or the six Iraqi armored divisions stationed in Iraq’s Western Desert to join the Palestinians in an assault upon Israel, with transit permission already in hand from Jordan and Syria.
Palestinian President Yasser Arafat met with European officials and said their involvement was crucial to reviving peace talks with Israel. "(The) European role is very important to save the peace process," On Saturday, Arafat called on Israel's new government to resume the peace talks on the basis of understandings reached during previous rounds of negotiations. The EU is the biggest aid donor to the region and has been pressing for an international donors' conference to help stave off financial collapse in Palestinian areas, where the economy has been crippled by an Israeli clampdown. The EU has urged Israel to lift its economic blockade of Palestinian territories, which Israel says imposed to block the entry into Israel of guerrillas planning to carry out bomb attacks. Palestinians call the measures collective punishment. The EU says the closure could drive Palestinians into the arms of extremists opposed to compromise with the Jewish state. The EU 15-nation bloc wants other donors, like wealthy Arab states, to also help the Palestinian Authority.
Before praying the angelus with the estimated 30,000 faithful gathered in St. Peter's for the beatification of 233 Spanish martyrs, Pope John Paul reflected on the relationship of the new Blesseds with Mary. "She is," he said, "in particular, the Mother and Queen of Martyrs, ( Queen of Heaven ) present with them in the hour of their trial as she was at the Cross next to her Son." Note: The Pope obviously has not read Jeremiah 44, regarding the Queen of Heaven! The Marian apparitions are synonymous with that Queen!
Russia hopes to sign the first of several huge weapons deals with Iran in May. Officials said Iran and Russia have already drafted a contract for both weaponry and training. Russia expects to make the first delivery of weapons to Teheran by early next year. This, after visits to Moscow by Iranian President Mohammed Khatami and Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani. Russian defense sources said Teheran is negotiating for the sale of the Russian S-300 anti-aircraft missile system, Mi-17 helicopter and Sukhoi-25 fighter-jets. Last month, Iran's ambassador to Moscow said Teheran could buy up to $7 billion worth of Russian weapons.
The 52 year long Arab-Israeli conflict is at its most dangerous point since the 1973 Middle East war, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Richard Holbrooke has warned. The new U.S. administration of President George W. Bush can not afford to ignore or disengage from the Israeli-Palestinian crisis. Nor should Russia, France and China underestimate the danger from Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, he said. “The Middle East is on the brink of the most explosive crisis it has faced since 1973, He also said Saddam's pledge to send thousands of volunteers to fight alongside Palestinians in their Intifada (uprising) against Israel could create the most serious threat to peace since the Cuban missile crisis" in 1962. Many Middle East experts argue that war is unlikely in the Middle East because no Arab army has the capacity to match Israel's military might, and there is no longer a rival superpower to challenge U.S. dominance in the strategic, oil-producing region. But in reality there is a "clear and present danger from China, as well as a Russia-Iran-Iraq-Syria-Islam axis that could snowball into a regional war." Russian President Vladimir Putin's foreign policy adviser and chief Kremlin spokesman also indicate that the West is not taking seriously enough what they depict as a threat from an "Islamic international terrorism movement", which could engulf Russia, and destabilise the entire world. The Islamic guerrillas are attempting to spread the Chechnya conflict to Russia's northern Caucasus and intend to impose their will upon the whole world. Note: Ezekiel 38 and 39 predicts Iran and Russia will form an alliance in the final days based on control of Russia's resources ( hooks in the jaws ) that will drag Russia into Ezekiel's predicted invasion of Israel.
U.S. President George W. Bush was quoted Monday as saying that Palestinian Authority leader Yasser Arafat "apparently" does not want to make progress in the peace process, nor to reach a final-status agreement. In a meeting with the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, President Bush added that his administration intended to make it clear to Yasser Arafat that he must try to significantly reduce the level of violence in the territories. President Bush also was quoted as saying that his administration accepted Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's principle, rejecting that any negotiations take place while Israel under attack.
Syrian foreign minister Farouk a Shara’s announced that President Assad is willing to meet with Yasser Arafat. The meeting parallels Arafat and Iraq’s Saddam Hussein’s meeting to conclude their strategic-military pact last April, five months before the outbreak of the Palestinian uprising. Under discussion now is whether Arafat will be invited to Damascus before the Amman Arab Summit on the 27th. Their meeting would fulfill the Palestinian leader’s long-cherished wish and his highest ambition since going to war: the cementing of a new radical Arab alliance uniting Baghdad, Damascus, the Hizballah and Gaza and backed by Tehran. This alliance, aspires to displace the moderate Cairo-Riyadh-Amman-Gaza bloc dominating the Arab world at present. If the new radical bloc gains pan-Arab legitimacy at the Amman summit, it will heighten the threat of regional war and intensify its volatility. Arafat and Saddam are the moving spirits of this radical alliance; and both are committed to a war option against Israel.
1. Pressure for the international community to dispatch military forces to police Palestinian areas and thereby “internationalize” the conflict with Israel. Yet another Palestinian initiative is reported to initiate a Security Council resolution assigning 2000 armed observers to this force. 2. To set the scene for a vocal outcry at the forthcoming summit of Arab rulers in Amman on March 27. 3. To provide Saddam Hussein with a “nuclear” pretext for using his nuclear, biological or chemical weapons of mass-destruction, should he decide to step into the conflict against Israel.
On Sunday, Iraqi volunteers chanted, ''with our blood and souls ... we sacrifice for Saddam,'' as their wives and children kissed them goodbye. ''We are going today to train, and after training you will be ready to join the Jerusalem Army to liberate all of Palestine.''
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has urged Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to support Palestinians in their clashes with Israeli troops. Arafat stated, ``We hope from you and all brothers in our great Arab nation to stand firmly with it (the Palestinian people) and render necessary support to stop the aggression, in a letter to Saddam on the occasion of the holy Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha. Arafat also said; ``The Palestinian people are facing a Zionist aggression and a savage and unjust embargo aimed at weakening the quest for Palestinian statehood and the Temple Mount resistance.''
A top Palestinian official condemned Secretary of State Colin Powell's statements that the United States recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital. "What Powell said contradicts Security Council resolutions of 1947, and contradicts the U.S. stand and its letter of guarantees that the Madrid peace conference was based on," Ahmed Abdel Rahman, secretary general of the Palestinian Authority Cabinet, said, referring to Powell's remarks on the U.S. embassy being moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. He said when Jerusalem was mentioned in the letter of guarantees sent tothe Palestinians before the 1993 Oslo accord, "it was considered to have a special position and not as capital of the state of Israel." He said Powell's statements undermined the U.S. position and its credibility in the peace process. "I don't know how Powell can tell us that Jerusalem is the capital of the state of Israel," Abdel Rahman told reporters. "Jerusalem should never be the capital of Israel, and the U.S. embassy can never be moved there." Note: Zechariah 1:14 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; I ( God ) am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy!
A joint Catholic-Muslim committee has produced a new statement decrying the continuing violence in the Middle East and calling for cooperation among all believers in the pursuit of peace. The statement pronounces the committee's "horror at the increased loss of life, the bodily harm, the damage to property" in the Middle East. The text specifically remarks that the violence has been most pronounced "in the unjustly occupied territories" of the Palestinian West Bank. The signers voice their hope that "peace based on justice and international legitimacy may prevail, thus bringing an end to those sufferings." . The Catholic and Muslim signers pledge their support for free access to the holy places of Jerusalem, and their desire for international guarantees of that free access. Note: Mystery Babylon is hard at work with Babylon the Great attempting to coordinate the last days world empire, by mediating a “Peace with Security” in the Middle East.
President Bush intends to keep his campaign promise to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel from the city of Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The embassy move would lend support to Israeli claims to the city as its undivided capital. Secretary of State Colin Powell said it does remain the President’s commitment to move the embassy to the capital of Israel, which is Jerusalem.' A senior State Department official later said U.S. policy has been and continues to be that the front-line parties, Israel and the Palestinian Authority, have agreed that the status of Jerusalem is to be resolved between them. One of the bitterest schisms in any peace talks over the last decade has been Jerusalem, which the Palestinians insist also should house the capital of a Palestinian state. Negotiations currently are suspended because of violence in Palestinian-controlled areas. Former President Clinton also promised to move the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, but Clinton never acted on the promise, even though Congress several times tried to force his hand by approving money for the move. The issue resurfaced in August 2000, when then Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak told Israel television he understood that Clinton planned to move the embassy on his last day in office. Again, the move never materialized. Only a few countries have accepted Israel's claim to the whole city of Jerusalem. The UN does not recognize Jerusalem as the capitol of Israel. Yasser Arafat has regularly claimed Jerusalem will be the capitol of the new state of Palestine.
Israeli Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon's incoming government issued broad policy guidelines Wednesday pledging to make peace with its Arab neighbors even if it involves "painful compromises" but vowing to strengthen Jewish settlements and Israel's hold on Jerusalem. It also called on the Palestinians to abandon the path of violence it has undertaken. Among the key goals Sharon announced for his government Wednesday, foremost among them was achieving security for all of the nation's citizens and “attaining security and true peace” between Israel and its neighbors on the basis of established agreements. The Sharon government would also fortify Jerusalem's status as the "capital of Israel. Note: It should be noted by Christians that Mr. Sharon’s use of the term "security for all of the nation's citizens and attaining security and true peace between Israel and its neighbors on the basis of established agreements", is synonymous with this scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:3 - For when they shall say, peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
President George W. Bush shares something in common with Israel's next Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon. As newly elected leaders, they have inherited a Middle East on the brink of a full-scale war from their predecessors. Clinton and Barak's land-for-peace policies were supposed to paying big peace dividends. Instead, Barak is spending his last days in office, chaos rules in much of the West Bank, and violence is the order of the day in the Middle East. The chances for war are now the highest they have been in decades. The climate in the Middle East is heated and more focused on a hatred of Israel, and also upon the United States, more than any time since the 1967 War. Middle East analyst David Wurmser stated recently that at some point, Sadaam Hussein may intervene in the Palestinian crisis. It may even be in coordination with certain elements on the West Bank. And this could trigger a big war, because the Israelis would have to respond; but they're not contiguous with Iraq. They'd have to respond through Jordan or Syria, and that could draw one of those two nations into the war and it would just escalate further and further. So the climate is really very heated. The potential for real war, big war, is there. And of course, if Iraq's involved, there's the potential for the United States to become involved as well. And beyond any US involvement, there is always the potential for a Russian inclusion with her new allies in Iran, Syria, and Iraq. Note: Matthew 24:6 Ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars.
The Palestinian Authority has expressed defiance in face of Israeli military threats. Forces loyal to PA Chairman Yasser Arafat staged a military parade in support of the mini-war against Israel and warned that attacks will continue. Scores of masked Fatah gunmen marched through the streets of Gaza City with semi-automatic weapons. The gunmen also dismissed threats by Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Shaul Mofaz of Israeli reprisals for Palestinian suicide terror attacks. Palestinian sources said the PA has accelerated preparations for any Israeli invasion. They said hundreds of PA military officers have returned from training in such countries as Afghanistan, Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco and Yemen. Arab diplomatic sources report that the Egyptian military is also bracing for the prospect of an Israeli invasion of the Palestinian Authority areas. Egypt's military has begun mobilizing reserves for training in what has been termed as preparations for a war against Israel. Egypt is hosting an emergency meeting of the Arab League on March 12 in Cairo. The meeting, headed by Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Mussa, is meant to discuss the latest developments in the Israeli-Palestinian mini-war as well as calls to renew a boycott against Israel. The meeting would include the foreign ministers or representatives from the Arab League, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Tunisia.
Ariel Sharon is set to finally become prime minister of Israel on Wednesday. The right-wing Likud party leader is due to be sworn in as prime minister along with a cabinet of about 30 ministers on Wednesday after parliament votes to approve his eight-party coalition. With peace talks on hold and Islamic militants threatening more bombings, the 73-year-old Sharon faces tough decisions on how to deal with the Palestinian uprising that has claimed more than 420 lives. ``We will make every effort to achieve (peace), but the reality around us reminds us that the struggle for the land of Israel is not over,'' Sharon said during a visit to northern Israel on Tuesday. ``Our neighbors have recognized our military might, but have not yet recognized our right to the country.'' Palestinian militants have threatened to welcome Sharon with an onslaught of bombings. Four Israelis and a Palestinian suicide bomber have been killed in blasts over the past week. Israeli police are on emergency footing, putting more officers on the streets, while asking the military for reinforcements to help prevent future attacks. The fighting, blamed on Sharon after he visited Jerusalem's most hotly disputed religious site last September, has claimed 423 lives, including 347 Palestinians, 57 Israeli Jews and 19 others.
John Paul II is to become the first leader of the Catholic Church to set foot in a Muslim mosque when he visits Syria in May, a church official said on Monday. The Pope is hoping that by entering the Umayyed mosque in Damascus - the site of the Tomb of John the Baptist - he will underline his attempts to bring Christianity and Islam closer together. Officials organizing the Pope's itinerary, said it would be the first time that Christians and Muslims would pray together in an organized way. The Pope, 80, will lead the Christian side of the prayer and Syria's mufti, Sheikh Ahmed Kataro, the Muslim side. Note: II Corinthians 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, for what fellowship doth righteousness with unrighteousness, and what communion hath light with darkness?
Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat encouraged Palestinians today "to continue their struggle until the Palestinian flag flies over every mosque and church in Jerusalem, the capital of the Palestinian state." Arafat made the statement in a greeting published today in the Palestinian media celebrating Id al Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice). Arafat made no mention of the latest terrorist attacks in the statement. Arafat also defied Israeli calls for him to curb the uprising, and added that the option of nuclear weapons could be an option unless Israel agrees to return to a dialogue for peace from the point where talks collapsed. Note: Reports out of Gaza indicate that Mr. Arafat’s government is close to financial bankruptcy. There are numerous reports of corruption within Arafat’s cadre of political associates. Fearing the collapse of the PA, the European Union and the US State Dept. has requested that Israel take steps to alleviate the economic downturn in the PA.
Israeli Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon has accused forces loyal to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat of involvement in bombings in Israel, including one which killed four people on Sunday. The bomber was among the four who died in the Israeli coastal city of Netanya. About 45 people were injured in the attack. No organization has admitted responsibility for the attack, although suspicion is falling on the militant Palestinian organization Hamas following recent threats. A close aide to Mr Arafat strongly rejected the allegations. Mr Sharon told Israeli radio that some of Mr Arafat's closest aides were participating in the attacks, and he accused the Palestinian leader of doing nothing to stop them.
The United States sees war as an increasingly likely prospect in the Middle East. U.S. officials and diplomats said a major aim of the administration of President George Bush is to prevent the outbreak of a regional war. But they said an escalation of the current mini-war between Israel and the Palestinians appears likely. "We are living in difficult times and I fear we are on the brink of an even more serious situation," U.S. ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk said on Friday. "The volatility of the situation contains within it the very real potential for an even bigger explosion." Indyk urged both Israel and the Palestinians to launch efforts to reduce the tension. Coupled with Mr. Indyk’s statement was military historian Dr. Aryeh Yitzchaki conclusion that war with Iraq, Syria, Hezbollah, and the PA was highly likely this spring.
Imad Faluji, who oversees communication matters in the Palestinian Authority, revealed that the five-month-old Intifada was planned in detail immediately after the failure of the Camp David talks in July of last year. Participaitng in a PLO rally in Sidon in southern Lebanon, Faluji said those who think the Intifada was a spontaneous reponse to the visit of Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon to the Al Aqsa Mosque are mistaken. "The Intifada was planned at the moment Arafat returned from Camp David where he rejected the proposals of President Bill Clinton! Note: It should be recalled that in the aftermath of the failed Camp David Summit, that Yasser Arafat undertook a whirlwind tour of every Islamic nation to garner support for his stance against the Clinton Plan for peace.
Russia's Deputy Prime Minister said on Friday that his nation can penetrate the missile-defense systems such as the one the United States is proposing to build. The Kremlin vehemently opposes the proposed U.S. missile defense, arguing it would violate the Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty and threaten to touch off a new arms race. The ABM treaty bans wide missile defenses. Proponents of the U.S. system counter that it would be aimed at blocking attacks by small nations, and would not be effective against Russia's vast nuclear arsenal. Russia has argued that the system, once deployed, could be expanded. Nonetheless, Russia has the technical know-how "to overcome any ABM system. Russia has warned that if the United States builds such a system, it would intensify anti-American sentiments in Europe. Note: Both Russia and China vehemently oppose the US developing the capability to defend itself against missile attacks. ( Why would it be objectionable for anyone to possess “defensive capabilities”? )
Russia is quietly launching steps to develop Syria's nuclear weapons program. The CIA indicates that Moscow has already laid the groundwork for this cooperation and could provide nuclear expertise to Syria over the next few years. Last year, Russia's Cabinet approved a draft cooperative program with Syria that included civil use of nuclear power. "Broader access to Russian scientists could provide opportunities to solicit fissile material production expertise if Syria decided to pursue a nuclear weapons option. Russia has approved nuclear exports to a host of countries that are not monitored by the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency. The decision was reached by President Vladimir Putin. Intelligence analysts said Syria's ally, Iran, would continue to be the focus of Russian nuclear efforts for the next few years. Note: Russia and Iran are prepping and prodding Syria to join Iraq in an attack upon Israel. After wards, Russia-Iran, and allies of Ezekiel 38 will become involved!
IDF Chief of Staff Shaul Mofaz warned that the security forces would step up actions to prevent terror and apply pressure against terrorists and those who stand behind them, Israel Radio reported Friday. In an interview on Israel Radio Mofaz said, “If the Palestinian Authority does not take strong actions to stop the violence, Israel will be forced to make serious preparations for the future.” He further warned, “If the PA does not act against the terror, Israel will be forced to act in its place, through all possible channels.” Mofaz said that although there were no specific alerts of further attacks, the events of the past few days would force Israel to take strong actions. Note: The US State Department has strongly advised Israel not to retake lands in the West Bank that have already been relinquished to the PA.
 
 
 
 
 
  
 This free script provided by |