 Jews are Looking to the Holy Mountain
Israel is locked in a life and death struggle literally, with the world. The Arab nations are directly sponsoring the war through the PLO, Hamas, Hizb'Allah and others. But, even as was the case in Hitler's Final Solution, none of the nations are without guilt. They are all quite aware of the situation in Israel but choose to ignore, or even to persecute Israel in the midst of it. Every time there is a terrorist attack upon Israel, and Israel chases after the terrorists, the leaders of the world condemn Israel for acting irresponsibly. US President George W. Bush while visiting the US Holocaust Memorial Museum on Wednesday night called the museum "a testament to hope" and said it "bears witness to the best and o the worst of the human heart. In places like this, the evidence has been kept. Without it, we might forget the past and we might neglect the future. While Israel paused to remember the Holocaust, much of the rest of the world denies it ever happened.
For the first time since the destruction of the 2nd Temple, a model of the Temple was brought to the Temple Mount by The Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement. It was a signal that the members of the Faithful Movement, are ready for the rebuilding of God’s house on the Temple Mount, both spiritually and physically, and that the efforts for the architectural plans will continue even more intensively in the near future. The model was a perfect representation of the Second Temple as a basis for the Third Temple. The Temple Mount group was barred from entering the Temple Mount by Israeli police. The Faithful, and many Israelis who joined them, including friends of the Faithful from outside Israel, marched and circled the Temple Mount and its gates in the streets of Old City of Jerusalem blowing shofars around the gates and walls of the Temple Mount exactly as Joshua ben Nun did at Jericho over 3,000 years ago.
Shimon Peres recent discussions with the PA for peace involve an initiative to allow the re-opening of the Palestinian Authority's casino in Jericho. The PA is reportedly promising Israel that it would keep the Jericho area quiet and safe for Israeli travel. In Peres' words, The PA has invested some $700,000 worth of tourism facilities there, and it has all been shut down because of the war. PA leader Saeb Erekat told Peres that the PA can ensure the security of Israeli’s in the Jericho area, and that there will be no terrorist incidents near Jericho. The Palestinians have renovated the casino building over the past two months; since it was heavily damaged by Israeli fire in retaliation for terrorist fire shot at Israeli forces from its roof during the first months of the current uprising. Israel politicians are angry that Shimon Peres would agree to any arrangement under which the PA agrees to stop shooting at Israeli citizens in one location, for financial reasons, but continues shooting at Israeli citizens elsewhere. Note: I think this little news item speaks volumes. Arafat can control the terrorist incidents where he really wants to! Jericho is the gambling center of the Middle East, and its gambling is a chief source of income for Arafat and the PA. Apparently the “gambling” Israeli’s are off limits to the threats of the uprising.
Tue Apr 24,2001…. With Arabs increasingly frustrated at the US role in the Mideast Peace Process, President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt is planning a visit to Moscow to ask how Russia can counter US influence in the region. His visit comes at a time when anti-Israeli and anti-US sentiments have reached feverish levels in the Arab world because of the Israeli-Palestinian clashes and Israel's recent attack on a Syrian radar station in Lebanon. Many in the region think Israel couldn't have gone so far if it wasn't for US support. "Americans are restricting their regional role, because of their ardent support for Israel and therefore Egypt needs to motivate the US by letting them know that there still is a rival power, Russia. Arabs would like the Russians to be involved. Russia has traditionally backed Arabs in their disputes with Israel.
Tue Apr 24,2001…On the eve of Israel's 53rd Independence Day, the population of Israel stands at 6.4 million, one thousandth of the world's total population. Today's estimated statistic is eight times that of the new state's 1948 population figure. ( 450,000 ) Jews make up 81 percent of the nation's total population. Arabs and other groups make up the remaining 19%. Israel's population growth rate runs at 2.4%.
(April 22)…At the end of Mass in St. Peter's Square, and before reciting the Regina Coeli in the presence of an estimated 40,000 pilgrims, including numerous Poles, the Holy Father reflected on today's celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday. John Paul II said that "as we conclude this solemn Eucharistic celebration, we turn to Mary Most Holy, whom today we invoke with the sweet title of 'Mater misericordiae'. Mary is the 'Mother of Mercy' because she is the mother of Jesus, in Whom God revealed to the world His 'heart' overflowing with love. "It is precisely through Mary's motherhood that God's compassion for man was communicated to the world," he continued. Mary was intimately linked to the passion, death and resurrection of the Divine Son. At the foot of the cross Our Lady became the mother of the disciples of Christ, mother of the Church and of all of mankind. 'Mater misericordiae'. ( Mother of Mercy ) Note: Mary was a sinner. She needed the saving grace of God just like any other sinner. She did not participate in Jesus passion, nor his death, and certainly not in his resurrection! She is not in any way, fashion or form connected to Mercy! Mercy is the demonstrated manifestation of Jesus Christ as the only propitiation for sins. The POPE continues to blaspheme the name of Jesus Christ by including Mary as a partner in the redemptive work of Christ at Calvary! Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. ( Where does the verse leave any allowance for Mary to be involved in Mercy? )
Mon Apr 23,2001….Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has called upon the leaders of Jewish communities around the world to defend Jerusalem as Israel's eternal capital. Sharon said today that Jerusalem belongs to world Jewry no less than it belongs to mere citizens of Israel. Sharon added that Jews need to act now so that by the year 2020, the majority of the world's Jewish population will be situated within Israel's borders, with Jerusalem firmly established as Israel’s capitol.
Mon Apr 23,2001…. A radical Palestinian leader said today that he hopes to win Moslem support for an armed intifada, or uprising, against Israel at a conference this week in Teheran. The senior official of the radical Hamas movement, Moussa Abu Marzouk, is in Teheran for the conference organized by Iran to bring together anti-Israel resistance groups. Marzouk told The Associated Press today that he hoped to get support for the idea that an "armed intifada" was "the only option left for Palestinians to liberate their land and preserve their dignity." "This intifada is not fighting only with stones, but a real armed intifada. Palestinian combatants expect support of other Moslem countries for their sacred cause in liberating Jerusalem!
New intelligence reports indicate that PA Chairman Yasser Arafat does indeed control the violence in the Palestinian territories. For seven months, western news sources have given credence to the tale that Arafat cannot control the Uprising. However new Palestinian sources point to the key man in the terrorist chain of command as being Saher Habash, Arafat’s boyhood friend who never leaves his side. Not only does Habash travel everywhere with his boss, but he is the only one in the charmed circle permitted to sport the same military uniform as Arafat. Habash’s formal title is “Head of the National-Islamic Commission for the Development of the Intifada”. This body is responsible for taking many Israeli lives and is nurtured with the utmost seriousness by Arafat and his henchman. Intelligence and counter-terrorism sources disclose for the first time how Arafat operates the terrorist mechanism at his behest. A very tight circle of top Palestinian officials decides on the type and form of terrorist strikes. It comprises Arafat, Habash, the Preventive Security chief in Gaza, Mohamed Dahlan, his deputy, Rashid Abu Shebak and sometimes, depending on the operation, the General Intelligence chief Amin el Hindi and the head of Military intelligence, Musa Arafat. Note: Arafat chairs an organization which steers and plans the violence. (That is really keeping his word on the renouncement of terrorism )
The most important outcome of Ariel Sharon’s visit to the White House last month was a broad accord with President Bush over the need for Israeli military action to curb Palestinian terrorism. Bush consented with Mr. Sharon on the condition Israel undertook not to spring any surprises on his head. So what was behind Washington’s about face Tuesday, April 17, when the US state department spokesman severely reprimanded Israel and demanded its immediate withdrawal from Palestinian territory in Gaza? Intelligence Reports of Washington sources point to the effect of divisions in the top level of the Bush administration on its attitude towards the Israeli action in Gaza, as towards other international crises of late. One faction, led by secretary of state Colin Powell, objected not merely to Sharon’s tactics in Gaza, but also to the Israeli air force’s destruction of the Syrian radar station in Lebanon on Sunday night, lest such actions tip the Middle East into a regional war and upset his plans for an Arab economic bloc to challenge Saddam Hussein. The other faction, headed by defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld and national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, advocated a heavy Israel hand against Yasser Arafat to make him to renounce his belligerent and terrorist ways and abort his plans for an Iraqi-Syrian-Palestinian war alliance. They disputed Powell’s view and argued that a regional war would be brought closer by failing to cut Arafat down to size militarily with the consequences of inaction being incalculable. Note: Arafat is looking to Damascus-Bahgdad-Teheran for assistance to exterminate Israel altogether. The peace that he yearns for, is “the whole piece”.
Mon Apr 23,2001….. Former U.S. President Bill Clinton said Sunday that he believes that Yasser Arafat really wants peace with Israel, but that the Palestinian president may be afraid of the threat of Islamic extremism. Clinton failed to broker a lasting Mideast peace between Arafat and former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak in the waning days of his presidency last year. "If he had taken the deal Barak put on the table, there still would have been plenty of people in various Palestinian groups thinking that he should be assasinated," Clinton said. Editor's Notes: It's kind of odd that Clinton is now telling people that Arafat couldn’t accept the Camp David II peace proposals because that would have meant probable death for Arafat. Former Israeli Prime Minister Yitshak Rabin took that same risk to hand deliver Arafat a Palestinian state. Now, we are told that Arafat wouldn’t even take the same risk on his own behalf. Arafat a man of peace? Give me a break please! Arafat's hands are stained with the blood of thousands of innocent Israeli men, women and children, including babies. Arafat has never wanted peace!
Sun Apr 22,2001…..Top leaders in the Hizbullah and Hamas terrorist organizations are meeting in Teheran with their supporters in Iran to focus on 'Holy Jihad' against Israel. When Khaled Masha'al of Hamas and Sheik Hassan Nasrallah of Hizbullah meet in Teheran this week it will signal the combining of their efforts against Israel. The attendees included some of Israel's worst enemies, Khaled Mashaal, a leader of the radical Islamic Hamas movement; Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Lebanese Hezbollah; and Ramezan Abdullah, head of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. They will discuss how to support the Palestinian intifadah, or uprising, that began in September. "We would like and will try to undermine the security scheme of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel) Sharon and show that he cannot do anything to stop the uprising." "The aim of the conference is to unify all of the Palestinian and Lebanese resistance groups, to bring them closer and to encourage them to work closely to support the intifadah! Bloody Sunday As 6 Bombs Rock Israel, Gaza Sunday April 22…Two explosions hit Israel over the space of several hours, and four bombs were detonated in Gaza City which is under Palestinian control. In the first bombing, a Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up, killing an Israeli doctor and injuring about 40 others. The bomber was killed in the attack in the Israeli city of Kfar Saba on Sunday morning. The Hamas terrorist cell has announced that it has one hundred suicide bombers ready to bring death to Israeli civilians.
In what one Israeli observer described as a case of apparent political exploitation of the Pope by the Syrians, Pope John Paul II is to recite a prayer at Kuneitra on the Golan Heights during his visit to Syria next month. According to the itinerary for his May 4-May 9 trip to Greece, Syria, and Malta, released by the Vatican yesterday, the Pontiff is to lead a prayer for peace at the town conquered by Israel during the Six Day War of 1967 and returned to Syria in 1974. Syria has preserved the site as a ghost town symbolizing Israel's occupation of the Golan, with officials often bringing foreign visitors there. The trip has been described by the Vatican as a pilgrimage to sites associated with the life of the Apostle Paul. But also on the schedule are meetings with Orthodox Christian and Moslem leaders, as part of John Paul's attempts to improve relations with non-Catholics, and a 45-minute stop in Kuneitra, where he is to pray at a Greek Orthodox church, one of the few buildings left standing in the town. Rabbi David Rosen, director of interfaith relations for the American Jewish Committee, said that Kuneitra's inclusion in the itinerary sounded very strange. He said that it appeared that the Pope was being used by the Syrians to promote their agenda, and that he, Rosen, hoped that this was not the case. 'It sounds as if the Pope is allowing himself to be exploited for political purposes. I hope there is more to it than meets the eye,' Rosen said. In response, Papal Nuncio Pietro Sambi, ambassador to Israel for the Holy See, said that while he could not comment on the visit itself, he was sure that the Pope would not allow himself to be a pawn. 'The Pope is not a person to let himself be exploited politically,' Sambi said. In Syria, John Paul is also to meet with President Bashar Assad, and stop at a Damascus mosque, the first such visit by a Pope. Note: The Pope is not being exploited in this visit. It is the Pope that is doing the exploitation. Pope John Paul is giving credence to the Syrian claims to the Golan Heights by his visit here. Just last week he demanded that Israel get back to the negotiating table, to refrain from its inappropriate and excessive use of force, and to conform to “international law”. ( UN Resolutions )
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said Monday that Washington had to play an active role in the Middle East peace process and reminded Israel of its Camp David obligations to withdraw from Gaza and the West Bank. As well, he opposed a proposal by President George W. Bush to reduce U.S. peacekeepers along the Egyptian-Israeli border. "Washington must work to regain its prestige as a genuine mediator in the Middle East peace process," said Carter, who brokered the 1978 Camp David accords between Egypt and Israel, which led to the landmark 1979 peace treaty between the two countries. Note: Political pressure is being brought to bear upon new U.S. President Bush to get the US involved in a “Big Way” in the Middle East peace game.
Israel Commemorates “Holocaust Remembrance Day” Israelis from all walks of life, in their homes, cars, businesses, and on the street, stopped and stood silently for two minutes this morning in honor of the six million Jews slaughtered by the Nazis in the Holocaust 60 years ago. Today was Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah). At Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum, the "Every Person Has a Name" ceremony was held today, in the course of which the names of Holocaust victims were read aloud. Prime Minister Sharon said at the central ceremony last night that Israel is the only place in the world where Jews have the right and privilege of defending themselves on their own.
Thu Apr 19,2001…. The European Union is presently reassessing its relations with Israel in light of the escalating conflict with the Palestinians. EU foreign ministers today said: the recent Israeli attacks on a Syrian radar position in neighboring Lebanon were "excessive and disproportionate", using the same language as US Secretary of State Colin Powell, and adding that possible sanctions against Israel might be necessary if the violence does not end. The EU also continued to press Israel to end its military incursions into Palestinian Authority controlled areas of Gaza. In a statement, the 15-nation bloc EU said it was "extremely concerned about the dangerous escalation of violence in the Middle East." Officials said that several options are open to EU ministers, which could see anything from a tougher diplomatic line against the Israeli government of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, to a suspension of the new political and economic association and free trade agreement which came into force last June. The EU is Israel's largest trading partner. Note: It is apparently inappropriate to defend oneself when terrorist thugs instigate murderous attacks upon your civilian population. I suppose this is just more of the “Pope’s International Law” to encourage peace with enemies. The EU donates billions of dollars in foreign aid to the Palestinian Authority, but I guess it would be inappropriate to expect the PLO-Hamas-Tanzim-Hezbollah terror squads to be held accountable. For the PLO, this is a perfect opportunity to instigate another incident so that Israel will be punished by the EU.
Wed Apr 18,2001….Pope John Paul today urged the warring parties in the Middle East to respect “international law” and get back to the negotiating table. "Paying sincere attention to the legitimate hopes of all people and scrupulously observing international law are the only possible ways of bringing parties back to the negotiating table and marking out a path of brotherhood. The Pope, who is scheduled to visit Syria in May, is seeking unity and brotherhood with the Muslim faithful. Note: The Pope’s remarks are obviously pointed at Israel. The UN is the world body which has established the “legal” basis for a resolution to the Middle East Conflict. The UN resolutions are the law to which the Pope is referring in these remarks. The Pope is obviously admonishing Israel for its air assault upon the Syrian terrorist bases in Lebanon!
As the violence between Israel and Arab guerrilla factions continues to escalate in the Mideast, a noted Italian Muslim leader and regional expert has begun a campaign to educate Jews, Arabs and the rest of the world about key facts regarding the historic animosity in the region. Specifically, he states that Israel not only has a right to exist as a nation in the region, but such a right is even described in the Koran, the Muslim book much like the Bible describes. Sheikh Prof. Abdul Hadi Palazzi said, that a home-land for Israel is even described in the Koran, though little is said about it in the press, or in Jewish-Arab discussions. Palazzi has called for Israel's continued sovereignty over Jerusalem, and in recent speeches in Jerusalem, he has noted that the city's holiness in Islam was derived from two sources: It is the city of the pre-Islamic biblical prophets also revered by Islam (King David and King Solomon), and it is the site of the Dome of the Rock, from which Mohammed ascended to Heaven (the Night Journey). But as long as "traditional" methods of resolving the current Israeli-Arab conflict are followed, Palazzi sees no end in sight to the current cycles of violence. As long as the Israeli government does not learn the sad lesson of the Oslo trap, and does not realize its error in surrendering to a manufactured 'Palestinian Authority' in Judea, Samaria and Gaza, as long as it goes on negotiating with the PLO and does not take local pro-Israeli Arab leaders in due consideration, I see no solution at hand for Israel. Indeed, the cleric's statement has proven prophetic. On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, in response to an increase in attacks by Hezbollah and PA-sponsored guerrillas, ordered Israeli F-16s to conduct strikes against a Syrian army radar station 22 miles east of Beirut, Lebanon. Three Syrian soldiers were killed in the attack, and several other civilians were wounded. Sharon said following the attack that as long as Arab factions continued to step up the violence against the Jewish state, Israel's armed forces would be ordered to respond. On the issue of a lasting peace in the Mideast, Mr. Palazzi said one could never be achieved as long as Palestinian Authority leader Yasser Arafat was involved. An agreement can be reached between peace-loving Jews and Muslims, between Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs, on the condition that the state of Israel does not take PLO leadership as a counterpart for negotiations anymore, abstains from steps which contribute to make the PLO survive, and patiently waits for the time when local Arabs will not bear the PLO's tyranny and corruption anymore. In the meantime, Israel should unilaterally declare that any further peace negotiations with Arafat or any of his factions are effectively over and, in fact, should call for the "PLO's self-dissolution. Then, Israeli leaders should "open a discussion which those local Arab leaders who were not involved in" Arafat's regime in any way, Palazzi said. The Italian Muslim cleric said he didn't necessarily see a wider regional conflict between Israel and other Arab nations on the horizon, mostly because Arab leaders are certain they cannot defeat the Jewish state militarily, at least at this point. "I think that the dictators in the contemporary Arab world are using Israel as a verbal scapegoat for their propaganda, and none of them have either the courage or the will to be involved in a war which they know will be a sure defeat. Despite that, Iraq and Syria in recent months have begun to form a more cohesive alliance, marshalling forces and making more bellicose statements as the current PA-Israeli conflict enters its seventh month. However, Palazzi believes that if any wider conflict does evolve, it's more likely to come between Arab factions. "The best timetable I have for an escalation in violence is hoping for Arafat's death, and for the time when the PLO dissolves in endless riots, between feudal warlords and micro-criminal gangs," Palazzi said. He also believes that a final, lasting peace in the Mid-east with Israel is not in the best interests of current Arab regimes. "I see that an eventual peace in Middle East will surely be a ruin for feudal monarchies of the Gulf, and that Saudis, Kuwaitis and most of the Arab emirates will spare no effort to fund anti-peace forces whenever they can. Note: Cleric Palazzi’s comments are very interesting, and present a unique perspective that is often never conveyed from the Muslim world.
In an abrupt about-turn, Israel announced late Tuesday that it would withdraw its troops from the swath of area of the Gaza Strip it had seized and vowed to hold until Palestinian attacks on Israel ceased. The twist came about due to a sharp attack on the incursion by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. In an unusually harsh criticism of Israel, Powell described the incursion as “excessive and disproportionate” and said that Israel should respect its commitment to withdraw from Gaza. In a statement read on his behalf by US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher, Powell also called upon the Palestinian leadership to implement its promise to renounce terrorism and violence and to exercise control over all elements of the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization.
The United States is quietly evaluating the tremendous Iranian military buildup in the Persian Gulf. Iran's plans to purchase advanced weapons from Russia could change the balance of power in the region. Teheran has deployed fast attack naval craft, anti-ship missiles, as well as unmanned aerial vehicles. Teheran has also completed making improvements to its facilities to protect their surface-to-surface missiles and launchers and also improved their command and control systems. Teheran's ability to interdict the Straits of Hormuz, with air, surface and sub-surface naval units, as well as mines and missiles remains a concern. The US is gravely concerned about the prospect of Iran cutting off the Hormuz shipping lanes, where much of the oil bound for the US through the Persian Gulf must pass through. OPEC has already cut oil production. ( Iran is identified as Persia by the prophet Ezekiel ) Note: While Israel has just finished a strike on the Gaza Strip that borders Egypt, and also upon Syria, another Middle East superpower, Iran, quietly lurks in the background waiting for the right time to unleash it's arsenal with the help of it's ally, Russia! Iran keeps promoting the Hezbollah terrorist activities on Israel’s northern border These preparations for Ezekiel 38 are really starting to pop up on a rapid pace now, and I see them lining right up with Bible prophecy. Russia is only too glad to help Iran build up its military, Iranian hard currency is a most welcome sight for the cash strapped and oil hungry Russians. Russia has been warned that Iran in time could pose a threat to the Russian Federation, but Putin is not overly worried about the short term. It's because Mr. Putin wants a powerful ally in Iran to assist Russia in a challenge to the West's supremacy, and of course Israel's mere presence in the Middle East. Russia has also allied itself with China to counter the West for power in the Middle East.
The attack on the Syrian radar installation north of the Beirut-Damascus highway early yesterday has put an end to a debate that had preoccupied the Israeli defense establishment since long before Israel withdrew from Lebanon last year according to the lines drawn by the United Nations according to Security Council Resolution 425. The debate has been about whether it was better to hit the Syrians than the Lebanese to deter the Hezbollah. The current political assessment is that Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri has enough political and economic power, but he does not carry enough persuasive power through military strength to force his will upon the Hezbollah guerrillas. Clearly, however, the Syrians do do restrain the organization. Israel has debated about making Damascus pays the price for the attacks on the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israel. So far, the Syrians have tried to benefit from both worlds. On the one hand, they warned Hezbollah not to widen the scope of their actions into a war that could spread beyond Lebanon and encompass Syria. On the other hand, they have allowed the Hezbollah to operate in the narrow area around Mt. Dov and the Shaba Farms. The Sharon government, considering all the Hezbollah activity since the IDF withdrawal from south Lebanon, reached the conclusion that while there are relatively lengthy pauses between Hezbollah actions, the Hezbollah is operating on the assumption that Israel won't respond. That has now changed. The attack against a radar station, demonstrates that the IDF no longer leaves Damascus out of the equation! The IDF regards it as a signal to Damascus that, if the Hezbollah activity continues, the Israeli response will widen against other Syrian targets. The government's decision to strike against the Syrians opens a military route that could be difficult and dangerous. Although the last time Syrian targets in Lebanon were struck by the IDF was in 1996, during the Grapes of Wrath operation, the Syrians took into consideration that the IDF might respond to Hezbollah activity by striking at Syrian assets in Lebanon. That's why they told the Hezbollah to limit its scope of operations. The ball is now in Syria's court. In the past, Hafez Assad responded to a direct hit on Syrians in Lebanon by putting ground-to-air missiles in Lebanon. It is now up to Bashar Assad to decide whether or not Israel will follow down the road to Damascus! And Bashar Assad is heavily courting Palestinian, and Russian assistance to counter Israel’s new military strategy. Yasser Arafat is scheduled to meet soon with Assad to coordinate the Palestinian uprising with increased pressure upon Israel’s northern border by Hezbollah Note: The great destruction of Damascus, prophesied by Isaiah and Jeremiah looms ominously on the horizon. Damascus Promises Revenge for Israeli attack Syria promised revenge Monday against Israel for its air raid on a Syrian military position in Lebanon, killing at least one soldier and injuring four others. "Israel has made a huge mistake with this aggression and it will pay the price very dearly for it at the right moment," Syrian Foreign Minister Faruq al-Shara said a declaration he made in Moscow, where he arrived Monday to deliver an urgent message from President Bashar al-Assad to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Note: I have pointed it out many times in recent months, but it bares repeating again. Damascus is the one that is making a serious mistake, if it continues to preoccupy itself with terrorist attacks against Israel. ( Isaiah 17 and Jeremiah 49
Before the Israeli assaults, security sources in Beirut said the 35,000 Syrian troops based in Lebanon were on high alert after Israeli planes killed three Syrian soldiers and destroyed a Syrian radar station in east Lebanon's Bekaa valley Monday.
There are reports of Hizballah units coming up closer to the Israeli frontier in the last three weeks. These units are armed with large quantities of artillery and various types of rockets. Intelligence circles evaluate the Shia guerrilla posturing as being intended to be one of a low profile with occasional assaults, until after Yasser Arafat’s visit to Damascus. The Hizballah hope that Arafat’s visit with Assad will yield a Syrian-Palestinian political and military collaboration pact embodying the present level of Hizballah-Palestinian cooperation. Once the combined operational infrastructure is functioning, the Lebanese Shiite militia may intend to launch an offensive upon Israel’s northern border.
Syria says the Israeli air force attack on one of it's radar stations in eastern Lebanon signals a dangerous escalation, and called upon the international community and the United Nations to intervene to put a stop to Israel's provocations and occupation. The Israeli raid reflects the aggressive character of the Israeli government and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Lebanese President Emile Lahoud said the air attack was liable to drag the area into a regional conflict. Lahoud said the raid was a dangerous development, "reflecting the Sharon style of government in the Palestinian and regional arena since he took office." US Ambassador to Lebanon, David Satterfield, said the US had warned for months that repeated operations against Israel from Lebanese soil could lead to an escalation. Palestinian Authority cabinet chairman Abdel Ahmed Rahim called on neighboring Arab states to prepare for "The upcoming regional war, being prepared by the Israeli war cabinet."
Note: It has been the desired intention of Hezbollah, Syria, Iraq and Iran to incite an escalation on Israel’s northern border.
Israel sent its warplanes against Syrian positions in Lebanon killing at least two Syrian soldiers and wounding five, after a Hezbollah border attack on an Israeli tank which killed a soldier over the weekend. An unspecified number of jets bombarded a Syrian radar station in the mountainous region along Lebanon's border with Syria around Dhar al Baydar, 27 miles east of Beirut, at 12:30 am Monday. The planes also fired at a Syrian anti-aircraft position more than a mile away in the Mdeirej-Hammana region near the Beirut-Damascus highway.
The attack, the first by Israel against the Syrian army since 1982, came after the death of an Israeli soldier in an attack by the Shiite Hezbollah movement in the disputed Shebaa farms border region on Saturday. Israel said Monday after the air raid that it would not tolerate "terrorism" by the Hezbollah movement which it said was acting under Syrian patronage. The Israeli government said after a special security cabinet meeting: "Hezbollah's terrorist operations are carried out with the knowledge of Syria and under its patronage." The government called on Lebanon "to deploy its army" on the border with Israel. In Beirut, Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri described the Israeli raids as aggression against Syria and Lebanon.
Editor's Note: Israel's plan to directly deal with the terrorism by striking at the Syrian radar station along Lebanon's border with Syria is to send a clear message to Syria that it's support of Hezbollah terrorist activity on Israel's northern border will not be tolerated. Ultimately, we're seeing the northern border conflict grow into a full scale war as IDF strikes draw closer to Syria. The destruction of Damascus prophesied in Isaiah 17 and Jeremiah 49 loom ominously on the horizon.
#1 Ariel Sharon, your autobiography is called "Warrior." Do you still see
yourself as a warrior today, while you are prime minister?
"That is the role of my generation. It was and remains the role of my
generation. And it is also the role of the coming generations. If the Jews
want a state, and I believe that the Jews do want a stat, it is
everyone's role. Not necessarily to fight in practice, but always to be ready to
fight, and to be deployed for that. "You have to understand one simple thing:
The Jews have one small state, It is a state blessed with skills, truly blessed with
skills. But this is the only place in the world where Jews have the right and the
ability and the strength to defend themselves by themselves. And that is a gift
of God. That is what we must defend. Therefore, we must all know that we can
never place our fate in the hands of anyone else, not even in the hands of those
who are our best friends. Never!
Note: Ironically, the Bible portends that Israel will do this very thing!
"We have no right to make concessions in Jerusalem. We simply do not have
the right. I have to say that on this subject I respected Arafat when he
said at Camp David that on the question of Jerusalem he has to hear the
opinion of the Islamic world. With us, in contrast, the subject was not
brought either to the cabinet or to the security cabinet or to the Knesset,
and the leaders of the Jewish communities were not consulted at all. One
person, Mr. Barak decided on his own that he would hand over Jerusalem.
"No, I think that we have no right to make concessions in Jerusalem.
#3 What about the Golan Heights? If the Syrians drop their demand to get the
shore of Lake Kinneret, will Israel be able to leave the Golan Heights in return
for peace?
"Israel suffers from a permanent military inferiority in that it is impossible to
counter any serious military dilemma coming from the heights. If, for example,
the Syrians violate an agreement and station forces next to the border
fence, from their point of view this is only a logistic move, whereas for us
a situation is created which obliges us to go to war or to endanger our
security. What prevents the emergence of situations like that today is the fact that
we are close to Damascus. That is what keeps things in equilibrium.
Therefore, as long as we are on the Golan Heights, Syria does not constitute
a threat. On the other hand, if we do not sit across from the outskirts of
Damascus, I cannot conceive that the border with the Syrians will be quiet."
#4 If Israel were to withdraw from the Jordan Rift Valley and the Golan
Heights, as Ehud Barak proposed, would Israel today be facing a
security risk?
"Yes, a real concrete danger to its very existence."
Russia Suggests Regional Missile Shields
A senior Russian general has proposed that missile shields be used regionally as an
alternative to U.S. plans. These shields could include several defense systems placed in
various theatres, such as Europe or the Pacific-Asia region. Russia has strongly objected
to U.S. plans for a shield to protect itself against nuclear missiles, saying Washington
would upset the world strategic balance built up during the Cold War by being able
to fend off Moscow's atomic weapons. Moscow's proposed system could be deployed in various theatres all over the world, where any threat was thought to exist. It mobilizes the forces and means of all interested states in the creation and deployment of theatre anti-missile defenses, which will be able to protect any country from the threat of ballistic missile strikes in any strategic direction.
Note: The World Security Guarantees of the Antichrist may be availed through this method. The major powers of the world are already preparing for a war that will need regional theatre anti-missile defense systems. The antichrist will guarantee Israel’s
Security!
Israel has launched a limited ground war against Palestinian targets in the Gaza Strip. For
the first time, Israeli troops entered the Gaza city of Khan Yunis and destroyed Palestinian Authority military positions and nearby homes. Palestinian sources said about 100 troops, backed by tanks and bulldozers, were involved in the Israeli operation overnight Wednesday. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was on the outskirts of Gaza during the
attack, and proclaimed the attack will be implemented and security returned. Israeli military sources said the aim was to destroy a PA military post that was shelling the nearby Gush Katif bloc of settlements. Palestinian sources reported that two PA officers were killed and another 20 were injured in the fighting. The sources said this was the first time Israeli military forces operated openly in territory controlled by the PA. Palestinian sources said
the PA is training thousands of recruits in five training camps throughout the Gaza Strip. The sources said the training is meant to stop an Israeli military invasion of the strip. Yasser Arafat, has reportedly moved his headquarters into Egypt.
Sharon Says Israel Will Annex Security Zones if PA Declares State
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said that he has no intention of evacuating settlements, even
as a part of a cease fire agreement with the Palestinians. So long as there is no peace, we
will be stay there. If, God willing, there shall be peace, there will certainly be nothing to
prevent the settlers from staying in place. Sharon believes that the presence of Jewish
settlements in the territories is of twofold importance, historical and strategic. They guard
both the birthplace of the Jewish people and also grant us essential strategic depth to
protect our existence. Regarding the nature of any future accord on Jerusalem, Sharon
says that "we have no right to make concessions in Jerusalem”. Regarding an agreement
with the Syrians, Sharon said, "We cannot come down from the Golan Heights." Withdrawing from the Golan or the Jordan Valley would be a "real existential threat." How would Sharon respond if Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat unilaterally declared an independent state? In such a scenario we will annex the settlements and the security zones! An end to
the conflict will be achieved only when the Arab world recognizes the right of the Jewish
people to its homeland, to exist in an independent Jewish state in the Middle East. And such recognition has still not happened. The Arabs have not really come to terms with the right of the Jews to have a state here. I do not believe there should be two Palestinian states, Jordan and a new state of Palestine.
Faisel Husseini, who holds the PA’s Jerusalem portfolio, is threatening bloodshed if the United States moves ahead with its planned relocating of its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
When asked what would transpire if the USA does indeed proceed to move the US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem; Husseini responded: “There is no question that this act will push the region into a conflict much bloodier than any we have seen in the past”.
Thousands of Jews arrived this morning at the Western Wall plaza to participate in the traditional Passover "Birkat Cohanim," or Priestly Blessing ceremony at the Wailing Wall. Later,
many of the Jews gathered at the gates of the Temple Mount, and insisted on the right to
ascend the Mount to pray, only to find that the gates were locked. Jerusalem Mufti
Sheikh Aqrama Tsabari issued a threat to the members and supporters of the
Temple Mount Faithful organization, warning them that any attempts by Jews to pray on the Mount "would result in widespread Islamic violence." Temple Mount Faithful leader Gershon
Solomon expressed his disappointment with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's failure to open the Mount for Jewish worshippers. Solomon said that this was in violation of the Prime Minister's prior commitment to instruct security forces to permit Jewish worshippers to ascend the Mount. Solomon also explained that as he approached the entrance to the Temple Mount along with members of his group today, he carried with him a scale model of the Third Temple designed
by architects hired by his organization. "Our message is clear: The Temple Mount never was
and never will be a center of Islam. The Beit Hamikdash (Temple) is not some sort of mystical concept, but rather a very real one, a structure that will be re-built in our days."
Note: The Antichrist eventually will accord Israel the unique opportunity of rebuilding their
Beit Hamikdash!
The United Nations Commission on Human Rights passed a resolution on Friday supporting the establishment of a sovereign and independent Palestinian state based on the Palestinian people's right to self-determination. The resolution went through by a majority of 48-2 (with the U.S. and Guatemala opposing), and two abstentions (Canada and Romania). The European Union supported the resolution. PLO ambassador Nabil Ramlawi said that the Palestinian right to self-determination was "the heart of the problem in the Middle East."
Hundreds of demonstrators supporting the Palestinian right of return rallied on Saturday,
calling for the end of Zionism and imploring Palestinians to liberate "Arab Land."
The rally was organized by Al-Awda: the Palestinian Right to Return Coalition, and banners
and speakers attacked both Israel and the United States. Between speakers, demonstrators chanted slogans including, "Down, down with Israel", "Palestine is Arab Land," "Our
Al-Aksa is not your Temple,".
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon this afternoon said Jews should be allowed to enter the Temple Mount compound in Jerusalem's Old City. Sharon called on the security apparatus to find ways of enabling Jews to carry out the biblical command of ascending to the Temple Mount on the three pilgrimage festivals, Passover, Shauvuot (The Feast of Weeks) and Succot (The Feast of Tabernacles). The walled compound, enclosing the Al-Aksa mosque, is area where the Temple of Solomon from the Second Temple Period once stood. The Prime Minister's Office said that Sharon promised to adhere to the principle of allowing pilgrims of all religions to go up to the hotly contested compound. Jews are the only religious petitioners prevented by the Moslem Wakf (Islamic trust) to ascend to the site, since the outbreak of the Palestinian intifada in September. The Supreme Court today turned down a request by the Temple Mount Faithful group to go up to the area, citing police fears the act would likely spark riots by Moslems throughout Israel and PA-controlled area of the West Bank and Gaza. Numerous Moslem and Palestinian spokesmen, including Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat have repeatedly denied any Jewish connection with the area, despite overwhelming historical and archaeological evidence to the contrary. Palestinians claim Ariel Sharon's September visit to the area sparked the intifada. Since that time, evidence has surfaced that the intifada was planned prior to Mr. Sharon’s visit to the Temple Mount. The Sharon visit conveyed to many Israeli’s that the holy site was in danger of being forever lost to them.
Three Americans were arrested for distributing compact discs and videotapes promoting Christianity in Dubai. The three Americans were arrested March 12. If convicted of promoting a religion other than Islam or seeking converts, the Americans could face jail sentences of between five and 10 years.
The former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, retired admiral Thomas H. Moorer, says the Communist Chinese are preparing for ultimate war with the United States, and President Bush needs to show strength in dealing with them in the crisis over the crippled U.S. Navy EP-3 plane. In answer to a question, the retired admiral said China has been preparing for ultimate war with the United States. They’ve flatly stated that the U.S. is their No. 1 enemy!
The Committee to Prevent the Destruction of Antiquities on the Temple Mount withdrew its petition to the High Court of Justice yesterday, after a panel of three justices told its members to seek remedy from the government. The court rejected a second petition by the Temple Mount Faithful after they refused to withdraw it. The committee, whose members include former mayor Teddy Kollek and authors Yizhar Smilenski and Amos Oz, had charged that the Wakf was carrying out illegal construction on the Temple Mount. Afterwards, Temple Mount Faithful leader Gershon Solomon charged that the authorities were afraid of exercising jurisdiction over the Temple Mount.
A US State Department report evaluating Palestinian compliance with Israeli-Palestinian accords acknowledges that Palestinian policemen and members of the Tanzim have participated in and encouraged violent protests. But the report absolves Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat of responsibility for the violence by concluding that it is unclear if any terrorist activities were enacted by individuals acteding on orders directly coming from Mr. Arafat. The report's findings come only days after President George W. Bush and other senior administration officials publicly blamed Arafat for perpetuating the violence and called on him directly to stop it. Ironically, last week, after the Arab League Summit meeting in Amman, Mr. Arafat called for the continuation of the Intifada. The report, issued in accordance with the PLO Commitments Compliance Act of 1989, reiterates several times that it is impossible to say if the PA or PLO sanctioned violent acts.
Russia hopes to present a new generation of weapons for export to the Middle East and other regions by 2008. The officials said the weapons will be produced by a Russian defense industry revived by huge deals planned with Iran and India. They said this could bring Russia up to $10 billion in sales over the next seven years. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Ilya Klebanov cited contracts with Iran and India for production of the Sukhoi-30 fighter and the T-90 tank. Klebanov said these contracts will promote development of advanced aircraft and systems.
Note: Ezekiel 38:16 And thou (Russia-Persia) shalt come up against my people of Israel as a cloud ( air force ) to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days.
Palestinians fired three mortar shells at Atzmona, also know as Bnei Atzmon, in Gush Katif a short while ago, seriously wounding a ten month old baby boy and lightly wounding his mother and another person. IDF helicopter gunships attacked the Gaza Strip city of Rafah and targets in the north of the Gaza Strip, in response to the shelling of the settlement of Atzmona. Among the injured was the 10-month-old baby. Last week a Palestinian sniper
shot and killed a 10 month old baby girl who was sitting in her stroller.
Israeli air force Apache helicopters fired three missiles into the pick-up truck of an Islamic Jihad fugitive in Rafah in the Gaza Strip yesterday noon, killing him instantly. According to a senior IDF officer, Mahmoud Abed el-Al, 29, a leader of the organization's military wing, the Al-Kuds Brigade, had participated in a number of terror attacks in recent months and had masterminded the Beit Lid bombing attack in January 1995, which claimed the lives of 21 soldiers. Islamic Jihad terrorist organization vowed to avenge his death. Security officials noted that the initiated operation was designed to harm those who perpetrate attacks against Israelis. Security officials said Al had been involved in a series of bomb attacks in the community of Morag in Gush Katif in January and February, planned at least two suicide bombings in 1997, and in 1994, participated in a shooting attack against an IDF patrol near Morag, killing one soldier.
For a man said to be in the twilight of his papacy, John Paul II still has the capacity to take the world by surprise. Against the expectations of many, given his frailty, he led the church into the new millennium. Last month he created a record number of new cardinals. Now he is preparing for further trips abroad. In May 2001, he will create another piece of religious history by becoming the first leader of the Catholic Church to set foot inside an Islamic mosque. It is being seen as an attempt by the Pope to bring Christianity and Islam closer together. The symbolic meeting of the two faiths will take place when the Pope enters the Umayyad Mosque in the Syrian capital of Damascus. The Vatican says it will be the first time that Muslims and Christians have prayed together in an organized way. The Pope will lead Christian prayers, while the Muslim part of the ceremony will be conducted by the Mufti of Syria, Sheikh Ahmed Kataro.
John Paul II wrote a letter for the 750th anniversary of the reception of the scapular by the Carmelite order, in which he reveals that he has worn a smaller version of the scapular since his youth. The scapular was received by Carmelite Superior General Simon Stock in 1251. The Virgin Mary appeared to him and assured the eternal salvation of all those who wear the scapular with devotion. The Pope reminded the Carmelites that in his apostolic letter "Novo Millennio Ineunte," he entrusted the third millennium to “Mary”. John Paul II wrote, "I have learned that the Carmelite order, in its two branches, the old and the reformed, wishes to express its own filial love to its Patroness, dedicating the year 2001 to her, invoked as the Flower of Carmel, Mother and Guide in the Path to Holiness." This Marian devotion, expressed "in the humble sign of the scapular, consists in the consecration to her Immaculate Heart," he stressed. Popular scapulars consist of two small squares of woolen cloth joined by strings and worn around the neck. The original, large scapulars worn by some religious orders came to symbolize the cross and yoke of Christ. In his letter, the Holy Father made a personal revelation: "I, too, have carried the Carmel scapular over my heart for a long time!" If wearing a Scapular with devotion could assure us of eternal salvation – then Jesus died needlessly!
A senior US administration official acknowledged for the first time Thursday that the Palestinian Authority had made a tactical decision to launch the Intifada after the failed peace talks at Camp David last summer. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and scores of other Israeli officials have accused Palestinian Chairman Yasser Arafat of orchestrating the intifada as a means of gaining more concessions. President George W. Bush has called directly on Arafat to stop the violence.
However there has been absolutely no response from Arafat to the urgings upon him to act now to bring the violence to a stop. He has made no statements that would indicate that he even wants to see it stopped. In fact he has called for the continuation of the intifada.
Palestinian leaders are seething and on the defensive, after Israel responded to mounting terror attacks by launching air strikes against Force 17 targets on Wednesday night and US President George W. Bush then pointedly told PLO chief Yasser Arafat to "stop the violence."
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon came under increasing pressure last week to finally take the sort of tough actions against Palestinian violence expected when he was given the reins of power in the recent election. Israeli frustration mounted after a Palestinian sniper deliberately shot a ten-month old Jewish baby in Hebron on Monday and a series of terrorist bombings killed two teenage yeshiva students and wounded scores more over the next two days. The campaign of violence appeared intended to goad Sharon into harsh reprisals during the Arab League summit in Amman, but he held back until the summit ended on Wednesday and then unleashed Israeli air power on Palestinian security offices. Arafat reacted with defiance on Thursday morning when leaving the Jordanian capital, charging Sharon with initiating a "100-day war" against the Palestinians. This free script provided by |
THE HOLOCAUST: THE IRONY OF IT ALL 
It was the first Israeli air strike on a Syrian position in Lebanon since April 1996 and followed the death of an Israeli soldier in a missile attack by Hizbollah guerrillas on the Israel-Lebanon border Saturday. Damascus and its Lebanese guerrilla ally Hizbollah pondered a response to the surprise Israeli attack amid mounting Lebanese opposition to an aggressive military strategy against Israel. Israel charges that Hizbollah acts under the patronage of Syria, the main powerbroker in Lebanon. There were warnings that the bombing of the Syrian radar station could lead to wider conflict. Israel's defense minister said the rules of the game had changed in Lebanon since Israel ended its occupation of the south nearly a year ago. Palestinian President Yasser Arafat in Amman for talks with Jordan's King Abdullah, told reporters the Israeli raid was a ``dangerous escalation that drags the whole region into a very critical, bad and grave situation.'' 
