OPEC Meetings: Oil Always Matters

Aug. 1….(Financial Times)The Organization of Petroleum Ex-porting Countries is holding a largely symbolic meeting today at which ministers are expected to make no change to production quotas. Any decisions of OPEC matter a great deal, not only for members but also for the world economy. Presently the price of OPEC oil is about $27 a barrel. High oil prices tend to put a real brake on world economic growth. The world suffered severe recessions after the oil shocks of the 1970s. The first Gulf war caused a relatively minor price increase, which nevertheless contributed to a US recession and so to the first President Bush's defeat by Bill Clinton. Bill Gates and Alan Greenspan may claim credit for the "new economy" of the 1990s but a decade of cheap oil certainly gave them a helping hand. The price collapse in 1998 helped inflate the bubble economy and four years of high prices helped to deflate it. This is one reason to take any Opec decisions seriously. Since late 1999, prices have largely stayed within or above OPEC's target of $22-$28 a barrel. They have also surprised analysts by staying firm since the Iraq war. Prices had been high because buyers were nervous that oil fields would be damaged in Iraq and perhaps elsewhere in the Gulf. When it became apparent that the oil fields would survive, prices dropped sharply. But they have been climbing again since, because crude oil inventories in the US are well below normal levels. High oil prices are a clear risk to world economic recovery. They are also a spur to higher-cost producers outside the cartel, which are expected to produce more oil within two or three years. There are many places in the world where oil can be produced and, if OPEC wants to discourage competition, it cannot keep prices near $30 a barrel. To bring prices closer to $22 a barrel, OPEC will need to expand production. OPEC will rightly fear a price crash, which would cause extreme fiscal pressures in some member countries. It would also do little for the world economy, which responds to sustained rather than sudden price drops. Ministers at today's meeting are likely to be cautious about expanding production. But if they do not, there is a risk that they will choke off the economic recovery they are relying on.

Bush Supports Banning Gay Marriage

July 31….(MSNBC) President Bush said society should "respect each individual," but he said he would not compromise on his position that the only legitimate marriages were those between men and women. The President said that he was supporting a law that would define marriage as a union between a woman and a man alone, casting aside calls to legalize gay marriages. “I believe marriage is between a man and a woman, and I believe we ought to codify that one way or the other, and we have lawyers looking at the best way to do that,” the president said in a wide-ranging news conference at the White House Rose Garden. “I am mindful that we're all sinners, and I caution those who may try to take a speck out of the neighbor's eye when they've got a log in their own,” the president said. “I think it is important for our society to respect each individual, to welcome those with good hearts.” “On the other hand, that does not mean that someone like me needs to compromise on the issue of marriage,” he added. Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force stated, “While we respect President Bush's religious views, it is unbecoming of the President of the United States to characterize same-sex couples as “sinners”!

FOJ Note: The President is making the moral and the responsible decision in regard to prohibiting the institution of marriage from degenerating into a national sin and calamity. Those who call gay marriage and homosexuality good are deceived. (Isaiah 5:20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!)

Palestinians Complain Bush Sides With Israel

July 30….(FOJ) One day after the Abbas-Sharon visits to the White House, the Palestinians are complaining that Bush came down on Israel's side . At a White House news conference after talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Bush demanded that the Palestinians take concrete steps to dismantle terrorist organizations, singling out the violent Islamic Hamas. In his public remarks, President Bush did not press Sharon to stop building a security barrier between Israel and the West Bank and did not press Israel to release thousands of Palestinian prisoners. The Bush-Sharon meeting followed a summit on Friday between the President and Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas. After the Bush-Sharon meeting, Palestinian lawmaker Saeb Erekat complained that Bush took the Israeli line. Erekat was disappointed that Bush did not dictate a time line for implementing the points of the peace roadmap which begins with a halt to nearly three years of violence and leads through three stages to a Palestinian state in 2005. "Time is of the essence and time is running out," Erekat said. He also criticized Bush for failing to come out in public against the security barrier. "I had hoped that Mr. Bush would stand there next to Sharon and tell him stop it, stop building the wall," Erekat said. President Bush said several times that the Palestinians must dismantle terror groups, mentioning Hamas by name. Abbas has refused to even order a crackdown or a confrontation. However, Bush was adamant, repeating that the roadmap language calls for dismantling the violent groups. In Gaza, Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Rantisi dismissed Bush's remarks. "The Bush statement reflects the total bias of the United States in favor of the Zionist enemy," Rantisi said, "and it reflects also the failure of Prime Minister Abbas' visit to Washington".

China Expanding Missile Exports To Mideast

July 30….(Middle East News Line) The United States has assessed that China seeks to expand missile exports to the Middle East. U.S. officials said the Bush administration has determined that Beijing has violated its pledges to end the proliferation of missiles as part of a Chinese campaign to increase exports and expand clients in the Middle East. The officials said China has been exporting missiles directly to such countries as Egypt, Iran, Libya and Syria as well as transferring missiles via North Korea. The Chinese missile exports were discussed during a hearing last week by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. "

Palestinian Islamists Butcher New Christian

July 30….(World Net) After slaughtering a Muslim-turned-Christian, Palestinian Islamic extremists have reportedly returned the man's body to his Palestinian family in four pieces. According to a report from the Barnabas Fund , the newly converted man left his friends and family earlier this month bound for a mountainous region of the Palestinian Authority area. He reportedly took Christian material with him, videos, cassette tapes and a Bible. After approximately 10 days, the body of the man, who left behind a wife and two small children, was returned to his home, having been cut into four pieces. The act was meant a warning to other Muslims who might consider becoming Christians. The Barnabas Fund is withholding further details about the story due to concern for the safety of the family.

More Peres: Jerusalem "World Capital" Under UN Control

July 30….(ICEJ) The nullification of all political sovereignty may be the only practicable solution to continued wrangling over the status of Jerusalem, opposition leader Shimon Peres said again Monday. He suggested that the establishment of a symbolic "world capital" under nominal UN control could lead to world peace! The former Labor prime minister refused to elaborate on the practical implications of the proposal, suggesting only that administrative responsibility for all holy sites be transferred to their respective adherents, with the UN secretary-general presiding over the area as mayor of the city. Whereas the Old City and Temple Mount would be declared neutral with greater UN control, the rest of Jerusalem would be subject to dual sovereignty, with Jewish suburbs placed under Jewish control and Arab suburbs ceded to the Palestinian Authority. The status of Jerusalem has emerged as one of the major points of contention in the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with both sides advancing irreconcilable claims to city.

Sharon Gives Bush Evidence of Iran Nuclear Program

July 30….(Ha Aretz) Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his military attache presented intelligence evidence on Iran's nuclear program during Tuesday White House talks with President George W. Bush, and Israeli officials told the Bush administration there was growing evidence that Iran was stepping up support for Palestinian militants following the war in Iraq. Bush warned last week earlier that Iran and Syria would be "held accountable" if they supported terrorism. Israeli officials said new intelligence points to Iran filling the void left by Iraq in supporting militant groups including Hamas and Hizbollah, and that Tehran was actively trying to undercut a month-old cease-fire. "It must be made clear to these countries that their evil deeds cannot continue," Sharon said at a joint news conference with Bush. Sharon's military attache showed Bush aerial photographs and other evidence of Iranian efforts to attain enriched uranium for use in weapons development. U.S. officials have not ruled out military action to stop Tehran from making nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes and denies the terrorism charge. National Security Council spokesman Sean McCormack said Tuesday "Both Iran and Syria need to make a fundamental choice about the war on terrorism and to stop harboring and supporting terrorists and terrorist networks." In building support for the war in Iraq, Bush cited Saddam Hussein's support for Palestinian militants. Israeli officials said new intelligence suggests that Iran was offering $50,000 to the families of suicide bombers, double the amount paid by the Iraqi president when he was in power. "We also know specifically of Iranian involvement, through Hizbollah and other groups, to undermine (Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas) and to encourage terrorism, and undermine the cease-fire, said one Israeli official involved in the talks. The United States has accused Iran of harboring members of the al Qaeda network blamed for the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

The Cease Fire Favors PLO Terror Machine

July 29….(FOJ) IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Moshe Yaalon disclosed today that the PLO terrorists are taking advantage of the cease-fire (hudna) to manufacture combat materials. He noted also that the military achievements of last year's Operation Defensive Shield and Operation Determined Stand, the dismantling of the terrorist infrastructures and hierarchies, are gravely threatened by the cease-fire. The terrorists are recovering from that episode and will soon boast new terror cells, explosives labs, and engineers, who will be ready to take action at the slightest provocation. The Palestinian terrorists are using the hudna to regroup and rebuild the terrorist infrastructures. Senior IDF officers said on July 13 that the terrorists are using the hudna to prepare for war: "they are testing new advanced Kassam rockets, they are manufacturing 1,000 new Kassams, and there is a revolving-door policy in the PA." That is why the PA is so adamant about the release of imprisoned terrorists in Israeli prisons. Mr. Yaalon said, the terrorists are regrouping and hope to be joined by hundreds of Israeli imprisoned comrades and we can't do anything to stop them. The cease-fire is nothing but a one way street to empower terrorism. Now if Ababs can persuade President Bush to force Ariel Sharon to stop building on the security fence, the PLO terrorists will be even better enabled to perpetuate the war on Israel.

Hypocrisy and Hunting Down Hussein

July 28….(FOJ) There is a great deal of speculation and report these days in the aftermath of last weeks killings of Qusay and Uday Hussein about the soon capture or killing of Saddam Hussein. Numerous reports circulated over the weekend that US forces were hot on the trail of the former Iraqi dictator, and that he would soon be found, or killed. The US allotted 15 million dollars each for information leading to the killing of the Hussien sons, and there is also a 25 million dollar bounty on Saddam himself. The killings of the Husseins has taken on a special significance in light of the ongoing guerrilla style attacks against American forces in Iraq, and the broader war on terror. Many government and State Department officials have recently commented that they didn't care if Saddam were taken alive and into custody or if he were simply assassinated. Ironically, governments around the world, America included will not allow Israel to engage in selective terrorist target assassinations. In fact, the entire world has expressly demanded that Israel not harm Yasser Arafat. President Bush even solicited a promise from Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon that he refrain from targeting Arafat for assassination or even expelling him. Israel is routinely berated for targeting Hamas, and other known terrorist leaders. Why is it not considered just a little hypocritical for America to target the 55 top Iraqi leaders while at the same time requiring Israel to adopt a “hands-off” policy with terrorists in their own backyard?

Just today, a PLO terrorist militant, Issim Farukh from Ramallah, was apprehended and later confessed to interrogators that he was ordered by Yasser Arafat to send 2 bomb-strapped young women to carry out suicide attacks in Tel Aviv or Netanya nighclubs. Faruh said that the terrorist plot was planned and organized from the Muqata, the office of Yasser Arafat and personal compound in Ramallah.

Israel's 2003 Population Figures

July 28….(Arutz) The latest official statistics for Israel's population are in, and the news is not great. The total number of people in the country (excluding the estimated 250,000 foreign workers) at the end of last year was 6.63 million, for a total annual growth of only 1.9%. This compares with a growth rate of 2.2% in 2001, and 2.6% in 2000. The seven largest cities in Israel are:

Jerusalem - 680,400 (up 1.6%)
Tel Aviv-Jaffa - 360,400 (0.7%)
Haifa - 270,800 (down 0.5%)
Rishon LeTzion - 211,600 (up almost 1.8%)
Ashdod - 187,500 (up more than 3.5%)
Be'er Sheva - 181,500 (up 2%).
Petach Tikvah - 172,600 (up 1.1%)

Bush, Abbas collide over 'road map' obstacles

July 26….(Washington Times) Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas yesterday charged that Israel's failure to stem violence in the Middle East threatens prospects for peace, but President Bush in a sharp retort said terrorism is the biggest obstacle. Mr. Abbas, meeting for the first time at the White House with the president, said the ambitious multinational "road map" to peace laid out with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon cannot be achieved "if Israel continues to grab Palestinian land." "If the settlement activities in Palestinian land and construction of the so-called 'separation wall' on confiscated Palestinian land continue, we might soon find ourselves at a situation where the foundation of peace, a free Palestine state, living side-by-side in peace and security in Israel is a factual impossibility," Mr. Abbas said.

"We have succeeded significantly, where Israel with its military might has failed, in reducing violence," added Mr. Abbas. President Bush expressed little patience for a return to the kind of violence that has ripped the Middle East for nearly three years. "I'm going to tell you point-blank that we must make sure that any terrorist activity is rooted out in order for us to be able to deal with these big issues," Mr. Bush told Mr. Abbas in a Rose Garden appearance. "Nobody is going to accept a situation in which they become less secure, whether it be the Palestinian people or the Israeli people. Security is the essential roadblock to achieving the road map to peace." President Bush did not join Mr. Abbas in calling for Israel to remove the wall, but did say the security boundary around large sections of Palestinian territory, ostensibly to protect Israeli civilians from terrorist attacks, was a "problem." "It is very difficult to develop confidence between the Palestinians and, Israel with a wall snaking through the West Bank," Mr. Bush said. "And I will continue to discuss this issue very clearly with the prime minister" of Israel, who visits the White House on Tuesday. On another top issue for Mr. Abbas , the Israeli release of Palestinian prisoners, Mr. Bush was not supportive. "Surely nobody wants to let a cold-blooded killer out of prison that would help derail the process," Mr. Bush said. "I mean, after all, it doesn't make any sense if you've got somebody who is bent upon destroying lives and killing people in prison to, if you were to let him out, it would make it harder to achieve the peace we all want. Still, President Bush expressed confidence in the peace process and the efforts of the Palestinian and Israeli leaders. "To break through old hatreds and barriers to peace, the Middle East needs leaders of vision and courage and determination to serve the interests of their people," the President said.

Abbas: Blind Support for Israel Means No Peace!

July 25….(Ha Aretz) Abbas, better known as Abu Mazen, told the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations that Israel's approach to the peace plan had shown a "pattern of hesitant implementation" from the start. "Without bold steps we will not succeed," he added. Abbas went on to tell congressional leaders Thursday that Israel was undermining Bush's vision of Middle East peace by continuing to build settlements on the West Bank and constructing the security fence to separate Israel from Palestinian areas. A Palestinian official close to Abbas said he had told the leaders in a closed session that "if Congress continues blindly to support Israel without considering Palestinian concerns, then President Bush's vision will not be attainable." Still, Abbas pledged again to pursue reform within the Palestinian movement and to implement the U.S.-backed road map for peace with Israel that envisions a Palestinian state by 2005. Abbas urged Congress to convince Israel to stop settlement activity and stop building the security wall because both undermine the possibility of a two-state solution and it would lead to the unmaking of President Bush's vision," said a Palestinian official traveling with Abu Mazen. "He said the security wall is inhumane and uncivilized and is not the way to promote coexistence. Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom has rejected opposition by Washington and the PA to Israel's ssecurity/separation fence in the West Bank in talks this week with National Security Adviser Condoleezze Rice, insisting that the fence will actually help the peace process by thwarting terror attacks by Palestinian militants bent on wrecking it. Abbas also brought up the fence in his meeting with about 50 Jewish representatives. He made very clear that he doesn't like the fence. He will express that to President Bush today.

FOJ Note: If Mr. Abbas doesn't like the separation fence, then he should do something about his terrorists. The fence is not intended for separation as much as it is for security, which the PA won't do anything about. Mr. Abbas in his speech before Congress, in reality is also criticizing America for holding onto its Christian-Zionist roots.

Killing Jews & Christians in God's Service?

July 24….(FOJ) Christians are being executed and persecuted all around the world today. America is called the Great Satan and Israel the little Satan. Anti-Semitism abounds on every continent. Yet people today wonder why fanatical Muslims in most parts of the world seem to dislike Americans, or more specifically, Jews and Christians. Well, in the Koran, Allah teaches that the Christian will go to hell for preaching the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and that he is the Son of God. Islam generally shuns Christianity, and labels us as Infidels for being “people of the corrupt book”. “Infidels” in the Quran are defined as Jews who “disbelieve” in Allah and his messenger; and also Christians who believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died on the Cross and was resurrected from the dead and is the atonement for the sins of the world. Muhammad said: The last hour will not come before the Muslims fight the Jews and the Muslims kill them.” “He who dies without having fought, or having felt it to be his duty, will die guilty of a kind of hypocrisy.” “There is no emigration after the Conquest, but only jihad, so when you are summoned to fight, go forth and kill them.” This hostility is extended to Christians as well for “associating a son with God” and calling Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

John 15:20-John 16:4 (Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me. If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin. He that hateth me hateth my Father also. If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father. But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause. But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning. These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them.)

Egypt, Syria Preserving Insurgency Assets

July 23….(Middle East News Line) Egypt and Syria are said to be seeking to preserve Islamic insurgency assets as part of the military capabilities of the two Arab states. Cairo and Damascus have been wooing groups deemed by the United States as terrorists as part of a strategy to bolster the strategic assets of Egypt and Syria. Egypt has been intensifying cooperation with such groups as Hamas and Islamic Jihad while Syria has been bolstering its relationship with Hizbullah. Both of these countries are making serious efforts to save these terrorist groups from the US global war on terrorism in the hope that in three or four years the world will forget about Al Qaida and 9/11. The main attempt is to save the terrorist infrastructure for the future.

FOJ Note: One must consider if this geo-political strategy by Egypt and Syria lines up with the “King of the North” and King of the South” prophetic scenario of the Tribulation era? (Daniel 11:36-45)

Arafat: 'Grave Consequences' Over Jewish Trips to Temple Mount

July 23….(Ha Aretz) Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat warned of "grave consequences" Tuesday if Israel continues to allow Jews to visit the Temple Mount. Muslem guards at the Temple Mount tried Tuesday to stop groups of Jews from performing religious rituals there. Police then removed the Jews from the Temple Mount. Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, on a visit to Egypt and Jordan before he embarks on his trip to Washington, called the Israeli act "provocative" during a press conference with Arab League Secretary-General Amr Mussa in Cairo. Mussa echoed the feeling and said he received a call from Arafat warning of the gravity of this step. He called the developments "very dangerous" and "an insult to Moslems everywhere.” The police have recently broadened the visits they coordinate to the Temple Mount and now sometimes allow religious Jews wearing religious skullcaps to enter the plaza area, which the Waqf Muslim religious trust closed to non-Muslims after the riots following then-opposition leader Ariel Sharon's visit there in September 2000. Palestinians say the visit sparked the Al-Aqsa Intifada, named for the mosque on the mount. The new relaxation in the rules is a gradual process meant to reinstate the status quo before the Sharon visit. However, police will not allow group Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount and will not allow known members of the various Temple Mount groups that call for the reconstruction of the Temple and demolition of the mosques to visit the site.

The Iran-Syria Axis & Bush

July 23….(Washington Times) When it comes to terrorism, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past 21 months make it abundantly clear that President Bush is not one to engage in empty rhetoric. So, when the president on Monday read the riot act to Iran and Syria, criticizing those governments for supporting terrorists bent on wrecking the Mideast peace process, one would think that his words deserved prominent Page one coverage. "Today, Syria and Iran continue to harbor and assist terrorists. This behavior is completely unacceptable, and states that support terror will be held accountable," the president warned, adding that Tehran and Damascus should support the peace efforts of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas. Right now, it would be difficult to think of two governments that are doing more to undermine American foreign policy interests than these two governments. Both regimes have supported terrorist groups that are staunchly opposed to Mr. Bush's road map for Israeli-Palestinian peace, and have been funneling arms and money to Islamic terrorist groups in an effort to sabotage the peace process. The two regimes are also working to undermine efforts to stabilize Iraq, where nearly 150,000 U.S. troops are stationed. Senior U.S. officials say Damascus has done nothing to prevent Iraqi, Lebanese and Syrian radicals from crossing into Iraq to carry out attacks on American troops in Iraq. (This includes, at a minimum, a few dozen Hezbollah fighters who were permitted to cross Syrian territory to attack U.S. forces in Iraq.) For its part, Tehran is also harboring al Qaeda operatives who fled Iraq once the U.S. military operation got underway in March, as well as operatives who fled Afghanistan in the wake of the U.S. military campaign that began four weeks after the September 11 attacks. American officials also believe that al Qaeda operatives based in Iran were behind the May 12 attack on Riyadh compounds housing Westerners, in which 20 died. Moreover, with all of this, Iran continues to stonewall against International Atomic Energy Agency inspections of its nuclear weapons facilities.

Pentagon: Saddam's Sons Killed in Raid

July 23….(DEBKA) The sons of ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein were killed by U.S. troops in the northern city of Mosul after a tipster betrayed their hideout, the commander of U.S. ground forces in Iraq said Tuesday. The bodies of Uday and Qusay Hussein were identified from "multiple sources," Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez told reporters in Baghdad. "The bodies are in a condition where you could identify them. "They resisted the detention and the efforts of the coalition forces to go in there and apprehend them, and they were killed in the ensuing gunfight and the attacks that we conducted on the residence. Late Sunday night, July 20, or early Monday morning, Qusay Hussein, his 14-year old son Mustafa and his brother Uday arrived at the spacious villa estate of their father's cousin three times removed in the northeastern al Falah district of Mosul. That cousin, Marwan Zeidan of the Abu Nasser tribe, is one of Mosul's richest and most colorful figures. Zeidan's villa is surrounded by Kurdish families loyal to Jalal Talabani, head of the Kurdish Patriotic Union. These neighbors were the first to catch sight of Saddam's sons when they arrived at the villa. Qusay habitually took his teenage son everywhere to keep him safe for the succession, in case something happened to Saddam or himself. They were on their way to or from Syria. The Kurdish leader and US military chiefs conferred and decided that intelligence would go ahead and secretly surround the Zeidan villa and bar it to both ingress and egress, also installing sensors and eavesdropping devices. The Kurdish agents were instructed to prepare the site for the US special forces to come in by helicopter and seize the building and Saddam's two sons. The American-Kurdish command decided to occupy the houses around the target villa before the main assault. A US special force of some 200 commandos landed early Tuesday, July 22, and opened fire on the villa. The three Husseins and their bodyguard went down shooting, overwhelmed by US ground fire and helicopter-fired missiles. The US commander waited two or three hours before giving the order to storm the property in case more people were hiding in cellars or outhouses or trying to escape through hidden exits. Pilot-less Predator drones were lofted to survey the property from all sides. However when the troops went in, they found no one but the charred, bullet-riddled bodies of Saddam's two sons, his grandson and their bodyguard. However Saddam himself still eludes capture along with his cached weapons of mass destruction, each of which is probably in Syria!

Saddam Believed Operating From Syria

July 22….(Middle East News Line) The United States is quietly examining the prospect that deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is operating from Syria. Western intelligence sources said the United States is reviewing evidence that suggests that Saddam and his younger son, Qusay, might have succeeded in escaping to Syria. They said an examination of radio intercepts as well as other circumstantial evidence point to them relaying orders and funds from Syria to Sunni strongholds north of Baghdad. "At this point, there are only bits and pieces," a senior intelligence source said. "But it has interested some in the U.S. intelligence community to focus on whether Saddam is either living in or operating from Syria." The sources said the Defense Department and the U.S. military have assessed that Saddam's senior aides, if not the deposed president himself, fled to Syria in April. They said the Iraqis might have received help from Belarus or Russia, close allies to the Saddam regime.

FOJ Note: Was this the reason for President Bush's warning to Syria and Iran yesterday? President Bush is also scheduled to meet Ariel Sharon and Mahmoud Abbas this week.

UN's Anan Critical of US in Iraq

July 22….(Toronto Star) Secretary General Kofi Annan urged the United States today to quickly restore control of Iraq to its people, warning the US that "democracy can't be imposed from the outside." In a 23-page report to the Security Council, Annan also noted concerns about the U.S. treatment of Iraqi detainees and the failure to improve security in Baghdad. While Annan welcomed the creation of the U.S.-picked Iraqi Governing Council, he wrote that Iraqis had expressed "an overwhelming demand for self-rule." "It is important that Iraqis are able to see a clear timetable leading to the full restoration of sovereignty," Annan wrote. The critical tone of Anan's report was unlikely to help U.S. efforts to win support for an international peacekeeping force that could relieve overburdened American troops in Iraq.

Peres Calls For “Internationalization of Jerusalem”

July 22….(Reuters) Shimon Peres, the head of Israel's opposition Labor Party, has suggested resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict over Jerusalem by putting its holy sites under U.N. stewardship, a spokesman said Tuesday. His plan calls for declaring a holy area of sites sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims in Jerusalem's old walled city as a "world capital," with the U.N. Secretary-General serving as mayor, Peres' spokesman Yoram Dori told Reuters. Israel claims Jerusalem as its capital, including the Arab eastern part captured in the 1967 Middle East War and annexed in a move that is not recognized internationally. Palestinians want to make East Jerusalem capital of the state they hope to establish in the West Bank and Gaza Strip under a U.S.-backed peace plan. Israel has previously rejected the proposals “raised by the Vatican” to internationalize Jerusalem.

FOJ Note: The Papacy (Pope Pius XII) was the 1947 architect of the concept of Internationalization of Jerusalem! The Vatican, from Pius XII through John Paul I, refused to recognize the State of Israel. This was underscored in Pius' major disciple, Pope Paul VI who, during his trip to Israel in January of 1964, refrained from even mentioning Israel other than to refer to it in terms of the Holy Land. Since those popes insisted on the internationalization of Jerusalem, the effect was to harden Israel's view towards the Vatican. However, Pope John Paul II turned the diplomatic tables around by recognizing the State of Israel in the agreements signed on December 30, 1993. The UN Resolution 303 for Jerusalem is based upon the Vatican concept of “corpus separatum.” (corpus separatum means that the corporate limits of Jerusalem should be separated from the sovereignty of any State)

American Jews Immigrating to Israel

July 22….(Ha Aretz) Thousands of Americans are giving up relatively comfortable lives to move to Israel, lured by Zionism, idealism, a sense of belonging, and programs that entice young people with offers of study and tuition-free college education. The exodus is nationwide, but in few places is it more pronounced than in South Florida, with its sizable Jewish population that has strong ties to Israel. "I always dreamed of coming to live in Israel," says Floridian David Michael Pollock. "It wasn't as acute until the Intifada started," Pollock said. "Watching the attacks on the news, I felt I had to be with my people." This year marks the second consecutive year that a record-breaking number of American Jews will resettle in Israel, according to officials in Israel and the United States. The exodus, referred to in Hebrew as Aliyah, is subsidized in part by the Israeli government through the quasi-governmental Jewish Agency for Israel and a host of private organizations in the United States. This year 2,400 Americans will have resettled in Israel compared to 2,040 last year. Through 18 regional Aliyah centers across the United States, the Jewish Agency for Israel issues $3,300 grants to individuals approved for resettlement in Israel. As one American Aliyah immigrant said, “as a Jew I think my place is in the land of Israel."

Woe Unto Thee USA-(it may be more tolerable)

July 22….(FOJ) Jesus spent much of his early ministry preaching and doing miracles in the Capernaum-Bethsaida-Chorazin area. Capernaum was just 10-12 miles from Jesus hometown of Nazareth. This area saw more of Jesus miracles and ministry than any spot on earth. The city of Capernaum, on the Northwest corner of the Sea of Galilee basically served as Jesus central headquarters during his pre-Jerusalem ministry, yet Jesus sternly upbraided the city for its un-repentance. Jesus went even further; he issued a sternly worded warning that the rejection of his personal visit would cause them to be held to a higher level of accountability than the cities that had not witnessed his personal visitation and blessings. Since America has had the unique blessing of hearing the word of God more than any other nation in the world, I sincerely fear for my beloved country, (in its current unrepentant and back-slidden state) when I pause to consider God's righteous judgment, and our accountability!

Matthew 11:20-24 Then began he (Jesus) to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not: Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee. Luke 12:48 (“For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required:”)

Bush Warns Iran, Syria to Stop 'Terror' Support

July 21….(Reuters) President Bush accused Iran and Syria on Monday of supporting militants seeking to undo the fragile Middle East peace process and warned they would be held accountable. Today Syria and Iran continue to harbor and assist terrorists. This behavior is completely unacceptable and states that support terror will be held accountable," Bush said. Bush has branded Iran -- along with North Korea and the Iraq of ousted President Saddam Hussein -- as a member of an "axis of evil" that threatens to spread terrorism. Washington charges Iran is not doing enough against members of the militant al Qaeda network. U.S. officials have also accused Syria of backing Palestinian and Lebanese groups it classifies as terrorist, concerned their conflict with Israel could endanger the Middle East peace process. Bush urged Middle Eastern governments including Syria and Iran to support Middle East peace efforts. "Both Prime Minister Abbas and Prime Minister Sharon are showing leadership and courage. Now it is time for governments across the Middle East to support the efforts of these two men by fighting terror in all its forms," Bush said. A senior Bush administration official said Bush raised the topic as a timely reminder that the war on terrorism continues and that it is a hopeful moment for Middle East peace efforts.

Iraqi Shia Continue to Harangue US

July 21….(Telegraph) Thousands of Iraqi Shias amassed in the holy city of Najaf, 100 miles south of Baghdad, yesterday staging perhaps the largest anti-American demonstration since Saddam Hussein's fall. They came carrying swords, others waving the flags of the Shia Muslim faith and all chanting: "Down with the invaders." The demonstration came on a day when two more American soldiers were killed as their convoy was ambushed near the northern town of Mosul. Yesterday's protest took place in the heartland of Iraq's Shia majority. Shia leaders were among the first to cheer Saddam's overthrow and welcome American and British forces. The demonstration showed how much of that goodwill has dissipated. "Saddam killed us and pushed us into prison. Now the Americans are doing the same," bellowed one cleric over a rasping loudspeaker to the angry crowd. The spark for the demonstration took place on Friday when Muqtader al-Sadr, the son of a revered Shia ayatollah murdered by Saddam in 1999, denounced Iraq's new Governing Council. During prayers in a Najaf mosque, al-Sadr branded the US and British-appointed organization a "Zionist Council".

Pope: "International Law, A Path for Peace"

July 21….(EWTN) The theme chosen by Pope John Paul for the January 1, 2004 World Day of Peace is "International Law, A Path for Peace," according to a communique released yesterday afternoon. The communique states that this theme "hopes to underline the importance of law as a guarantee of international relations aimed at promoting peace among nations. The recent war in Iraq, in fact, showed all the fragility of international law, especially regarding the functioning of the United Nations." On January 13, 1997, in his annual address to the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See, Pope John Paul expressed his conviction that "International law has been for some time a law of war and peace. I believe it is called ever more to become exclusively a law of peace conceived as a function of justice and solidarity." The basic principles behind this conviction states the communique are the same principles that inspire the Church's commitment in favor of peace: equality in dignity for every human person and every human community, the unity of the human family, the primacy of law over force. "Humanity is facing a crucial challenge: if it does not succeed in providing really efficacious institutions to avert the scourge of war, the risk is that the law of force will prevail over the force of law. At a world level, international law is called to be an instrument of justice that is capable of producing fruits of peace. The law therefore has the duty of harmoniously regulating international realities, so that conflicts may be prevented without recourse to arms, but rather through mechanisms and structures able to assure justice, removing the causes of potential conflicts." The statement concludes: "The world today more than ever needs to live in a renewed and authentic spirit of international legitimacy: the next World Day of Peace intends to offer the Church's contribution in this regard."

Arafat Thwarted Statehood for Palestinians?

July 21….(Jack Kinsella) What if the Palestinians found out that they were conned by their leadership into fighting with Israel over something they never wanted in the first place? Three years ago, Jerusalem exploded with violence as Arafat kicked off the latest uprising using a pre-arranged 5 a.m. visit by Ariel Sharon to Temple Mount as an excuse. Arafat incited the Palestinians after he flatly rejected to accept victory at Camp David. When Ehud Barak offered him everything he had been asking for, Arafat, frightened that he might lose his position as warlord by accepting Barak's offer, added a new ingredient he knew Barak could not agree to. He demanded the 'Right of Return' for the alleged 'refugees' from 1948. Virtually all the 'refugees' became refugees by choosing to flee Israel as the Arabs invaded. However some Arabs remained, and are today Israeli Arab citizens. They enjoy the same rights as any other Israeli, including representation in the Knesset. The 'refugees' heeded the Arab countries massing to attack the fledgling Jewish State. They were encouraged to flee, and were promised their holdings back after the Jews were destroyed. When the Arab states lost, the Arabs who fled hoping to return to a Jew-free Palestine became 'refugees'. The fact that they chose their condition voluntarily is one of those historical facts that get lost in the retelling of the big lie. So the 'Right of Return for the Refugees' has been the new war cry since Arafat turned down Statehood three years ago. Do the Palestinian people realize that Arafat give up statehood for the Palestinians over an issue as intractable as the Right of Return? The Arabs know Israel would never accept it. There are already 1.2 million Israeli Arabs in a country populated by 5.5 million Jews. The alleged 'refugees,' plus their descendants, a key issue, number almost 4 million more. And the Arab side isn't demanding a right of return for these 'refugees' to a new Palestinian state. The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research just released the results of a poll conducted among Palestinian 'refugees' distributed almost equally between Jordan, Lebanon and the West Bank and Gaza. The poll was conducted according to accepted standards and has a margin of error of less than 3 percent. The question was about the Right of Return from the viewpoint of those on whose behalf the two year intifada is being fought. Guess what! They don't want to return! No kidding! The question involved being granted full Israeli citizenship, living under Israeli laws and Israeli rule inside Israel's Green Line. More than half would move to a new Palestinian state. Less than ten percent would move to Israel if they were granted full citizenship and the 'Right of Return'! And Arafat turned down statehood over ten percent. Thousands of Israelis and more thousands of Palestinians have been killed or horribly maimed over this issue.

Bush Scraps Syria WMD Inquiry

July 18….(Middle East News Line) The Bush administration has pressed Congress to scrap a House subcommittee hearing on Syrian weapons of mass destruction. Congressional sources and government officials said the White House warned the House leadership that a hearing on Syrian WMD would disrupt Middle East peace efforts and endanger U.S. troops in Iraq. The White House, under severe criticism for releasing unconfirmed WMD intelligence on Iraq, also argued that a hearing on Syrian biological, chemical or nuclear programs would provoke alarm. The House International Relations subcommittee on the Middle East and Asia agreed to cancel a hearing with Undersecretary of State John Bolton, responsible for administration policy on nonproliferation. Bolton was to have presented a detailed dossier on Syria's WMD programs.

Temple Mount: Religious Jews Sometimes Allowed

July 18….(Ha Aretz) Israeli police have broadened the visits it coordinates to the Temple Mount to occasionally allow religious Jews wearing kippas to enter the plaza area, which the Waqf Muslim religious trust closed to non-Muslims after the riots following then-opposition leader Ariel Sharon's visit there in September 2000. The visits began with police in plain clothes, then groups of tourists, first Christians only, and then foreign Jews. Secular Israeli tourists followed, and now some religious Jews will be allowed to visit. But police will not allow known members of the various Temple Mount groups that call for the reconstruction of the Temple and demolition of the mosques to visit the mount. Group Jewish prayesr will not be allowed either if there is a return to the status quo. Yesterday was the 17th of Tammuz, the anniversary of the breaching of the walls of the city in the Roman siege of Jerusalem in 70AD. Yesha Rabbis Council Chairman Dov Lior issued a statement demanding that the government "restore full Israeli sovereignty to the Temple Mount, the site of the Temple, and open it to Jewish prayer."

Blair: Mideast Peace Key To Winning War On Terror

July 18….(Ha Aretz) British Prime Minister Tony Blair told the United States Congress on Thursday that the war on terror would not be won without peace between Israel and the Palestinians. "There is one cause terrorism rides upon, a cause they have no belief in but can manipulate," he said. "I want to be very plain: This terrorism will not be defeated without peace in the Middle East between Israel and Palestine." In the first address to Congress by a British Prime Minister since Margaret Thatcher in 1985, Blair said that the entire Arab world must recognize the State of Israel, and end incitement against both Israel and Jews. "Here it is that the poison is incubated. Here it is that the extremist is able to confuse in the mind of a frighteningly large number of people the case for a Palestinian state and the destruction of Israel, and to translate this moreover into a battle between East and West, Muslim, Jew and Christian.

Saddam's Fall Causes Terrorist Cash Shortage
Downfall of Dictator Results in Power Vacuum in Arafat's Fatah

July 18….(Geostrategy) The downfall of Saddam Hussein has led to a shortage of funds for terrorists and has also created a power vacuum among terrorist organizations in general and Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement in particular, reports intelligence newsletter Geostrategy-Direct. This power vacuum has been most strongly felt in southern Lebanon. Palestinian sources said all of the Iraqi-financed Palestinian organizations have suspended public activities, such as rallies and marches. Iraq had been directly funding such groups as the Arab Liberation Front, the Palestine Liberation Front and the Arab Socialist Party. Saddam's demise has also led to renewed pressure on the Palestinians by Lebanon and Syria. Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat has approved a series of appointments in the Fatah leadership in Lebanon. The first changes have already been made in Fatah's organization, including the Fatah commander for the Beirut area, sources said. Arafat's Fatah has the largest presence in Lebanon outside of the Palestinian Authority. Lebanon has more than 300,000 Palestinian refugees and Fatah controls the Ein Hilwe camp outside Sidon, with a population of 75,000.

Supreme Judge is God Almighty

July 17….(CBN) Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence, wrote: 'You seem to think that the Supreme Court is the ultimate arbiter of constitutional interpretation, a very dangerous doctrine indeed and one that would place us under the tyranny of an oligarchy.' (and not the basis for a Republic) How wise Jefferson was. Yet even Mr. Jefferson couldn't have foreseen what the Supreme Court has done to the Constitution of the United States since 1962. Just think what five unelected judges have done to our nation's moral framework. "In 1962, they ruled prayer out of the public schools. In 1963, they ruled the Bible out of public schools. In 1973, they applied a "right of privacy" not found in the Constitution as the basis for opening the door to the slaughter of more than 43,000,000 innocent unborn children. Now, the Supreme Court has declared a constitutional right to consensual sodomy and has opened the door to homosexual marriages, bigamy, legalized prostitution, and even incest. "But there is a higher tribunal than the United States Supreme Court. It is the Judge of all the earth. We must earnestly come before Him now and cry out for redress of our grievances. God loves America as much as we do, and He does not wish to destroy it. But no culture has ever endured which has turned openly to homosexuality, and no society has ever been spared the wrath of God which has been guilty of slaughtering tens of millions of the innocent, and rejected his statutes." (ten commandments)

Christian Zionism in America

July 17….(FOJ) I can easily foresee the day coming when the last outpost of Christian support for Israel in the world, the US, will under increasingly severe international pressure, finally succumb and toe "the politically correct line," of the world, and abandon Israel to the wolves. America's Christian solidarity with Israel should not be surprising, as it manifests a Christian form of Zionism that is nearly two centuries old. Christian support for the creation of a Jewish state originated in England, becoming a significant movement in the Victorian period. In 1840, the British foreign secretary, Lord Palmerston, "strongly" recommended that the Ottoman government then ruling Palestine "hold out every just encouragement to the Jews of Europe to return to Palestine." In 1891, the greatest early Christian support in the United States for a Jewish state occurred, the "Blackstone Memorial," a petition that carried the signatures of 413 prominent Americans was formed. The memorial asked America's leaders to use their good offices and influence to secure the holding at an early date of an international conference to consider the condition of the Israelites and their claims to Palestine as their ancient home. The Blackstone Memorial had the effect of "firmly planting in many minds" the "notion of American sponsorship of a Jewish return to Palestine." The Balfour Declaration of November 1917, (after winning WWI) whereby the British government announced that it favored "the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people," was perhaps the single most important act premised in Christian Zionism. Harry S. Truman's recognition of Israel, against the nearly total opposition of his administration, was probably second. Truman's pro-Israel outlook "was based primarily on an outgrowth of the president's religious upbringing and his familiarity with the Bible." To those who wonder why America follows Middle East policies so different from the European states, a large part of the answer has to do with America's tradition of Christian Zionism, and its Biblical heritage.

Iraq Has Become A Guerrilla War

July 17….(Washington Post) The U.S. military's new commander in Iraq acknowledged for the first time yesterday that American troops are engaged in a "classical guerrilla-type" war against remnants of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein's Baath Party and said Baathist attacks are growing in organization and sophistication. The statements by Army Gen. John P. Abizaid, in his first Pentagon briefing since taking charge of the U.S. Central Command last week, were in sharp contrast with earlier statements by Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld. Abizaid offered an expansive and troubling assessment of conditions on the ground in Iraq. In addition to the guerrilla campaign being waged by the Baathists, he cited a resurgence of Ansar al-Islam, a fundamentalist group the State Department says is tied to al Qaeda, and the appearance of either al Qaeda or al Qaeda "look-alike" fighters on the battlefield. The Baathist attacks, most troubling to U.S. forces, he said, are being staged by former mid-level Iraqi intelligence officials and Special Republican Guard personnel, who have organized cells at the regional level and demonstrated the ability to attack U.S. personnel with improvised explosives and tactical maneuvers. These Iraqi forces, Abizaid said, "are conducting what I would describe as a classical guerrilla-type campaign against us. It's low-intensity conflict in our doctrinal terms, but it's war however you describe it." Abizaid's remarks were in sharp contrast to those of Rumsfeld, his boss, who insisted from the same lectern 21/2 weeks ago that the U.S. military was not involved in a guerrilla war and who said as recently as Sunday on ABC News that the fighting in Iraq did not fit the definition of guerrilla war.

Congress Discusses Sanctions On Syria

July 16….(Middle East News Line) The US Congress is preparing to formally discuss the imposition of additional U.S. sanctions on Syria. The House of Representatives is expected to discuss legislation that would impose an embargo as well as other sanctions on Syria as early as this week. Legislation has been introduced in both the House and Senate that would impose U.S. sanctions unless Syria expels groups deemed as terrorists and ends its occupation of neighboring Lebanon. The hearing in the House International Relations Committee is expected to disclose the Bush Administration's position on the proposed sanctions. The State Department, which fought off a similar effort in 2002, has urged the White House to oppose the Syria Accountability Act. (the State Department is anti-Israel, and pro-Arab) So far, the bill has garnered the support of a majority of the House and Senate. The Syria Accountability Act has 238 backers in the House and 63 in the Senate.

CIA: Assessment of Syria's WMD Exaggerated

July 16….(KRT) In a new dispute over interpreting intelligence data, the CIA and other agencies objected vigorously to a Bush Administration assessment of the threat of Syria's weapons of mass destruction that was to be presented Tuesday on Capitol Hill. After the objections, the planned testimony by Undersecretary of State John R. Bolton, a leading administration hawk, was delayed until September. U.S. officials told Knight Ridder that Bolton was prepared to tell members of a House of Representatives International Relations subcommittee that Syria's development of biological, chemical and nuclear weapons had progressed to such a point that they posed a threat to stability in the region. The CIA and other intelligence agencies said that assessment was exaggerated. Syria has come under increasing U.S. pressure during and after the Iraq war for allegedly giving refuge to members of Saddam Hussein's regime, allowing foreign fighters to cross into Iraq to attack U.S. troops and for backing Palestinian militant groups that were conducting terrorist strikes on Israel. After Saddam's government fell, some Bush aides hinted that the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus might be the next U.S. target.

Remember the Jenin Massacre Hoopla

July 15….(Jerusalem Post) The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs has provided exclusive evidence to the Jerusalem Post that Palestinian sources have confirmed that only 34 Palestinian armed terrorists were killed fighting in the battle for the Jenin Refugee Camp last year. The total number of Palestinian causalities in the battle was 52, a sharp contrast from the claims of Palestinian propaganda professionals who have openly stated that thousands had died, and that a massacre had taken place. The battle, which was a part of Israel's Defensive Shield Operation against terrorism, took place between April 4 and April 11 of 2002. The study reveals that Fatah, Islamic Jihad and Hamas terrorists prepared themselves thoroughly with automatic weapons, grenades, anti-tank missiles and explosives and perceived the confrontation with IDF troops as nothing less than a "military to military battle." The study refutes claims by PA leaders at the time that IDF forces were attacking innocent civilians and that the only Palestinians who had perished in the battle of Jenin were innocent, unarmed Palestinian men, women and children. "The study directly contradicts the baseless charges made by PA leaders including Saeb Erekat, that Israel had massacred 500 Palestinians in Jenin," former UN Ambassador and JCPA director Dore Gold told The Jerusalem Post. "That blatant lie made its way from the screens of CNN to the UN Security Council". Among other revelations that the study illustrates is that a joint military operations room had been established by Fatah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad in preparation for the battle of Jenin. In addition the research indicates that Fatah, Islamic Jihad and Hamas had created a joint bomb making facility in Jenin which produced over two tons of explosives. The JCPA paper states that civilians were intentionally used as human shields and that both women and children were deployed by Fatah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad to divert IDF troops into ambushes and booby-trapped areas. The Jenin Refugee Camp was prepared as a "reinforced fortress" where nearly 200 Palestinian terrorists had gathered for the battle, the JCPA reveals.

FOJ Note: The myth of a massacre at Jenin was the 'crown jewel' of a sophisticated plot by the PLO and the UN to delegitimize the State of Israel.

Confirming the Covenant With Many?

July 14….(FOJ) The European Union has plans to pressure Muslim countries, first and foremost being Pakistan, to recognize Israel once the peace process is rejuvenated. The EU plans to present an ultimatum to the Muslim world next year, or at some point after the EU elects a permanent Super-President! In exchange for Palestine's acceptance as a full member of the United Nations, they will have to recognize Israel. One of the people most active in pushing this issue is Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who currently occupies the EU's rotating presidency. Berlusconi has told Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom in Rome recently that he wants to get as many Muslim states as possible actively involved in the peace process. In its messages to the Muslim world, the EU is stressing that the roadmap peace plan is based on and similar to the Saudi Arabian plan, which the Arab League has already approved.

Focus on Jerusalem has always highlighted the fact that the eventual Antichrist will “confirm the covenant” with MANY: (Daniel 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,)

Arafat Still Killing His Own Kids

July 14….(FOJ) Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat has once again called on Palestinian children to follow the example of Fares Odeh, a 13-year-old boy from the Gaza Strip who has been immortalized posthumously with a photograph showing him throwing stones at an IDF tank. Odeh was allegedly killed on November 8, 2000 after being shot by IDF soldiers. Arafat in speaking at a reception held in his headquarters in Ramallah for hundreds of children from Jerusalem participating in summer camps, lionized the pre-teenage icons of suicide bombings, giving long orations on becoming Shahids. (suicide-martyrs) At each reception repeats he reiterated his famous statement that the day will come when a Palestinian child will hoist the Palestinian flag over the walls of Jerusalem's Old City, its minarets and churches.

FOJ Note: Former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir once responded to a question about when peace would exist between Israeli's and Palestinians with the following quotation. “There will be peace between us when the Palestinian's love their kids more than they hate us.” Yasser Arafat has uniquely and sadly demonstrated the truth of Mrs. Meir's words.

Sharon Considering Removing Arafat

July 14….(Fox News) Israeli officials have threatened to arrest or deport Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat unless he stops undermining Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said in a Fox News interview that it is important to understand that Yasser Arafat is making every effort to undermine him. It's very, very important that Abu Mazen be able to continue his work. He understands that Israel, the Jews cannot be defeated by terror. And he understands also that the suffering of the Palestinians is the result of Yasser Arafat's strategy, a strategy of terror. Yasser Arafat, who has now conducted a strategy of terror over the last 40 years, is a leader that has not brought anything, no peace, but only a lot of suffering to the Palestinians, said Sharon. “Arafat should be removed from any position of influence.”

How Christians Have Lost America

July 14….(FOJ) The very first US Congress formed the American Bible Society. Immediately after creating the Declaration of Independence in 1779, the Continental Congress voted to purchase and import 20,000 copies of the Bible for the people of this nation. The 20th century (1963) Supreme Court took the Bible away from the people!

Patrick Henry in 1776, wrote this, "It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great Nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For that reason alone, people of other faiths have been afforded freedom of worship here."

Today, America is open to all religions, and all gods (tolerance) of the world except the teachings of Jesus Christ. The American Republic (Christian) has been transformed into a social Democracy.

Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President of the United States confirmed that America was formed as a Christian Republic when he wrote, "The foundations of our society and our government rest so much on the teachings of the Bible that it would be difficult to support them if faith in these teachings would cease to be practically universal in our country." Today, we find that America's original foundation has been uprooted, and our house is occupied by other teachings.

In 1782, the United States Congress voted this resolution: '"The Congress of the United States recommends and approves the Holy Bible for use in all schools." Today, the Bible is unwelcome in any public or governmental venue.

William Holmes McGuffey was the author of the McGuffey Reader, which was used for over 100 years in our public schools with over 125 million copies sold until it was stopped in 1963. President Lincoln called him the "Schoolmaster of the Nation." Listen to these words of Mr. McGuffey: "The Christian religion is the religion of our country. From it are derived our notions on the character of God, on the great moral Governor of the universe. Since 1963, America has been on a downward spiral towards hell!

James Madison, the primary author of the Constitution of the United States, said this: "We have staked the whole future of our new nation not upon the power of government; far from it. We have staked the future of all our political constitutions upon the capacity of each of ourselves to govern ourselves according to the moral principles of the Ten Commandments." Today, we cannot even display the Ten Commandments in public!

Psalms 11:3 If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?

The Terminal Generation

July 11….(FOJ) There was a certain old man in the 1st century Israel who was promised that he should not die before he had seen Jesus the Christ. (Luke 2:25-26 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.) That same prophetic paradigm holds true for the Last Days generation. One particular generation is slated to not taste of death before Jesus returns. In the same fashion as Enoch missed death, but was translated, the Christian generation alive at Jesus return shall be translated. Jesus also alluded to this fact in his Olivert Discourse: (Matthew 24:34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.) Paul later attested to this phenomenal event in his letter to the Thessalonians. (I Thessalonians 4:15-18 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are “alive and remain” shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.)

Let us therefore today be comforted, because we are (you and I) are seeing these things come to pass. Like old Simeon, we shall soon see Jesus!

Sheikh of Sunni Islam Condemns Suicide Attacks

July 11….(Weekend) One of the world's most influential Islamic leaders has condemned all attacks by suicide bombers at an international conference for Islamic scholars. (What took so long?) Grand Sheikh Mohammed Sayed Tantawi of the Al-Azhar mosque of Cairo, which is seen as the highest authority in Sunni Islam said groups which carried out suicide bombings were the enemies of Islam. Speaking at the conference in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, Sheikh Tantawi said extremist Islamic groups had appropriated Islam and its notion of jihad, or holy struggle, for their own ends. He called on Muslim nations to open themselves to dialogue with the West saying Islamic nations should "wholeheartedly open our arms to the people who want peace with us". "I do not subscribe to the idea of a clash among civilizations. Sheikh Tantawi said Muslim suicide attacks, including those against Israelis, were wrong and could not be justified.

Bush Administration: Desperate to Prop up Mazen

July 10….(FOJ) With the cease-fire showing signs of limping along more slowly day by day, and with the PA taking no action to whatsoever disarm the terrorists, and amidst PA-terrorist threats that Israel had better release thousands of terrorists, and Abu Mazen running to hide, the U.S. is turning to Israel to extricate the roadmap from the ditch. John Wolfe, special American envoy on the Israeli-PA conflict met with IDF Minister Sha'ul Mofaz today and asked Mofaz to have Israel speed up the dismantling of West Bank (Yesha) outposts and to release additional terrorists to placate the terrorists demands. Wait, there's more: Wolfe will also ask Israel to remove IDF checkpoints in various areas in Yesha, as a "gesture" towards the PA. The checkpoints serve a crucial purpose in Israel's war against terrorism. Meanwhile it is reported that Arafat has hinted to Hamas and Islamic Jihad that the interests of the Palestiniain people require the renewal of more terror attacks. Yet the Palestinians are due to receive $124.5 million from the U.S. Agency for International Development, while the State Department's refugees bureau provides Palestinians with $89 million through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). Annual U.S. aid to the Palestinians is usually about $200 million, with about $75 million going through UNRWA. The Bush Administration cited “National Security” as the reason for additional rushed aid to the PA.

Persia: Key to Ezekiel's Russian Invasion

July 10….(FOJ) Iran has always been a kingdom that was geographically situated between competing world powers. Persis or Parsa, was the name of an Indo-European nomadic people who migrated into the area around 1000 BC. The use of the name “Iran” was gradually extended by the ancient Greeks and other Western peoples to apply to the whole Iranian plateau. The people of Iran have always called their country Iran, and in 1935 the government requested that the name Iran be used instead of Persia. Most people today, know Persia or Iran through its carpets, its caviar, its costly 1980's war with its neighbor Iraq, or through its importance as one of the world's major oil-producing nations. Yet, Persia has one of the richest and oldest cultures in the world. For more than three thousand years Persia was a melting pot of civilizations and demographic movements between Asia and Europe. Under Cyrus the Great, (who defeated Babylon) Persia became the center one of the world's greatest empires. Under Cyaxares, the Medes conquered Assyria and ruled from Turkey to Afghanistan. Together, the Medes & Persians dominated Asia for 500 years until Alexander the Great conquered Medo-Persia in 331BC.

After the reign of the Greeks, Persia experienced the rule of the Parthians, Achaemenians, Sassanians, Turks, Mongols, and finally in the 13th century, the Safavid Dynasty under the Shah's united Persia into what is today modern Iran. The 19th and early 20th Century was dominated by a growing conflict of interest between Russia and Great Britain. Russia hoped to reach the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean through Iran, and Great Britain wanted to protect its sea and land routes to India and to slow down the Russian expansion into the region. (later in 1980's, Russia would try this same strategy in Afghanistan) Naturally Iran's suspicion of outsiders runs deep. Iran was ruled by the Safavid and Qajar dynasties of old Persia for much of the last thousand years until the overthrow of the Shah in 1979 by Islamic clerics claiming that the ruling families had compromised the country with infidels. Ayatollah Khomeini rallied the masses to his side in 1979 by denouncing the Shah for delivering Iran into the hands of America. Today Iran finds itself once again wedged between two seemingly incompatible sets of ideas: one Western and the other under the gun of Islamic Fundamentalism. Since the Islamic Ayatollah's coming to power in 1979 Iran has sought to acquire nuclear weapons with help from Russia and former Soviet technicians. The Islamic Fundamentalists virtually declared war on the United States in 1979 and today America's war against the so-called “Axis of Evil” is specifically intended to dissect Iran from the grip of international terrorism sponsorship. The Muslim Republic of Iran, utilizing its multi-dimensional terrorist infrastructure (Hezbollah-Lebanon) is hell-bent on destroying Israel. The Old Testament Prophet Ezekiel predicted that ancient Persia (modern Iran) would play a pivotal role in coercing the Prince of Rosh (Russia) to join in a war against Israel in the Last Days. When one contemplates the timing of the great Russian (Persia, Libya, etc) invasion on Israel in conjunction with the Rapture, one must wonder about the US role in that event. One thing is certain though, the stage is already set for a potential US and Russian showdown over Iran, and its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction. Although it is unknown when either the rapture or Russian war will explode on the world stage, it does reflects the fact that we are certainly hearing the signal drum-beats of those events getting louder and louder.

Ezekiel 38/39 Scenario is Building

July 9….(FOJ) Israel Intelligence officials charged today that the multiplying missile power of Iran, Syria and Hizbullah has reached the level of posing "the gravest threat in modern times to the very existence of the Jewish State," pleading with the United States for swift military action to "wipe out this triangle of peril." Iran's ballistic missiles, Syria's upgraded Scuds and Hizbullah's bulging arsenal of short-range missiles in south Lebanon have rendered Israel vulnerable to the gravest peril it has ever faced. Joint action by Israel and the U.S. is imperative. The Israeli uproar followed Iran's confirmation Monday that it had successfully test-fired a Shihab-3 ballistic missile that can hit anywhere in Israel. “The tests on this missile, which has a medium range of 1,300 kilometers, are over and it will be promptly made available to Iran's Armed forces in the near future," Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hamid Riza Assafi said in Tehran. Israel's Army Radio quoted military spokesmen as saying Israel possessed the necessary anti-missile missiles to shoot down Iranian Shihab-3s. But it has not developed the system that can cope with the Shihab-4 long-range ballistic missile that has much greater firepower. Israel's Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom has contended that Hizbullah constitutes a "dire threat" to Israel's security and said "why does the Party of God need missiles after we have left Lebanon. "Shalom said "this is the time for stepped up U.S. pressure on Syria to halt its support of terrorist groups." Iran can now deliver a warhead to virtually any location in Israel with a missile." Iran also has a potent arsenal of chemical and biological weapons, which could be loaded on the missiles. The missile is partially based on North Korean's No Dong missile, a progeny of the Scud class missiles originally designed in the Soviet Union. Trust me, added the source, it is no coincidence that the missile was designed for a range of 1300km, just enough distance to hit all of Israel. Parallel to the missile development, the senior source said that Iran is working as quickly as possible to finish developing a nuclear device. Current estimates in the IDF are that Iran might produce a functioning nuclear weapon in two to three years. It is Iran's ideology, not it's current capabilities, that disturbs the IDF intelligence community. According to a diplomatic source in Jerusalem, the wildcard in Iran's nuclear gambit is Russia. On one hand the Eurasian giant placates the US by promising to curb its nuclear aid to Iran. On the other, said the diplomat, the Russians find it nearly impossible to forgo the billions of dollars it could pump into its economy with the Iranian nuke deal. Nor is Russia interested in losing the billions it has already invested in the project, nor in losing access to the regions oil. Israel is shackled in its ability to react to Iran and prefers to let the international community pressure the Iranians, diplomatically if possible, militarily if necessary, into quitting their nuclear program. Israel considers the application of American and now British pressure on the Iranians to halt their advancement of military nuclear technology its ace in the hole. "We don't want to lead this fight," said the IDF source. In 1981 Israel took out Saddam Osirak nuclear reactor, and now with the development of an Iranian nuclear weapon only weeks away, both the Israeli and American security establishments are increasingly considering a similar strike in the future on Iran. Such a strike would not sit well with Russia!

House of Saud Financing Intifada

July 9….(MEMRI) The royal family of Saudi Arabia donated more than $4 billion to the Palestinians between 1998 and 2003 to help finance offensive terrorist operations against Israel, a new report says. According to the Middle East Media Research Institute, a Washington, D.C-based group that monitors Mid-east media, the House of Saud's support has gone to 'Mujahideen fighters” and martyrs families in Palestine killed in operations against the Jewish State. "For decades the royal family of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been the main financial supporter of Palestinian groups fighting Israel, through the creation of two major committees," says the report, which was released July 3. The committees were identified by MEMRI as the Popular Committee for Assisting Palestinian Mujahideen and The Support Committee for the Al-Quds Intifada, as well as The Al-Aqsa Fund. Besides the $4 billion already spent, the Saudi government "reportedly pledged Palestinians up to $1 billion to finance the continuation of the Intifada, which is also commonly referred to by Saudi officials as 'jihad' and 'resistance. The 'Popular' committee, founded in 1967 following the second Arab-Israeli war, is currently headed by Prince Salman Ibn Abd Al-Aziz, the Governor of Riyadh. The Al-Quds Intifada and the Al-Aqsa Fund were established in 2000 by "recommendation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia" to provide financial aid to "Palestinian martyrs killed during the Intifada," and "for the purpose of financing projects to help preserve the Arab and Islamic characteristics of Jerusalem, and to enable the Palestinians to liberate themselves. The royal House of Saud's government is continuing to fund a number of known terrorist organizations, including al-Qaida, Hezbollah, and the Egyptian and Palestinian Islamic Jihad groups. The groups reportedly funded by Saudi Arabia are all on the U.S. State Department's list of known terrorist organizations. The Saudi government says it is doing all it can to assist the U.S. in the fight against terrorism. But a report prepared for the United Nations said Saudi Arabia transferred $500 million to al-Qaida over the past decade and continues to finance Osama bin Laden's terror network even in the wake of Sept. 11. The Palestinian Authority, which receives much of the Saudi money, has declared the United States the chief enemy of the Palestinians and the Islamic and Arab nations.

US Sending More Funds to PA

July 9….(Washington Post) The White House has decided to provide direct funding to the Palestinian Authority for social service projects, Bush Administration and congressional officials said yesterday. The decision marks an important shift in U.S. policy designed to bolster new Palestinian Prime Minister Abbas and offer a counterweight to services provided by militant organizations such as Hamas. The move represents a deepening commitment by the Bush Administration to the roadmap process launched by the president last month, as well as a major investment in Mahmoud Abbas. Hamas has claimed responsibility for suicide attacks against Israelis but has also won affection within the Palestinian community in the Gaza Strip by providing schooling and social services. In the fiscal year ending in September, the United States plans to provide about $95 million in aid to a United Nations agency that assists Palestinian refugees and $125 million to NGO's working with the Palestinian Authority. The tragedy of the 1990s (Oslo Process) is that billions of dollars in American-European foreign aid for the Palestinian people was stolen by the PLO/Arafat, and ended up helping finance terrorism, and destroy the Peace Process.

Kurtzer: Abbas is a 'Weak Man'

July 8….(Ha Aretz) United States Ambassador to Israel Daniel Kurtzer called Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) a "relatively weak man" who tends to "run away from problems." He also said that American support of Abbas is secondary to the U.S. desire to remove Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat from power, Kurtzer added. "Our objective was not to empower an individual named Abu Mazen; our objective was to dis-empower an individual named Yasser Arafat." The ultimate goal, Kurtzer said, is to see the recently created prime ministerial structure institutionalized in "a serious Palestinian constitution that will outlive its incumbent." Abbas' perceived weakness could make it difficult for the PA to subordinate groups such as Hamas under a national governing body, which Kurtzer said the PA must do if they want to "get their act together." One of the reasons compelling Hamas to join the Palestinian cease-fire was a cut in the funding it receives from Saudi Arabia and the European Union a move that came about due to pressure from the United States, Kurtzer said. He added that the U.S. was still fighting European resistance to reduce direct and indirect financial aid to the terrorist organization. The U.S. is also maintaining "very strong pressure" on Syria and Iran, which have been implicated in sponsoring terror and create "the most problems when it comes to stirring up trouble in this region," the ambassador said. Kurtzer repeated U.S. President George W. Bush's assertion that the U.S. is not interested in an internal Palestinian cease-fire except as a means to dismantle the terror groups, and that the U.S. will not accept a potential breakdown of the cease-fire (hudna) as an excuse for failing to do so.

Arafat is Destroying the Cease-Fire

July 8….(FOJ) The fragile US-backed peace process between Israel and the Palestinians was in danger of collapse on Tuesday after a faction of Islamic Jihad, the militant group, claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing on Monday that killed an Israeli woman. Palestinian militant groups, who agreed to a temporary cease-fire in military operations against Israel on June 29, have been pressing for large scale prisoner releases of their own members, and warning that without these the cease-fire will not hold. The Israeli government approved the release of about 300 hundred Palestinian prisoners, out of a total of 5,000 - 6,000, but insisted that members of radical groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad and anyone involved in attacks on Israelis would not be freed. Today, PM Abbas (aka Abu Mazen) decided to cancel an important meeting with Sharon because of a disagreement within the PLO's Fatah movement over his negotiating strategy. Hardline members of Fatah's policymaking Central Committee, the backbone of the Palestinian Authority, blasted Abbas's performance in contacts with Sharon so far and asked him to step down from the body, he said. Senior Palestinian officials said that after a shouting match between Abbas and Central Committee critics, Abbas sent two letters to Arafat, one of them offering his resignation from the PLO Central Committee. Yasser Arafat is obviously concerned that a cease-fire will strengthen Hamas and Islamic Jihad politically, while at the same time serving the US goal of isolating him personally from the process.

Iran's Armageddon Option
Commentary by: Joseph Farah

July 8….(World Net Daily) Never has there been more urgency to topple the mullah regime in Iran. Yes, the world has known for a long time that Tehran is up to its eyeballs in the sponsorship of Jihadist Islamic terrorism. Yes, the world has known Iran under ayatollah rule has become one of the most repressive places on Earth. Yes, the world has known Iran has a sophisticated program to develop weapons of mass destruction and probably already has at least some nuclear warheads. And, yes, the U.S. has certainly been aware for many weeks that Iran is actively undermining its effort to establish freedom and stability in recently liberated Iraq. But the news late last week that Iran successfully test-fired a missile with a sufficient range to hit Israel puts the international spotlight on Tehran as never before. The Shihab-3 missile, with a range of 820 miles, can now strike Tel Aviv or Jerusalem in the Jewish State, or what Ayatollah Khomeini once referred to as "the little Satan." With plans to develop the Shihab-4 and Shihab-5 in the coming months, Iran will soon have the ability to threaten European states and about half the rest of the world with long-range, intercontinental ballistic missiles armed with nuclear warheads. The ultimate goal, of course, is for Iran to be able to strike the U.S. – or "the Great Satan." Who does the world have to thank for this technological breakthrough? The Shihab-3 was built in Iran using North Korean know-how. It is with developments like this in mind that Washington is now pushing plans to begin boarding ships and downing planes suspected of carrying arms between the nations of North Korea, Iran, Libya and Syria , the new axis of evil.

FOJ Note: Iran has already unequivocally stated that its goal is to acquire a nuclear weapon and use it against Israel.

Putin Warns of 'Catastrophe' From Unilateralism

July 8….(Arab Press) If unilateralism becomes the norm of international life it will lead to "chaos and catastrophe", Russian President Vladimir Putin says. Putin was responding to a question on the US-led invasion of Iraq in an exclusive interview with the New Straits Times ahead of a planned visit to Malaysia, a mainly Muslim Southeast Asian nation. The trip, which was to have begun Tuesday, was postponed after suicide bombers killed 13 people at a weekend Moscow rock concert. Putin stressed in the interview, held in Moscow, that Russia wanted to see international organizations such as the United Nations strengthened to deal with "peacekeeping and upholding international law." The Russian president, who opposed the US invasion of Iraq, said, however: "We are satisfied with the pace of our dialogue with our partners, including the United States. "We managed to reach an agreement on the recent (post-war) UN resolution on Iraq. And we believe that the role of the UN in settling the situation in Iraq should move to a higher level." Asked what role Russia could play to counter the dominant role of the US in the world, Putin pointed out that "Russia and the US today are the most powerful nuclear powers in the world. "I would like to stress that in this particular context, and in the provision of global stability, the roles of Russia and the US are important." "We have a positive relation within the framework of the anti-terrorist coalition. The only exception to this is Iraq." Putin said Russia and the US were united by fundamental issues such as the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, terrorism and "the construction of a just world, including in the economic area." Asked about Russia's role in the fight against terrorism and a possible "Clash of civilizations", Putin replied: "I believe that the slogan 'clash of civilizations' is a dangerous one. "We are human beings and only after that are we of different religions, congregations, races, etc. If we look around at every one of us, there is more that unites us than divides us."

FOJ Note: Unilateralism is the fancy political term the world uses to attack American sovereignty, and its right to act in self-defense. Unilateralism is the exact geo-political opposite of the philosophy of Globalization and Solidarity.

Pope: Globalization Is The Key To Solidarity

July 8….(AGI) The globalization process is common to the political event horizon of all countries, especially with regards economic policies. The process must involve a globalization of solidarity according to the Pope in is message to the 17th General Assembly of Caritas International, held in Rome, on "Globalizing Solidarity". Pope John Paul II acknowledged that Globalization is "ambitious", but its virtue is contrasted to that of global interdependence which can lead to violent conflicts.

Palestinians: 'Zionist' Christians Are Illegitimate

July 7….(World Net Daily) At a conference last week, Palestinian church leaders declared American Christians who support Israel's right to the Holy Land based on biblical grounds have no connection to true Christianity. The three-day event in Bethlehem featured speeches by Archbishop Munib Yunan, Manuel Chassasian and Fr. Marun Laham who emphasized "Zionist Christianity is not connected to Christianity in any way," the Palestinian Authority daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida reported, according to Israel-based Palestinian Media Watch. The leaders called for the Zionist Christians to be repudiated and discussed holding conferences in the United States to further the views of Palestinian churches. In a lecture, conference President Jarris Khouri linked the return of Jesus from Egypt to Israel to the Palestinian aspiration for refugees to return to homes they had before the creation of the modern state of Israel. Khouri said without such a return there will not be a just peace. The speakers said the Christian Zionists are opposed to the U.S.-backed "road map to peace" and are against the Palestinian rights.

FOJ Note: The Palestinian Church leaders and all the “Replacement Theology” proponents would have us believe that the entire Bible is also unconnected to Christianity. Zionism is God's plan! Those who hate Israel hate God. (Psalms 83:1-2 Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God. For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head. They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones. They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance. Psalms 129:5 Let them all be confounded and turned back that hate Zion.)

Syria: No Peace Until Israel is Nuke-free<br>
July 7….(Ha Aretz) A Syrian state-run newspaper said this weekend that peace in the Middle East will not be possible until Israel gets rid of its alleged nuclear arms. Israel has never acknowledged that it has nuclear weapons, but foreign reports claim the country has nuclear warheads for its ballistic missiles. Syria's state-run Tishrin newspaper, which often serves as a mouthpiece for government views, said Saturday that "Israel had entered the club of nuclear states." "The whole world is fully aware that Israel's nuclear program, or nuclear terror, could not make peace in the region as there is no room for a just peace in the light of a nuclear terror," the newspaper said. It added that any comprehensive Mid-east settlement should include ridding the region of weapons of mass destruction, because "peace could not be established under the threat nuclear terror from Israel."

2004 Could be America's Year of Decision

July 7….(FOJ) As America pursues its war on evil abroad, the Devil is working overtime right here inside our borders with another demonic onslaught. Spurred on by the Supreme Court's landmark ruling decriminalizing gay sexual conduct, an intense state-by-state fight is set to emerge between those who support the traditional American family and those who believe that gays should be allowed to marry. In dozens of interviews this week, activists, pundits, and legal scholars from across the political spectrum have recognized that the Supreme Court's June 26 ruling in Lawrence v. Texas set the stage for a Presidential firestorm in next years election. America is facing a revolutionary moment akin to the aftermath of the 1963 decision to ban prayer and Bible reading from its schools and the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion on demand. Gay rights activists are excited and want to go on to the next step, legalizing polygamy. Is nothing sacred in America anymore? We are already hearing the first shots in the largest battle of the culture war since in 40 years. Thirty-seven states already have what are called Defense of Marriage Acts, saying that marriage is between one man and one woman. In 2003, 10 states introduced bills that would either create one, if they were among states that had no defense of marriage act, or would prohibit recognition of same-sex marriages, civil unions or domestic partnerships forged anywhere else. As Gay groups gear up for next years election, we can expect that adult incest, prostitution, adultery, beastiality, pornography, pedophilia-child sex and obscenity will be promoted as justified alternatives in a fulfilled lifestyle. Even more shocking is the news that some Churches are openly condoning lesbians-homosexuals as pastors, and even submitting to the idea of Christian polygamy. The Supreme Courts ruling against Texas effectively voids every anti-polygamy law on the books, assuring that whatever consenting adults choose to do is permissible, and also that the Bible is irrelevant in arguing that any of these horrendous criminal acts are wrong. It is the opinion of FOJ that God almighty intervened in the 2000 American election, and placed President Bush in the position as America's leader at this particular time. I sincerely believe that God is sizing America up, to see which direction we will choose to take in the coming days. If September 11th signaled anything to America, it should have sounded a wake-up call. God has withdrawn his hedge-of-protection for our nation, and his judgment is imminent. Just as God gave up the Gay-crowd and polygamist-sex perverts crowd in days past to their own devices, and thereby left them open to a reprobate mind, I firmly believe that God is drawing his own line-in-the-sand for America! (Romans 1:26-28 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;)

Saddam Hussein & Bin Laden Keep Surfacing

July 7….(Fox News) The CIA has affirmed that the videotape released last Friday (July 4th) is quite likely Saddam Hussein.

“The CIA's assessment, after a technical analysis of the tape, is that it's most likely his voice," CIA spokesman Bill Harlow said Monday. "The exact date of the recording cannot be determined." The speaker on the tape claims the recording was made on June 14. Intelligence officials said there were no references in the message that absolutely ruled out the possibility that it was prerecorded before then. "I am still present in Iraq along with a group of (former Iraqi) leaders," said the voice on the tape. The voice also said he is with a "comrade" in Iraq. In the played on Al Jazeera, the speaker claiming to be Saddam said he is still in Iraq and directing attacks on American forces there. He called on Iraqis to resist the "infidel occupiers" of the U.S.-led occupation. Claiming credit for armed attacks on U.S. occupation forces in Iraq, the voice, addressing Iraqis, said, "Oh brothers and sisters, I relay to you good news: Jihad (holy war) cells and brigades have been formed." Last week, the U.S. government put a $25 million bounty on Saddam's head, and offered $15 million for each of his sons, Odai and Qusai. American officials say the mystery over Saddam's whereabouts fuels anti-U.S. attacks by his loyalists.

Share this page with your friends.