March 23….(Eupolitix) As EU leaders gathered to thrash out an anti-terror strategy, Palestinian Ambassador Shawky Armaly urged the EU to look to the Middle East conflict for the solution. While Europeans try to boost legal measures, such as an anti-terror ‘czar’, to protect citizens against the kind of atrocities suffered in the Madrid train bombings, Armaly stressed that leaders should focus more on the roots of terrorism. “What happened in Madrid must be condemned as a terrible attack against innocent civilians. Europe must defend itself and it is their right to do so,” the Palestinian’s EU envoy said, but Europe must recognize that it cannot combat terrorism without focussing on the roots of terrorism, and that root cause is Israel.” EU justice ministers met to draft a response to the increased terror threat on European territory since the Madrid attacks. But the Middle East conflict could not be kept out of the equation argued the Palestinian envoy. The stalling of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, under the US-led road map for peace created “a favorable climate for terrorism to grow,” Armaly stressed. Although there were other reasons for terrorism, the Israeli conflict was the “central problem.” European and American strategies for social and economic reform in the Arab world, currently being drafted on both sides of the Atlantic must keep the success of the peace process at the heart of their efforts. “It is a central subject for public opinion in all of the Arab countries.”

EU May Back WTO Membership for all Middle East

March 23….(EU Observer) European Union would back World Trade Organization membership for all countries of the Middle East, the EU-observer has learned. An internal policy document obtained by EU news lists eleven policy objectives which may be included in an overall EU strategy. One of the possible objectives says, "The EU will promote WTO membership for countries in the Middle East region". The aim is part of an overarching policy on the Middle East formulated by the current EU Presidency. The move would see countries such as Algeria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Iraq, Libya, Iran and Syria become fully paid-up members of the international trade body. The EU also aims at improving the business, modernization and regulatory environment in the region as well as liberalizing the import and export markets. The move would help to bring countries like Iran and Libya further into the Euro-Asian international community.

March 23….(FOJ) Sheik Yassin founded one of the most vicious and deadly terrorist organizations in the Middle East. Yassin called for the total destruction of Israel. He openly called for suicide strikes against all Israelis, civilian or otherwise, and gave Allah’s blessings to anyone who killed a Jew or an Israeli. He also called for terrorist attacks against American troops presently serving in Iraq. Now it is just me thinking out loud, but could that call not be in total complicity with the ideals of the insurgency warriors in Iraq and the Jihadists of Al Qaeda, and the conspiracy of the Antichrist that is working around the world. He was often depicted as the ‘spiritual’ father of ‘suicide bombings’. (What a wonderful calling! Oh if only God would call more people to such a noble work, what a wonderful world it would be) If Yassin can be portrayed by the religion of Islam as a man with a ‘spiritual calling” to lead an organization totally dedicated to killing innocent civilians, what spirit is it that calls him to inspire such killing? The Bible names that spirit clearly and it is the spirit of Satan and his Antichrist! Yassin's fundamentalist Islamic brand of ‘spirituality’ lies at the heart of the religious rhetoric that drives Palestinian and Middle Eastern terrorism. Sheikh Yassin, like Yasser Arafat was a venomous terrorist that was driven by a demonically inspired perpetual hatred of all Jews, and he and his kind of spiritual leaders are spreading the demonic influence of the Antichrist all over the Middle East. That demonic hatred is propelling the entire world towards Armageddon. Sheik Yassin was not only physically blind, he was spiritually blind, and through a demonic hatred for Israel, became a tool of demonism. Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, oversaw a total of 425 attacks, including the Park Hotel Seder that killed 377 Israelis and wounded 2,076. Satan is undoubtedly proud of his little blood-letting demon!

March 23….(Washington Times) Missionaries from the United States, determined to spread evangelical Christianity in Iraq, are opening new churches in Baghdad, building congregations drawn from Iraq's ethnic Christian community and in some cases preparing to take the Gospel directly to Muslims themselves. The campaign makes sense in the United States, where Christian denominations and other religions compete for adherents in a free market of ideas. But for Iraqi Christians, made up of Assyrians, Chaldeans and a smattering of smaller Catholic and Orthodox denominations, plus some Protestant churches dating back to colonial times, the presence of American evangelists is both unsettling and possibly dangerous. Iraq's 25 million people are overwhelmingly Muslim and, in Islam, conversion to another religion is forbidden. The penalty is death. In America, people are free to be either Christian or Muslim. In Iraq, the family applies Muslim law, and if someone in the family leaves Islam, the family will slaughter them. In America people are free, but here they are not free," said the Rev. Ikram Mehanni, senior pastor of a Presbyterian Church in Baghdad. Iraq has an estimated 1 million Christians. Christians and Muslims have lived side by side in Iraq for centuries. Because the Koran recognizes Jesus as a prophet, along with the prophets of the Old Testament, Christians have long been given the status of a protected minority, sometimes referred to as "people of the book." But since the fall of Saddam, Iraq has quickly attracted the attention of evangelical Christians. On any given Sunday, preachers from the United States can be found speaking at the pulpit, or sitting in the congregations of at least seven new churches that have opened in Baghdad in the past year. With so many new churches in Iraq, and with backing from American Christians, evangelical missionaries are convinced that the Gospel can win the hearts of Muslims everywhere. When the Christians in the U.S. learn the love of God and show that love to the Muslim world, the Muslims will want to come to know Jesus Christ," he said. "The Muslims are very afraid. However well intentioned, the enthusiasm of American evangelicals brings an element of danger to a society already fractured by sectarian strife. Even without a clear religious motive, Westerners have become targets for terrorists who are attempting to disrupt coalition plans to hand over power to Iraqis on June 30. On two occasions, American missionaries have been killed in drive-by shootings, including an incident last week in the northern city of Mosul, in which four Americans affiliated with the Southern Baptists died.
If Christian visitors from the United States sometimes appear naive, Christians in Iraq are not. Some are deliberately lowering their profile in anticipation of a diminishing American military presence.
No Muslim would ever say he had become a Christian. That is the greatest sin in Islam, even more serious than adultery. The family would kill him. One goal of the U.S.-led coalition in its attempt to establish a democratic government here is to begin a tradition of religious freedom, much as it exists in the United States and the rest of the West. An interim constitution approved this month by the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council attempts to meld Islam and religious diversity. The document, slated to take effect June 30 with the transfer of power to an Iraqi government, states "This Law respects the Islamic identity of the majority of the Iraqi people and guarantees the full religious rights of all individuals to freedom of religious belief and practice." It also says: "Each Iraqi has the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religious belief and practice. Coercion in such matters shall be prohibited."
But democracy in an Islamic country is a misnomer. Iraq officials are already complaining about the millions of Arabic-language Bibles that are being shipped here from the United States.

Israel Kills Hamas Founder Yassin

March 22….(JNEWSWIRE) Israel succeeded today in blasting into eternity the man who has made the goal of his life the destruction of the Jewish state. The precise targeting, which also killed two of Yassin's sons and several of his bodyguards, took place hours after Israel warned it would be militarily downgrading Hamas' terrorist capabilities in the run-up to a planned Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. Other Hamas leaders are believed to be running scared, but have issued defiant threats, saying they will unleash hell on Israelis and kill hundreds of Jews, including Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, in revenge. Israeli security forces have been placed on high alert across the country and have sealed off "Palestinian" population centers, and divided the Gaza Strip into three separate zones. The Arafat Authority has condemned the killing of Yassin, calling him "a moderate" who helped keep Hamas "under control," and declaring three days of mourning throughout "the territories." World leaders have begun to express their condemnation of the killing, with British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, whose own nation tried last year to assassinate Iraqi head of state Saddam Hussein in a "decapitation" attac, saying what Israel had done was "unlawful, unacceptable and unjustified." What exactly, one observer in Israel wondered, would a "lawful" reaction by Israel be?
Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the founder and so called spiritual leader of the Hamas terror group responsible for bombing to death hundreds of Israelis. Fox News reported that all that was left of the blind, wheelchair-bound Muslim killer was his head. They's missile strike came less than 24 hours after Israeli Minister of Defense Sha'ul Mofaz stated that Israel was preparing to wage a systematic war against Hamas, the terror group with the largest following in the Strip. Israel saw Hamas as "a strategic enemy" and would use targeted killings as well as moves against the group's "supportive infrastructure" and its financial support base, Mofaz said. He added that Israel would exert ongoing pressure on Hamas and Arafat's FatahTanzim to try and counter the wave of terrorism that Arafat's other militias are waging against Israelis.
Mofaz also said that the Lebanese terror group Hizballah was increasingly supporting these "Palestinian" terror groups. Some observers believe Hizballah may launch an attack on the north of Israel in a show of solidarity with the "Palestinians" following Yassin's death. In a furious reaction to the killing of Yassin, Hamas spokesmen declared that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who personally directed the operation from his ranch in the Negev, according to media reports, had "opened the gates of hell." Hamas and Arafat's Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades said they would unleash an "earthquake of revenge" against Israel, and warned that every home in the Jewish state was now a potential target of the terrorists. "We have opened a war" against Israel, vowed senior Hamas spokesman Abdel
Aziz Rantisi, while the Brigades issued a statement declaring "war, war, war on the sons of Zion. An eye for an eye. There will be a response within hours, Allah willing."
World media outlets traditionally hostile to Israel had difficulty hiding their personal feelings of anger at Israel as they covered the assassination on international networks. Most reporters appeared to regard the action as unwise with some wondering why Israel chose to do it at this time.
But in effect Israel has killed their own Osama bin Laden by assassinating Sheik Ahmed Yassin. He had been arrested on multiple occasions and was most recently released from Israeli prisons in 1997 in an effort to keep the Oslo Accords from collapsing. He is called a spiritual leade, which is a stretch because he personally opened the gates of hell for Israelis, responsible for at least 112 suicide bombings. He was opposed to all peace efforts and felt Israel had no right to exist. He was called the spiritual leader of the radical terror group Hamas, nonetheless. He was also Hamas’ banker. Yassin was the boss of Hamas in the same sense bin Laden is the boss of al-Qaida. In a 2003 interview with Fox News, Yassin issued a fatwa on American television in which he ordered all Muslims to kill Americans wherever they are found, if America sets one foot on Iraq soil. “In response to the killing of Yassin, Hamas issued a communiqué in which it said Israel could not have killed Yassin without America’s permission and hinted that Hamas would expand its target environment to include the United States. Sharia fatwas is analogous to codified law in Western society. Yassin justified the use of women in order to carry out the attacks against Israel. He stated, “Hamas views women as the reserve force.” Thus he even ordered mothers to detonate themselves against Jews. The reaction in the Islamic world to this assassination should be of concern to Israelis and Americans. Once again it shows that Israel and America have a unique relationship with one another, but a relationship that could be threatened with this event. The day could be coming when the Arafat-Hamas “H” (human) bomb will come to America. The United States called on both sides to show restraint, while Great Britain's Foreign Secretary Jack Straw condemned Israel for what he called the "unlawful killing." The European Union and The Vatican condemned Israel for killing its arch-enemy. Tens of thousands of Palestinians, many calling for revenge, poured into the streets of Gaza as news spread of Yassin's death. In Gaza City, hundreds of gunmen were among the protesters, and children burned tires in protest, sending plumes of black smoke into the air. Cars drove through the streets blaring calls for revenge over loudspeakers. Some aired recordings of Yassin, saying, "We chose this road, and will end with martyrdom or victory." Mosques read passages from the Koran and two Gaza churches rang their church bells.
Palestinian terrorists fired into the air amid continuous shouts of "Allahu Akbar," our God is greater than yours! These scenes repeated themselves several-fold during the funeral early in the afternoon. "The battle is open, and war between us and them is open. They are the killers of prophets and today they killed an Islamic symbol," said Hamas chief spokesman Abdul Aziz Rantisi. Yasser Arafat eulogized Yassin, saying that the spiritual leader had gone to heaven as a martyr.

Al-Qaida No. 2: We Have Briefcase Nukes

March 22….(AP) Osama bin Laden's terror network claims to have bought ready-made nuclear weapons on the black market in central Asia, the biographer of al-Qaida's No. 2 leader was quoted as telling an Australian television station. In an interview scheduled to be televised on Monday, Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir said Ayman al-Zawahri claimed that "smart briefcase bombs" were available on the black market. It was not clear when the interview between Mir and al-Zawahri took place. U.S. intelligence agencies have long believed that al-Qaida attempted to acquire a nuclear device on the black market, but say there is no evidence it was successful. In the interview with Australian Broadcasting Corp. television, parts of which were released Sunday, Mir recalled telling al-Zawahri it was difficult to believe that al-Qaida had nuclear weapons when the terror network didn't have the equipment to maintain or use them.

Arafat: Passion of the Christ 'Impressive'

March 22….(Jerusalem Post) Yasser Arafat watched Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ on Saturday, and afterward he compared Jesus' pain during crucifixion to the suffering of Palestinians in the conflict with Israel. He said, "The Palestinians are still daily being exposed to the kind of pain Jesus was exposed to during his crucifixion," Abu Rudeneh said in a statement for Arafat after he viewed the movie. Arafat, who watched the film on a small TV set in his Ramallah office, said the movie was "historic and impressive."
FOJ Note: Arafat is obviously using the Passion of the Christ movie to promote anti-Semitism.

March 22….(excerpt from World Net Daily) Despite repeated assurances to the nation that he does not see the war on terror as a "religious war," deep inside President Bush recognizes the enemy wants to kill Christians, says a new book on his family. In "The Bushes: Portrait of a Dynasty," authors Peter and Rochelle Schweizer quote a Bush cousin as saying: "George sees this as a religious war. He doesn't have a pc view of this war. His view of this is that they are trying to kill the Christians. And we as the Christians will strike back with more force and more ferocity than they will ever know." In addition, the authors quote Franklin Graham as saying: "The president is not stupid. The people who attacked this country did it in the name of their religion. He's made it clear that we are not at war with Islam. But he understands the implications of what is going on and the spiritual dimensions." The Schweizers report that Bush reads the Bible daily every morning and that it affects his actions and his words. One morning after Sept. 11, according to the book, he woke up and read Proverbs 21:15: "When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers." "For several weeks after the attacks, he referred to the terrorists and their sponsors as 'evildoers,' with that passage firmly fixed in his mind," the book says. Cousin Elsie Walker said she believes Bush believed a tragedy was coming to America before Sept. 11, and that he was called to be president because of that.

March 22….(AP) The White House is dismissing as a "red herring" charges from the administration's former counter-terrorism coordinator that President Bush has been more focused on Iraq than al Qaeda. Richard Clarke (a Kennedy protégé) detailed his allegations that Bush has done "a terrible job" battling terrorism during an interview Sunday night on CBS's "60 Minutes" and in a book to be published Monday. A White House spokesman said Clarke is motivated by politics, and a campaign to discredit the President and America. Clarke said Bush "probably" shares some of the blame for the attacks. He is scheduled to testify this week before the independent commission investigating 9/11. "Frankly, I find it outrageous that the president is running for re-election on the grounds that he's done such great things about terrorism," Clarke said in the CBS interview. "He ignored it. He ignored terrorism for months, when maybe we could have done something to stop 9/11. According to a White House statement issued Sunday night, "The president recognized the threat posed by al Qaeda, and immediately after taking office, the White House began work on a comprehensive new strategy to eliminate al Qaeda." The statement said National Security Council deputies and second-ranking officials met frequently between March and September 2001 to work on that goal.

March 22….(Independent) Jimmy Carter, the former US president, has strongly criticized George Bush and Tony Blair for waging an unnecessary war to oust Saddam Hussein based on "lies or misinterpretations". The 2002 Nobel peace prize winner said Mr. Blair had allowed his better judgement to be swayed by Mr. Bush's desire to finish a war that his father had started. In an interview with The Independent on the first anniversary of the American and British invasion of Iraq, Jimmy Carter, who was president from 1977 to 1981, said the two leaders probably knew that many of the claims being made about Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction were based on imperfect intelligence. He said: There was no reason for us to become involved in Iraq recently. That was a war based on lies and misinterpretations claiming falsely that Saddam Hussein was responsible for the 9/11 attacks, claiming falsely that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. And I think that President Bush and Prime Minister Blair probably knew that many of the allegations were based on uncertain intelligence, and that a decision was made to go to war wrongly. Before the war Mr. Carter made clear his opposition to a unilateral attack and said the US did not have the authority to create a "Pax Americana". During his Nobel prize acceptance speech in December 2002 he warned of the danger of "uncontrollable violence" if countries sought to resolve problems without United Nations input. It is extremely rare for a former US president to criticize an incumbent. Carter said he believed the momentum for the invasion came from Washington and that many of Mr. Bush's senior advisers had long ago signalled their desire to remove Saddam by force. I think that Bush Jr. was inclined to finish a war that his father had precipitated against Iraq. Carter's criticisms coincided with damaging claims yesterday from a former White House anti-terrorism co-ordinator. Richard Clarke said that President Bush ignored the threat from al-Qai'da before 11 September but in the immediate aftermath sought to hold Iraq responsible, in defiance of senior intelligence advisers who told him that Saddam had nothing to do with the conspiracy. Over the weekend millions of anti-war protesters poured on to the streets of cities around the world to call for the withdrawal of US-led troops from Iraq. It was estimated that in Rome, which saw the biggest crowds, up to one million turned out to protest against President Bush and the war in Iraq.
FOJ Note: Isn’t it amazing at how Satan moves his little cronies to speak out to protect his Hellish conspiracy. The Devil is angry at America and he is venting his hatred towards President Bush, because the President has stood up for Christianity and the American Republic, and in the face of the Global forces of the Antichrist. Personally, I think George W. Bush is in the political-gunsights of the One World Order elitists.

WEEK OF MARCH 15 THROUGH MARCH 22

 

President Bush Rallies Allies

March 19….(Fox News) On the one-year anniversary of launching a war to oust Saddam Hussein from Iraq, President Bush said "there's no neutral ground" when it comes to dealing with terrorists. The war on terror is not a figure of speech, it is an inescapable calling of our generation," Bush said in a speech given in the East Room of the White House. We know that this way of life is worth defending, there's no neutral ground. There can be no separate peace with a terrorist enemy. Any sign of weakness or retreat simply validates terrorist violence and invites more violence on all nations," Bush continued. "The only certain way to protect our people is by united and decisive action." Bush's remarks ended a weeklong administration effort to boost support for the war on terrorism at a time when cracks are forming in the US-led alliance that toppled Saddam Hussein from power. "We can never bow to the violence of the few," Bush said, saying American shares in the sorrow of the Spanish people who just suffered 202 deaths and many more injuries after terrorists planted bombs on commuter trains March 11. "No nation or region is exempt from the terrorist campaign of violence," the President said, adding that each attack is not only a "shock and tragedy" but a "test of our will." The Madrid "murders," he said, "are a reminder that the civilized world is at war." "Each attack is designed to demoralize our people and divide us from one another," Bush said, and those attacks must be answered with not only sorrow and mourning but with determination and "bolder action against the killers." Bush comments came as the Spain's prime minister-elect, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, has said he will withdraw 1,300 Spanish troops from Iraq unless the United Nations takes control of peacekeeping.

America’s Jews Worried Terrorism Will turn America

March 18…..(FOJ) A January poll sponsored by the American Jewish Committee shows that 20 percent of Jewish Americans think most American Christian conservatives are anti-Semitic and another 21 percent say many more hold anti-Semitic views. That means that nearly 50% of America’s Jews think that bias against Jews is growing in America. The Jewish leaders suspect anti-Semitism, which several polls say is on the rise in Europe, has been fueled by the deteriorating Israeli-Arab situation and hostility in many quarters towards the war in Iraq, and the increasing insecurity and fear among Americans. Christian evangelicals, strongly linked in the minds of many Jews with President Bush, a born-again Christian, have shown exceptional affinity for the "Passion" and its producer, Mel Gibson. The movie's depiction of Christ's crucifixion has added to Jewish fears of anti-Semitism and the link between evangelicals and President Bush, Jewish spokesmen say. Jim Hutchens, President of Christians for Israel, a Washington-based organization with a mailing list of 25,000, says it is "a red herring" to suggest evangelicals are anti-Semitic. "Evangelical Christians who take seriously the promises of God are pro-Israel," Mr. Hutchens said. "Only those who hold to replacement theology, which denies the original recipients (Israel) the benefits of God's promises in regards to Israel's modern boundaries, would suggest that the Israel of today is not a fulfillment of God's promises. "Evangelical Christians are the best friends Israel has, and those in the know among Orthodox Jews and in the Israeli government know that."

The Iraq War and the Trail to Israel

March 18….(FOJ) As it becomes increasingly clear that Al Qaeda and Bin Laden were responsible for the horrific attacks in Madrid, Span, the answer to one question seems increasingly clear. Was Saddam and Bin Laden linked in the run-up to the 9-11 attacks on America? If there was no link between 9/11 and the invasion of Iraq, why did al Qaeda see fit to attack Spain? Critics of the Iraq war have been saying for more than two years that there was never any al Qaeda-Saddam link. Yet the evidence shows that Abdul Rahman Yasin, the chemist for the first World Trade Center bombing, was given sanctuary in Baghdad after his U.S. indictment. Abu Nidal, the terrorist mastermind who killed hundreds including 10 Americans, lived in Baghdad from 1999 until he was murdered in 2002. Abu Abbas, the recently deceased terrorist and architect of the Achille Lauro hijacking that resulted in the murder of Leon Klinghoffer, was captured in Baghdad by U.S. forces. And of course there is the fact that Saddam funded suicide bombings in Israel. The connection between al-Qaida and Iraq is obvious for anybody willing to see it. Only Al Qaeda ad the fundamentalist Islamic States that harbor terrorists benefit if Iraq descends into chaos or civil war. Al Qaeda and all the other terrorist organizations win if the Western world bickers with itself and begins to appease the terrorists. Conversely, al Qaeda suffers if Iraq prospers and America is able to hold its coalition of the willing together! Meanwhile in a statement that was purely pre-WWII Chamberlainesque, European Commission President Romano Prodi declared, “We must move the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Roadmap forward.” And that is just what Osama Bin Laden demanded in September 2001when he said that there would be no peace for the world until there is peace in Palestine. And that strategic tactic means, no Israel! And the coming Antichrist will be more than willing to make that happen!

Terror Attacks Bring New Warnings For The US

March 17….(Telegraph) The Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades, a prominent militant group in Spain with known links to al Qaeda, sent a five-page e-mail and fax to the London-based newspaper al-Quds al-Arabi last Thursday claiming responsibility for the Madrid train bombings. The claim also contained a new terror warning against the United States: “We announce the good news for the Muslims in the world that the strike of the black wind of death, the expected strike against America, is now at its final stage, 90 percent ready, and it is coming soon, by God’s will.” The group threatened other US allies and taunted Spanish Prime Minister José María Aznar, saying, “Aznar, where is America? Who will protect you, Britain, Japan, Italy and the others from us?” Al-Masri claimed its "death squad" had infiltrated "one of the pillars of the crusade alliance, Spain," and successfully executed "Operation Death Trains" in Madrid. While the outcome of the Spanish elections is cause for concern in regard to other foreign allies, there is also the new threat of another major terrorist attack in the US. There is no way to know how serious the latest threat is, or if it is nothing more than hype intended to invoke new fears in America. However, it is not a threat that should be taken lightly. According to exclusive counter-terror sources, the Madrid train bombings in which 201 Spanish commuters were murdered and 1,400 injured, were not the work of an al Qaeda offshoot or affiliate. Like the attacks in the United States, they were conceived, planned, orchestrated and directed by Osama bin Laden and his top lieutenant, Ayman Zuwahiri, in person, and aimed at a Western Achilles heel. The terrorist chiefs were convinced that a change of government in Madrid would engender the pullout of the Spanish 1,300-man troop contingent from Iraq, thereby weakening the solidarity of the US-led coalition and hurting President George W. Bush’s campaign for re-election.

 

Annan: U.N. Needs Consensus on Global Threats

March 17….(CNN) The United Nations and the world have reached a "fork in the road" regarding what is perceived as a global threat and how such threats should be dealt with, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Tuesday. In an address to the Council on Foreign Relations, Annan said UN member states used to share the understanding that countries "were supposed to use force only in self-defense, or by a collective decision that it was necessary to use force in order to keep the peace." "Now we have a different situation, where one group of states, led by the U.S., is saying that some threats, particularly terrorism and weapons of mass destruction, are so dangerous that they dare not wait until they are attacked, or until there is an agreement in the Security Council, before taking action," Annan said. The other group, he said, believes that it is more dangerous for the states to be "using force at their own discretion," and that group does not consider terrorism and unconventional weapons to be the most dangerous threats in the world. "Most people are much more directly threatened by such things as extreme poverty, hunger, disease, environmental disasters, or by low-tech violence, when order breaks down in their country or civil war breaks out," Annan said.

US Concerned About Election Terror Event

March 16….(AP) Even before the bombings in Madrid, White House officials were worrying that terrorists might strike the United States before the November elections. Now, with the Socialists' surprise election victory in Spain, analysts believe the ballot box rebuke of one of President Bush's closest allies in the war in Iraq could embolden terrorists to try the same tactics in the United States to create fear and chaos. "That's an amazing impact of a terrorist event, to change the party in power," said Jerrold Post, a former CIA profiler who directs the political psychology program at George Washington University. "The implications of the Madrid attacks are fairly staggering," agreed political psychologist Stanley Renshon of City University of New York. "This is the first time that a terrorist act has influenced a democratic election. This is a gigantic, loud wakeup call. There's no one they'd like to have out of office more than George W. Bush." In political terms, the question is whether an attack would cause Americans to rally around Bush or cause them to blame him for the nation's vulnerabilities. Bush has made the war on terrorism his trademark issue, spending tens of billions of dollars at home and abroad in the name of fighting terrorists. Polls show it's his strongest suit in his re-election battle against Democrat John Kerry. Traditionally, in times of peril, Americans have supported their president. After Sept. 11, 2001, Bush soared in the polls. That standing has softened over time but still remains strong reinforced by the fact that America has not been hit again. "People are critical of Bush in lots of ways but they still give him pretty good grades for dealing with the war on terrorism," said pollster Andy Kohut. Senator Kerry has been probing for Bush weaknesses on the international front, accusing the president of alienating allies at a time when the United States needed them the most. Kerry claims that some foreign leaders have told him privately that they would prefer him in the White House. The Bush Administration shot back yesterday demanding that Kerry ought to name the names of those foreign leaders.
FOJ Note: Senator Kerry’s comments are interesting in light of the following story below. It seems to FOJ that there is indeed a conspiracy among the Socialist elite’s of Europe to find a Socialist Democrat to take over US leadership so that the US will follow a more compliant role with that of the emerging EU Super Presidency! (Kerry’s comments suggest political treason, as far as I am concerned.) But, we shall see what we shall see, and all in the light of Bible Prophecy.

 

Socialism Divides US and EU

March 16….(FOJ) Socialist leader Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's victory in Spain's election may widen the divide between the U.S. and the European Union. That division became readily apparent last year as President Bush acted against Iraq. France and Germany, each with Socialist leanings objected to the US preemptive action. The Socialist victory in Spain may also leave UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi more isolated in their cooperation with the US invasion of Iraq. Spain’s new Socialist leader Zapatero pledged to make Spain “more European than ever,'' saying he will seek to improve relations with France and Germany that were strained by Aznar's tilt toward the US. Eventual proof of an al-Qaeda attack in Madrid or elsewhere in Europe will test the future of US-European cooperation in counter-terrorism efforts. The change in Spain may also strain relations between EU countries such as Poland and Hungary, which join the EU on May 1. France rebuked Poland and other of EU candidate nations for signing on to a letter with Spain and the UK in Jan. 2003 for backing the US in the run-up to the Iraq war. Hungary, Ukraine and Romania are among other Eastern European countries that supported the war and are participating in Iraq’s reconstruction. Presently, the greatest political threat to Blair and Berlusconi, who face re-election in the next two years, may come from voters concluding that favoring the US in Iraq increases the risk of terrorist attacks at home. Many Europeans may likely draw the conclusion that because of the war and support for the US that they have inadvertently become an increased target for terrorism. Romano Prodi, European Commission president claimed the Madrid atrocities showed that the US strategy of using force to defeat terrorism was insufficient, and that the EU might need to create its own response. He went on to say: "One thing is clear: things will only start moving on this issue when we have resolved the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians. This is why we need a super political president of a united EU and a more suitable partner in the US.”
The EU Commissioners remarks indicated to me that there are indeed many leaders in Europe who would prefer a “Socialist” Democrat in the American White House. Bible prophecy portends that a European Super Leader or President will use the Israeli-Arab Conflict to establish the landmark of his rise to world power.

Osama Wins Spain’s Election

FOJ Note: I highly recommend the following article by Jan Markell of Olive Tree Ministries to FOJ readers. It is very insightful. Olive Tree Ministries has always been very supportive of Focus on Jerusalem Prophecy Ministry.

March 15….(Olive Tree Ministries by Jan Markell) Spanish voters threw the government of Jose Aznar out of power this weekend and installed a Spanish Socialist. The Prime Minister-elect is Jose Zapatero, who is a bitter foe of the war in Iraq and the war on terror, and plans to pull Spanish troops out of Iraq. Spanish voters, out of fear, went to the polls and apologized for their government’s actions and for being an ally of America. Terror really won, and that’s what terror does: Instills insidious fear into people and causes them to make the wrong decisions. Terror really does work, so expect more of it in other countries, particularly if they are friendly to the U.S. Carry it a step further: If the slaughter in Spain can influence elections, why not try it elsewhere? How about in America? More on that in a moment. Considering that Spain’s population is much less than America’s, it would be fair to say that Spain has now had its own 9/11 but on 3/11 and exactly 911 days after our 9/11. I know it sounds strange and maybe there’s nothing to that, but Al-Qaida, who claims responsibility, is big into symbolism. So now there’s a cry for a European Summit on Terror. Did they think they were immune? The Islamic attempt to destroy modern civilization as we know it and bring it back to the 7th century has always been its goal. That’s why the war on terror must continue relentlessly. We cannot surrender to it as has Spain. Another lesson: Putting anyone “left of center” into office in ANY country will only encourage “the religion of peace.” Those “left of center” who just want to go John Lennon’s route and “give peace a chance” with radical Islam are suffering from strong delusion. That was the Clinton mode of operation. You cannot have a 1960’s “love in” with this bunch. Bin Laden released a videotape in which he vowed to “die in the belly of the Eagle.” This is an Islamic reference to ending his life in a final act of terror against the U.S. on U.S. soil (If you go to the Olive Tree Web site, www.olivetreeviews.org, and then to “Current Headlines”, you will see a story by Joseph Farah that has a photo from a radical Islamic web site of the U.S. Capitol burning. They aren’t through with us yet. America is being attacked from within with our moral values plunging. We have been attacked from without and no one can say with certainty that it won’t happen again. If it could throw our November election and install an anti-war candidate in office, real trouble lies ahead. May we never have a leader in America who surrenders or apologizes to the enemy. And whether you like President Bush or not, please pray for his safety.

 

Spain Vows to Pull Soldiers Out of Iraq

March 15….(FOJ) The leader of Spain's victorious Socialist Party vowed today that he will withdraw his Spain's support for the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq, restating a campaign promise a day after his party won elections overshadowed by terrorist bombings. Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, called the US led war that ousted Saddam Hussein an "error," and said that he would recall Spanish troops from Iraq by June 30 unless the United Nations assumes control of multinational military operations there. In a surprise defeat, Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, a staunch ally of President Bush was voted out of office. The election defeat of Aznar’s party came amid charges that Aznar made Spain a target for terrorists by supporting the US war in Iraq, and that by siding with Bush, Aznar made Spain susceptible to attacks by Middle Eastern terrorists. Many Spainish voters voiced concerns that Aznar had unnecessarily provoked Al Qaeda. Does that remind you of some American politicians? Many media outlets in Spain also portrayed the idea that the Spainish government under Aznar concealed possible connections between the attack and Islamic terrorists for political gain, by blaming the ETA terrorist group. Spain’s train bombings last week were the worst terrorist attacks in Spain's history and killed over 200 people and wounded over 1,500. President elect Zapatero said that the US military intervention in Iraq was a political error and that Spain was not obligated to help in the defense of the United States. Zapatero said that the Bush Administration lacked credibility and that the Iraq occupation has been managed badly. He refused Monday to set a date for a possible withdrawal of Spain's 1,300 troops in Iraq, saying only that one would be set after he takes over as prime minister some weeks from now. Zapatero also added that, unless there is a change in Iraq leading to the United Nations taking control and the occupiers giving up political control, the Spanish troops will come back, and the limit for their presence there is June 30. Last week’s train bombings in Madrid were followed by nationwide street rallies against the attacks, and smaller ones against Aznar's alliance with President Bush. A reported al-Qaida claim of responsibility also punctuated the attack and allowed Al Qaeda to virtually alter the course of Spain’s national election. The Madrid bombings came on 3-11, ironically six months different from the 9-11 attacks on America.. Al-Qaida apparently has three scores to settle with Spain: Aznar allowed Spain to become the European headquarters that enabled President George Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair to present the war on Iraq as a coalition effort. Spain also has 1,300 soldiers stationed in Iraq at present; and Spain presently putting a large group of suspected Al-Qaida activists on trial. Before 3-11, the Popular Party of Aznar had been favored to win by a comfortable margin.

 

Arafat Keeps Pushing His War

March 15….(FOJ) Two more of Yasser Arafat’s suicide bombers attacked the closely guarded Israeli port of Ashdod yesterday killing 11 Israelis and wounding 18 in the first deadly assault on a strategic installation in the three years of the Palestinian war against Israel. The Ashdod bombers were identified as Nabil Massoud and Mohammed Salem from the Jebaliya refugee camp in Gaza, a camp funded by the UN, and kept in squalor by Yasser Arafat to enhance his recruiting of Shahids. The bombers were the first suicide bombers from Gaza to infiltrate into Israel during the current round of violence. The volatile coastal strip near Gaza is surrounded by a security fence. Hamas and Arafat’s Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades immediately claimed joint responsibility for the attack. The pair of teenaged Shahids were sent by Arafat to cripple a strategic Israeli target only 55 kilometers from Gaza. Ashdod is a busy seaport on the Mediterranean through which most of Israel’s container traffic is imported. But the two teenagers assigned jointly by Arafat’s Fatah-al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and Hamas missed their main objective, the port’s dangerous toxic materials stores. Ashdod was consequently barely spared Israel’s first mega-terror chemical attack. Yasser Arafat's double suicide attack at the Ashdod port was intended to blow up fuel storage tanks at the port, and to publicly gain momentum in his war against Israel by portraying Israel as being on the run since Ariel Sharon has already conceded to withdrawing Israeli settlers from the Gaza Strip. The attacks was also intended by Arafat to send a message to the Israelis that all their walls and security fences cannot prevent Palestinian bombers from infiltrating Israel and killing people whenever they want.
Meanwhile, Yasser Arafat has released the four Palestinian men who were arrested and charged in connection with the killings of three American security guards in the Gaza Strip last year. They were ordered released from custody after a Palestinian court ruled that there was insufficient evidence against them. Bassam Abu Sharif, a longtime adviser to Arafat, said the men were ordered released because they "were found innocent. Palestinian security officials in Gaza have made a mockery of the Bush Administration by staging fake arrests and holding mock trials. The three Americans were killed last October when a roadside bomb blew up next to their vehicle, which was part of a U.S. convoy traveling in the Gaza Strip. The men were from a private security company under contract to the U.S. Embassy and were protecting a U.S. diplomat who was in Gaza on a cultural assignment, U.S. officials said. The convoy was attacked because it was carrying Americans, which made it the first time U.S. citizens have been specifically targeted since the outbreak of sustained Palestinian violence in September 2000. The United States offered a $5 million reward for information that leads to a conviction in the case, and U.S. officials have threatened to cut off about $200 million in funding for education, health and other programs administered by the U.S. Agency for International Development if quicker progress isn't made. But Arafat is not worried about American threats as he expects to continue his Jihad against Israel and looks forward to George Bush’s defeat in November.

WEEK OF MARCH 8 THROUGH MARCH 14

 

Vatican Instructs Bishops that Jews are Our `Older Brothers'

March 10….(Ha Aretz) The Vatican issued instructions for bishops on church policy yesterday that included a reminder that Jews should be treated with respect as "elder brothers" to avert outbursts of anti-Semitism and that priests should be properly educated about the Jewish religion. Mel Gibson's recently released "The Passion of the Christ" has been criticised by some Jews who say the film will fuel anti-Semitism through an unfair portrayal of Jews as the main force behind the death of Jesus. Several Vatican prelates have endorsed the film. The bishop must promote among Christians an attitude of respect toward our `elder brothers' to avoid instances of anti-Judaism, and must be vigilant that priests receive a proper formation on the Jewish religion and its relations with Christianity," the manual for bishops said. It referred to the 1965 document "Nostra Aetate" (In Our Times), which rescinded the accusation holding the Jews collectively responsible for the killing of Christ.

 

Iraq Strategy Now Focused on Syria / The Road to Damascus

March 10….(Harpazo) Before the month is out, it's likely that President Bush will announce new sanctions against Syria – accusing the northern neighbor of Israel, Lebanon, and Iraq of many of the same offenses that were leveled against the Hussein regime in Iraq. The charge list includes developing biological and chemical weapons of mass destruction, condemning the U.S. occupation of Iraq, supporting international terrorism, and succoring anti-U.S. and anti-Israel guerrilla forces. Immediately before the Iraq invasion, Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security traveled to Israel and promised Prime Minister Ariel Sharon that "it will be necessary to deal with threats from Syria, Iran, and North Korea afterwards." In April 2003 Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz warned : "There's got to be a change in Syria."

 

85% of Israelis wish to join "anti-Semitic" EU

March 10….(Maariv) Over 85% of Israelis believe the Israeli government should submit a request to join the European Union (EU). The poll was ordered by the European Commission Delegation to Israel. The poll also shows that 80% of Israelis consider the emergence of the EU as a positive development for the world. 90% believe that Israel's relationship with Europe is important, but 61% believe that Israel is not doing enough to cultivate its relations with the EU. Despite the overwhelming wish to join the EU, 74% of Israelis think that Europe's attitude towards Israel is unfair and that it is pro-Palestinian. Even so, almost half of the respondents said that the EU should be involved in the peace process and can also serve as an example for successful conflict settlement. Most Israelis also believe that European criticism of Israel is unwarranted. In addition, two thirds said that the EU's attitude towards Israel is a result of anti-Semitism, veiled behind moral principles. Finally, 92% think that it is important to boost Israel's image in Europe.

Russia Helped Build Iraq’s Missiles

March 9….(AP) Weapons-hunters in Iraq have found evidence that experts from Russia and other countries helped with Iraq's missile programs, but it is yet unclear whether those countries' governments played any role, U.S. officials said Friday. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Bush Administration is compiling information it has obtained and will eventually present it to those countries. In addition to Russia, officials found signs that experts from Ukraine, Serbia and Belarus may have been involved. It may be that the alleged assistance came from companies or individuals who came to Iraq without the knowledge or sanction of their home governments, the officials said. CIA Director George J. Tenet says that although no WMD has been found in Iraq, an aggressive Iraqi missile program concealed from the international community has been uncovered since the end of the war. Tenet has also indicated that Iraq had advanced design work for a liquid-propellant missile with ranges of up to 620 miles and was working on other kinds of missiles. Iraq was prohibited from having missiles with ranges longer than 93 miles.

 

Homosexuality Disorder is Treatable

March 9….(Agape Press) Therapists who treat homosexuality as a disorder say the controversy over homosexual marriage has forced Americans to examine their views of a lifestyle that many others have left behind. Alan Chambers credits both therapy and religion for changing his orientation from homosexual to heterosexual. He now heads Exodus International, a network of 100 U.S. and Canadian ministries that promotes "freedom from homosexuality through the power of Jesus Christ." Stephen Bennett of Huntington, Connecticut says he "lived a gay lifestyle for eleven years" but started moving away from homosexuality "after being confronted by a Christian friend." Bennett is now married, has two children, and adamantly opposes same-sex marriage. Homosexual-rights groups dismiss such testimonies as examples of homosexual self-hatred and suppression. But Bennett says legalizing same-sex marriage would be "enabling homosexual men and women to continue in a dysfunctional lifestyle."
FOJ Note: Homosexuality is a sin. People are not born homosexuals. Any sin can be forgiven, and through Jesus, any sin can be overcome.

 

San Francisco is Promoting Anarchy

March 9….(excerpt from Agape Press) America has been swept up in the homosexual "marriage" juggernaut over the past three weeks. One pro-family leader says authorities in California need to get off the mark and enforce the law because crimes are occurring and nothing is being done to stop it from continuing. People across America are wondering where the defiance of God's law and natural law will lead. A Massachusetts judge ordered that state's lawmakers to enact legislation legalizing homosexual "marriage." The mayor of San Francisco defies state law and begins issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Then mayors in New York and Oregon jump on board and are followed by the mayor of Seattle, who said on Friday that even though his state will not conduct same-sex "weddings,"because of the state's Defense of Marriage Act, it will begin recognizing the "marriages" of homosexual state employees who go elsewhere to "tie the knot." Like many other pro-family leaders, California's Randy Thomasson wonders if and when the anarchy will stop, but he is convinced where it started: San Francisco. San Francisco has morally fallen off the planet. The City of San Francisco is violating at least ten laws in the Family Code, the Penal Code, and the State Constitution. The disregard for the law in San Francisco is leading to nationwide anarchy.

 

John Kerry Slanders the Bible & Lends Hand to Anarchy

March 9….(FOJ) Senator Kerry was stumping through Mississippi over the weekend, and stopped by a black Jackson college to compare the civil rights movement to the gay rights movement. As he was laying out his calibrated stance on gay marriage, he stated; "I believe that marriage is between a man and a woman, but I also believe it's important in the United States of America that we recognize that we have a Constitution which has an equal protection clause." Then Kerry drew a connection between racism and antigay crime, noting the 1998 murder of a gay college student, Matthew Shepard in Wyoming. "Let me tell you something, when Matthew Shepard gets crucified on a fence in Wyoming only because he was gay, I think that's a matter of gay rights in the United States of America." Most in the audience cheered, but one questioner was not satisfied. One Christian black lady rose and said, "homosexuality is just an idea. You have never heard a doctor say, Mr. and Mrs. John Doe, you have a bouncing baby homosexual.' It's simply a wrong idea." To which Mr. Kerry replied: "Well, I know the deep beliefs, I respect, I'm a Christian, I've read the Bible, and I know you can find the clauses that go both ways. I'm not here to argue that with you."Kerry continued: "The only point I want to make to you is, I've talked to enough people, some of whom fought for their country in war, and I've talked to many of them who didn't discover their own sexuality until they were 35, 40 years old, and it wasn't because they made a choice, it was because they found out who they were. And I think you have to respect that that is the nature of it. And you can look at it, and argue it, but you know what, that's irrelevant to the argument. America’s gay citizens deserve the protection of the equal protection clause.
Senator Kerry’s remarks show that he is not a Christian, and that he does not understand the Bible. He in fact belittles it, by saying that it contradicts its own self. Senator Kerry is actually lending a political hand to the anarchy host of law-breakers in California and Massachusetts. Basically, Mr. Kerry is helping to expand and empower the anti-Christian proponents in the decades old culture war in America. America has gradually become so de-sensitized to the laws of God, that it now finds it to be socially practical to view any foolishness as a human right. America’s Christian community had better wake up and confront this anarchy, or else. (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!)

Terrorist War Rages in Gaza

March 8….(FOJ) IDF troops, tanks and armored vehicles rumbled into PA-controlled areas of the Gaza Strip Sunday morning in a raid on the "Palestinian" terrorist infrastructure. At least 14 "Palestinians" were killed and another 60 wounded during fierce clashes with the incursion force, according to Palestinian Arab sources. The raid came just one day after Hamas and Palestine Islamic Jihad terrorists intent on bringing large car bombs into sovereign Israel were thwarted by soldiers stationed at northern Gaza's Erez Crossing. Instead of killing Israelis, four terrorists lost their own lives and killed two "Palestinian" policemen who reportedly tried to stop them. The terrorist operation involved four Palestinian terrorists in three vehicles, one of which was a car-bomb laden with explosives, another of which was disguised as an IDF jeep, and a third that was both laden with explosives and disguised as an IDF jeep. The attack began when a terrorist car-bomb sped towards an IDF post at the southern entrance of Erez industrial zone workers' terminal, and suddenly exploded. At least 15 innocent workers waiting in line to cross over into Israel "proper" were also wounded by their fellow Arabs. Among the 15 Arabs killed in yesterday's IDF counter-terrorism operation in Gaza were one child and a youth. IDF sources said that the two were placed in the line of fire, with the terrorists hiding behind them. Lt.-Col. Ofer, commander of the Givati Brigade Patrol Battalion said, "The other side has a culture of using children as a human shield. We have several times seen armed Palestinians with children in their hands. They make sure to lift the children in the air so that we can see them, assuming that we will then not shoot. Yesterday (on Shabbat), the children approached within a few meters of the tanks. Behind them, grenades were thrown, and exploded at the tanks. Reports from the scene of yesterday's battle indicate that local Arabs use loudspeakers to encourage children to come out to the scene of the battle. In a statement reminiscent of Hamas threats, the Palestinian Authority Sunday said Israel would pay the price for its anti-terror operations in Gaza. The PA has for the past decade refused to honor its obligation to rid Gaza and other territories under its control of armed terrorist organizations. As a result, the IDF has said it will assume the responsibility of cleaning out the killers' nests until the PA is prepared to do so. The Palestinian attack was planned and timed as a link in the bloody terror chain connecting Karbala and Baghdad. It reflects the onset of a sweeping new terrorist offensive, launched simultaneously in three countries by a Palestinian-al Qaeda alliance backed by Tehran and Damascus.

 

Iraqi Council Signs Interim Constitution

March 8….(Telegraph) Iraq's Governing Council signed a landmark interim constitution Monday after resolving a political impasse sparked by objections from the country's most powerful cleric, the Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. Ayatolla Ali al-Sistani wields great influence over Iraqi Shi'ites, who make up 60 per cent of the population. The signing was a key step in U.S. plans to hand over power to the Iraqis by July 1. Before an audience of prominent Iraqi and American civilian and military officials, including the top administrator in Iraq, L. Paul Bremer, the 25 council members signed the document on an antique desk once owned by King Faisal I, Iraq's first monarch. Council president Mohammed Bahr al-Ulloum called the signing a "historic moment, decisive in the history of Iraq." The charter, which includes a 13-article bill of rights, enshrines Islam as one of the bases of law and outlines the shape of a parliament and presidency as well as a federal structure for the country. It will remain in effect until a permanent constitution is approved by a national referendum planned for late 2005.
FOJ Note: Democracy in Iraq is inching forward, but can it last? While most Iraqis are relieved to be rid of Saddam, how things ultimately will turn out is far from decided, and a democratic government in Iraq may likely to turn into a US pipe dream. What seems to be pretty clear is that the Bush Administration is determined to leave before the U.S. presidential elections this year, and by doing it may evolve that the departure could hand the country over to the Shiites under Sistani. They might then join Iran as the only other Shiite-led government in the world. And of course that would be just fine with the UN.

WEEK OF MARCH 1 THROUGH MARCH 7

 

The Gospel of John

(see http://www.thegospelofjohnthefilm.com)

March 5….(FOJ) The Passion of The Christ movie by Mel Gibson is not the hot movie to see this season. Oh, it is getting a lot of attention, but it is a far cry from what the Gospel Story truly is. Yes, our Lord did indeed suffer a horrible torturous time before he was crucified. But the passion of Christ was to sacrifice himself to pay the price of sin so that lost people could be freed of the slavery of Satan. And that should be the passion of every Christian. I saw Mel Gibson’s movie last week, and it did not greatly impress me outside of witnessing a credible reproduction of Christ’s agony. This week, however, I saw a movie that conveyed the whole story of The Christ. Its theme centers about the literal Gospel account of John. It is the movie that the whole world should be seeing and talking about. As usual though, the Devil has everybody looking at the wrong thing. Jesus suffering was horrible, but it is His resurrection and ascension back into Heaven that should be highlighted this Easter season. Before enduring The Passion, Jesus took great care to convey to his disciples that he would leave them to prepare a place for them. Jesus told his disciples that they could not yet follow him, but tenderly informed them that although he would be absent for awhile, he would send The Comforter to be with them, and to guide, teach, and reside with them.
Then after arising from the dead and spending 40 days more with them, the time came for him to leave and go back to his father. But He left them with a promise, and that promise is even more in focus today than ever before. (John 14:1-3 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.) In the meantime, Jesus has left us with this command, “Feed My Sheep.” This is the mission of Focus on Jerusalem. In these Perilous Last Days, FOJ is continually striving to feed the sheep, and to warn everyone that the signs of the times are whizzing by one after another. Jesus, that very same Jesus that ascended up away from John and the other disciples on the Mount of Olives 2000 years ago is coming soon! But my heart is not troubled, for I can see the glory of the coming of the Lord.

The Baffling World View of the UN

March 4….(excerpt from Hal Lindsay) Last week, Israeli forces arrested three boys, ages 13, 14 and 15 at a West Bank checkpoint after they were discovered carrying homemade guns. The boys told Israeli investigators they had been recruited by Islamic Jihad to carry out a shooting attack against Israeli civilians in the city of Afula. The target was Afula's main bus station. Later, a letter was discovered by one of the boy's parents, in his own handwriting, that said he had also been recruited by the al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade. Many Palestinians expressed outrage at the terrorist groups for recruiting children, but there was no comment from the United Nations. It is an express violation of the United Nation's own protective declarations to use children as combatants. The United Nations has said nothing about it. Evidently, from the UN's perspective, recruiting children as suicide weapons is a lesser obstacle to peace than a fence designed to keep them out of Israel (and alive). Such thinking is typical of the UN where Israel is concerned. It's baffling, really, when you think about it. Even an idiot can figure out that the best way to keep somebody bent on killing you is to keep away from that person, or keep that person away from you. But given the choice between the rights of Israelis to live in their own country or the rights of Palestinian terrorists to come into that country and kill them, the United Nations sides with the rights of the terrorists, every time.

 

U.N.: US Was Wrong on Iraqi WMD
US Went to War Without Justification!

March 4….(FOJ) The justification for the Iraq is coming came under fresh doubt today amid reports that the United Nations weapons inspectors believe Saddam Hussein had no significant weapons of mass destruction after 1994. A UN report, to be submitted to the UN Security Council tomorrow by the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission, known as, UNMOVIC includes a timeline on inspections in Iraq. The UN says that Iraq apparently destroyed most of its known chemical and biological weapons and long-range missiles years before the United States invaded last March. Furthermore, the UN says that during inspections in late 2002 and early 2003, "No evidence of either current or recent development or production of proscribed munitions was uncovered in Iraq." The U.S. Iraqi Survey Group has been searching for weapons since the fall of Saddam Hussein last April, but it is not sharing its data with the United Nations. UN chief inspector Hans Blix says, "It's no secret that no weapons have been destroyed since 1994." Thus the UNMOVIC report on arms inspections in Iraq released points a finger at the Bush Administration and squarely blames Washington for launching an unjust war on Iraq. During the run up to war, both Bix and International Atomic Energy Agency executive director Mohammed ElBaradei cast doubt on Bush Administration claims that Iraq possessed weapons or had active programs to produce them. The Bush Administration said the UN inspectors were either being duped by Iraqi intelligence, or that the UN was helping Iraq cover up its WMD tracks. Now, the Bush administration's case for war is under investigation by a special presidential commission, the House and Senate intelligence committees and internal and external CIA probes.
    Today, David Kay, the man who led the CIA's postwar hunt for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, said it was time for President Bush to "come clean with the American people" and admit that he and his administration were wrong about the presence of WMD in Iraq. Mr. Kay said that continued evasion would create public cynicism about the administration's motives, which he believes reflected a genuine fear of WMD falling into the hands of terrorists. He also said that if the administration did not confront the Iraq intelligence fiasco head-on it would undermine its credibility with its allies in future crises "for a generation." Kay says he now believes that any weapons that Iraq did possess were destroyed by 1998. Kay, who says he still very much admires President Bush according to the thinks President Bush went to war for in good faith because he thought Iraq was "a threat to the American people."
    FOJ points out that the UN (being an anti-American organization) conveniently overlooked the prospect of Saddam quietly exporting his WMD material out of Iraq (Syria) before and during the UN inspections. The Bush Administration lacked any confidence in the UN inspections because of that fact. Now the UN and secular politicians in the US are casting President Bush as an irresponsible warmonger. This is just the scenario that FOJ anticipated. FOJ had cautioned its readers last March about President Bush’s failure to tie Iraq into the Al Qaeda, September 11^th attacks on America. President Bush by deferring to the UN resolutions about banned Iraqi WMD set himself up for these charges from the UN. It is fairly obvious by now that there is no WMD in Iraq, and FOJ has documented the fact that these weapons were spirited out of the country long ago. Still, America was, and continues to be subject to a serious national security threat because of fundamentalist Islamic terrorists, (and the states that support-harbor them) and their secret acquisition of WMD. The Israel bashers (states) in the UN want the US out of the way! The UN and most countries of the world could care less about the threats to America, and in fact most of the membership of the UN supports the terrorists against the US, as they do against Israel.

Arafat Directly Controls Al Aqsa Suicide Brigade

March 3….(JNEWSWIRE) The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the terror group responsible for thousands of attacks on Israelis, including the last two Jerusalem "suicide" bus bombings is not a detached "military wing" of Yasser Arafat's Fatah organization, but exists under the direct aegis of the PLO leader and his Revolutionary Council. Reports stemming from a Fatah meeting held at the weekend and published on the organization's web-site reveal that Arafat and his henchmen sanction and perpetuate the existence of the Brigades. The revelation rips the mask off Arafat's condemnation of terrorist attacks, exposing them as a charade. But instead of being tried and punished for his crimes against humanity, the grandfather of Middle Eastern and international terrorism continues to enjoy the protection offered by the European Union and even the United States. From his compound in Ramallah, barely 10 minutes from the center of Jerusalem, where he has been holed up for 16 months, Arafat continues to permit terrorist attacks and oversee those carrying them out. The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade was created to shelter Arafat in his Ramallah compound, but Israel long ago consented to international pressure to not harm him. Since the early days of the PLO's Fatah Revolutionary Council which he heads, Arafat has encouraged the creation of terror groups within terror groups, some of them fictitious; all accountable to him. The purpose for this proliferation has always been to create a sense of distance between the top leadership of the PLO and its foot soldiers, those terrorists who actually carry out attacks on the Jews. In this way, Arafat has sought to remain taint-free, and has even condemned some of the attacks perpetrated by his own people, ensuring that instead of being condemned and punished as the terrorist he is, he can remain an untouchable political figure. The international press has been complicit in helping to make this a successful strategy by according authenticity to the terror chief's "condemnations" in the way they report them.

 

America is in a Fight For its Survival

March 3….(excerpt from Dennis Prager) America is engaged in two wars for the survival of its civilization. The war over same-sex marriage and the war against Islamic totalitarianism are actually two fronts in the same war, a war for the preservation of the unique American creation known as Judeo-Christian civilization. One enemy is religious extremism. The other is secular extremism. One enemy is led from abroad. The other is directed from home. The first war is against the Islamic attempt to crush whoever stands in the way of the spread of violent Islamic theocracies, such as al Qaeda, the Taliban, the Iranian mullahs and Hamas. The other war is against the secular nihilism that manifests itself in much of Western Europe, and in parts of America such as San Francisco and in many of our universities. America leads the battle against both religious and secular nihilism and is hated by both because it rejects both equally. American values preclude embracing either religious extremism or radical secularism. As Alexis de Tocqueville, probably the greatest observer of our society wrote almost 200 years ago, America is a unique combination of secular government and religious (Judeo-Christian) society. Not only has this combination been unique, it has been uniquely successful. America, therefore, poses as mortal a threat to radical secularism as it does to Islamic totalitarianism. Each understands that America's success means its demise. This is a major reason why the Left so opposes anti-Islamism (just as it opposed anti-communism). In theory, the Left should be at least as opposed to the Islamists as is the Right. But the Left is preoccupied first with destroying America's distinctive values, its Judeo-Christian society (as opposed to a secular one), capitalism (as opposed to socialism), liberty (as opposed to equality) and exceptionalism (as opposed to universalism, multiculturalism and multilateralism). So, if the Islamists are fellow anti-Americans, the Left figures it can worry about them later. All this explains why the passions are so intense regarding same-sex marriage. Most of the activists in the movement to redefine marriage wish to overthrow the predominance of Judeo-Christian values in American life. Those who oppose same-sex marriage understand that redefining the central human institution marks the beginning of the end of Judeo-Christian civilization.

 

Iran and Libya Coordinating Missile Systems

March 3….(Middle East News Line) The United States has found an extensive Iranian military presence in Libya. Western intelligence sources said a British-U.S. team that inspected Libyan facilities in late 2003 found evidence of nearly 100 military-related Iranian contracts in Libya. The sources said they include the development of missiles as well as conventional and non-conventional weapons. "Iran has used Libya as a laboratory for Teheran's defense industry," an intelligence source said. "The United States found evidence of Iranian involvement in virtually every major Libyan weapons program." Many of the Iranian projects in Libya focused on medium and intermediate-range missile development.
FOJ Note: Does this announcement remind you of anything? Ezekiel 38 indicates that Libya will be allied with Persia (Iran) when Russia makes its incursion down against Israel. These very countries are already preparing for that eventuality, as Russia is also assisting Iran in the development of nuclear weapons.

John Kerry Would Abandon War on Terror
Kerry would begin dialogue with regimes and apologize for mistakes made by President Bush

March 2….(excerpt from World Net Daily) The Democratic Party's presidential front-runner, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., has pledged that if elected he will abandon the president's war on terror, begin a dialogue with terrorist regimes and apologize for three-and-one-half years of mistakes by the Bush administration. In a sweeping foreign-policy address to the Council on Foreign Relations in December, Kerry called the U.S. war on terror as conceived and led by President Bush "the most arrogant, inept, reckless and ideological foreign policy in modern history." Kerry's remarks have been widely praised by journalists and media alike. Presidential contenders have criticized sitting presidents in times of war before, but what's unique today is that "it has become the rule, not the exception," says Michael Franc, vice president for government relations at the Heritage Foundation. "With a few notable exceptions, you have almost the entire Democratic Party hierarchy that opposes what Bush is doing in the most vitriolic and emotional terms." Heritage presidential historian Lee Edwards called it "not a foreign-policy analysis but a polemical speech, filled with inflammatory rhetoric that is disturbing and beyond the pale. What this suggests is that Mr. Kerry wants to take us back to President Clinton and his U.N.-led multilateral policies." Kerry promised to spend the first 100 days of his administration traveling the world to denounce his predecessor, apologize for his "radically wrong" policy, and seek "cooperation and compromise" with friend and foe alike. Borrowing language normally reserved to characterize "rogue" states, Kerry said he would "go to the United Nations and travel to our traditional allies to affirm that the United States has rejoined the community of nations."
FOJ Note: Senator Kerry would take steps that would basically surrender America’s independence! He believes that America has no right to defend itself against an “attacking enemy” unless the UN grants permission. Mr. Kerry and many others are blind to the fact that America is involved in a war for its very survival. September 11^th was a Pearl Harbor type event, a cold calculated attack on America by a multi-faceted enemy that has support from many nations. At the root of that assault is America’s support for Israel.

 

EU Reaffirms Support for Arafat

March 2….(AP)Europe's disagreement with the Bush administration over shunning Yasser Arafat persisted Monday as the Europeans urgently appealed for direct talks between the Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers. Brian Cowen, the Irish foreign minister who currently represents the 15-nation European Union in a conference with Secretary of State Colin Powell, said the stalled Middle East peace process "remains the issue of concern. Cowen said the Europeans had not changed their position on Yasser Arafat, and the EU still recognizes him as the rightful leader of the Palestinian people. The Bush Administration has ruled out dealing with the veteran Palestinian terrorist leader because they say he is tainted with terror against Israel.
FOJ Note: There are none so blind as those will not see! The Bush Administration has chosen to deal only with the PA through its Prime Minister. But given the fact that he and all other senior Palestinian officials appointed by Arafat, it as just as if you were dealing with Arafat. The Bush Doctrine is based on the assumption that the Arab world will embrace Democracy, when what the Arab world really needs is Jesus Christ, and that is something Islam will not permit. Democracy has only thrived in the West because of true Christianity.

 

Arab League Will Endorse Geneva Accord

March 2….(AP) Arab countries are considering backing an unofficial Israeli-Palestinian peace accord reached last year in Geneva. The Arab League does not spell out how to resolve the stickiest issues, but in essence does back the so-called "Geneva Accord" reached last year by unofficial Israeli and Palestinian negotiators meeting in Switzerland. Arab League leaders are to take up the matter at a summit in Tunis March 29-30. The Geneva accord outlined the borders between Israel and a future Palestinian State. It deals with Israeli settlements in Palestinian areas, and turns Jerusalem into a shared capital for both states.
It offers compensation to Palestinian refugees, but allows Israel to decide how many return.The Arab League reaffirms Israel's "legal, political and moral responsibilities for the creation of the Palestinian refugee problem," but it does not insist the refugees return to their homeland. According to the United Nations, 750,000 Palestinians fled or were driven from their homes in 1948; today, they amount to about 5 million with their descendants. Former Palestinian Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo, who negotiated the Geneva Accord with former Israeli Justice Minister Yossi Beilin, has visited Arab countries including Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, trying to convince the governments to back the accord with an Arab summit resolution. Arab League foreign ministers met Monday in Cairo to prepare for the summit.
FOJ Note: The Geneva Accords were worked out under the mindset of the EU-UN and other Globalists such as Jimmy Carter. Senator Kerry, being a Globalist ideologue would likely embrace the plan too. The big losers under the Geneva Accords would be the US and Israel.

Iran and Syria Sign Defense Coop Pact

March 1….(Middle East News Line) Iranian and Syrian ministers met last week to sign a plan to expand their defense and security cooperation. The two countries have established a joint committee to review areas of cooperation in the field of defense, military and security. Iranian sources said the focus would be on defense research and development as well as on industrial projects. Iranian Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani visited Damascus and pledged to help Syria buildup its Shihab missile program. During the visit, Syrian President Bashar Assad expressed his intention to increase defense cooperation with Iran as part of efforts to protect against foreign (US) threats to both nations. Iranian sources said Assad wants to bolster defense industrial cooperation between Damascus and Teheran. Syria had sought to develop its defense industry in 2002 with help from the then-Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein and began producing and exporting surface-to-surface tactical rockets.
FOJ Note: This pact with Iran marks Syrian President Bashar Assad’s decision to turn away from efforts to start a dialogue with the Bush Administration, and seek entry into the Tehran-Moscow arena. Assad is not willing to pay the price Washington demand of scrapping his long-range missile programs and weapons of mass destruction or ending his sponsorship of terrorists. On all three issues, he and Iran’s hard-line rulers are of one mind. The Syrian president is also calculating that the European Union will eventually give way and relent on its terrorist stipulations for a reciprocal trade accord with Damascus.

 

Suicide Bombers Coming to the US?

March 1….(FOJ) For several years now FOJ has been warning its readers of the distinct possibility of Middle East suicide bombers coming to the US and subjecting America to the same kind of threats that Israel faces on a daily basis. FOJ has highlighted the fact that US foreign policy relative to the Promised Land is in direct opposition to God’s designs for Israel. FOJ was regularly warned that the continuation of an appeasement policy toward Palestinian terrorism while coercing Israel into land concessions would ultimately lead to suicide bombers coming here. Last week, a document was discovered during a recent Israeli army raid on some West Bank financial institutions that found payrolls being prepared for terrorists trained to commit suicide attacks, not just in Israel but in the U.S. and Europe. Israel has reportedly shared this information with the intelligence agencies of friendly countries, including the U.S. and Russia. While suicide bomb attacks are common in Israel, they have been unheard of in the U.S. They are on the increase, however, against U.S. forces in Iraq. Last week Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said the No. 1 threat to the new government and U.S. forces in Iraq comes from suicide bombers.

 

Jewish Response to "The Passion"

March 1….(Arutz) The Orthodox Union has prepared a response to the controversial, anti-Semitic and violence-saturated film The Passion. Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, (Executive Vice President of the Orthodox Union) sais his concern is not so much with anti-Semitism the movie might cause, but rather "for the effect that seeing this movie, or even seeing part of this film or reading about this film, will have upon my Jewish brothers and sisters, observant or non-observant, Orthodox or non-Orthodox, old or young." A distinguished clinical psychologist, Rabbi Weinreb describes the inner psychological process that all movie-watchers undergo when seeing the "heroic and innocent" good guys, compared with the "fiendish-looking" bad guys, the Jews, in this case. "What I'm concerned about is that Jews who see this film will identify deeply with Jesus, and will dis-identify with their own God-given identity as the Jewish people." He calls on Jews to learn more about their faith, and "enough about Christianity so that we can be proud of the ways in which we are different. Rabbi Weinreb contrasts the differing paths to redemption in Christianity and Judaism: "In Christianity redemption is by faith; in Judaism it comes via actions, namely, the fulfillment of G-d's commandments. In Judaism, grace does not come from without, rather from within. The special role of the Jewish people, through fulfillment of the commandments, is to bring the universe closer to a God who commands us to distinguish good from evil." He notes the teachings of the Rambam (Maimonides) that the role of Christianity is to disseminate, throughout the non-Jewish world, Jewish concepts such as prayer, repentance and family values. Rabbi Weinreb declared, noting that even though Jews should be open to the wisdom of the nations, "this does not include exposure to those aspects of alien teachings that are contrary to our central beliefs. How fortunate are we, how beautiful our heritage that we proclaim twice each day: Sh'ma Yisrael, Hear, O Israel, The Lord is our God, The Lord is One. We must retain that Jewish pride in the face of the temptations of this film, and of the efforts that will be made by others to undermine our Jewish pride. We thank God for our Jewish identity even as we intensify our commitment to that Jewish identity. In his presentation, Rabbi Dr. David Berger focused on historical aspects of the life of Jesus and his death, noting that not all Jews were hostile to Jesus. He noted that some sources say that Jesus was an observant Jew, leading to the question of why Christians don't observe Torah as well. Rabbi Skobac, who has done much work in combating attempts by evangelicals to convert Jews to Christianity, notes that the spiritual dangers of the film to Jews are greater than the anti-Semitic dangers. "For the 75 million evangelical Christians," he declared, "the film is the greatest thing they've had in 2,000 years to convert people to their faith. Evangelicals do not present an anti-Semitic appearance to Jews, but rather they are warm and caring and support Jewish concerns, first and foremost, Israel. Rabbi Skobac says that their central claim is that Jesus went to his death willingly for our sins, and that we are doomed to an eternity in hell if we don't accept Jesus. But the Torah tells us numerous times we can come to G-d and repair our relationship through Teshuva, repentance.

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