WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 25 THROUGH OCTOBER 2
Nineveh, New Orleans, & the City of Man Oct.
1….(Baptist Press) "Cities do not last. Those built in precarious places
collapse. The rest are doomed to decay or suffer humanly induced destruction."
That is the assessment of historian Felipe Fernandez Arnesto. He spoke those
words with reference to New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, but
his historical judgment would well apply to Nineveh, Tyre, Babylon and a host of
cities long ago covered with dust. The pictures out of New Orleans tell the
story. Broken glass, twisted steel, sunken streets and abandoned homes testify
of the city's impermanence. And yet, the pictures of devastation wrought by
nature paled in light of the picture of moral devastation that followed the
hurricane. Lawlessness in the streets, rioting in the Superdome and sniper fire
aimed at rescue teams revealed the disorder and anarchy that lie close beneath
the surface of human civilization. Of all people, Christians should be least
surprised. After all, we have been warned of civilization's fragility, and we
know that history unfolds God's judgment in the rising and falling of empires,
nations and cities. Augustine, the great theologian bishop of Hippo in North
Africa, produced the greatest interpretation of history by a Christian in his
monumental work, “The City of God.” Writing even as Rome had fallen to the
Vandals, Augustine offered a Christian vision of history and its meaning.
christians should see all of history in terms of two cities, Augustine
explained, an earthly city and a heavenly city. The earthly city, the City of
Man, serves the gods of power, wealth and pleasure. Its ultimate founder is Cain
who, according to Genesis 4:17, "built a city." Cain's city, and all the lesser
cities that follow in its way, are transient monuments to human achievement and
pride. Christians are indeed citizens of the earthly city, Augustine argued. But
as the New Testament makes clear, we are ultimately citizens of a heavenly
kingdom, of the City of God. As Augustine wrote, "We have learnt that there is a
City of God: and we have longed to become citizens of that City with a love
inspired by its founder." Augustine understood that the two cities represented
two different allegiances, two different loves and two different ways of life.
Ultimately, the two cities represent two very different destinies. The earthly
city is concerned with the matters that make for glory and pleasure among men.
The City of God, embodied in this age as the church, is the eternal city that is
completely devoted to the glory of God. The earthly city is headed for
destruction. The City of God is eternal. The earthly city looks secure, but is
passing. This truth is brought to mind when looking at the remains of New
Orleans. Buildings that once looked so permanent and safe are soon to be
demolished and replaced. Institutions and organizational forms that once
constituted the very structure of civilization can quickly pass from existence.
Anarchy quickly supplants order, and ruins quickly appear where gardens had once
been tended. "The ruins of places once full of confidence surround us,"
Fernandez Arnesto reminds us. "History is a path we pick among them. Yet we
contemplate them with romantic yearning or philosophical detachment, instead of
being very afraid." Christians understand that fear would be an appropriate
response to what we have seen in New Orleans. As Augustine reminds us, "The
earthly city will not be everlasting; for when it is condemned to the final
punishment it will no longer be a city. It has its good in this world, and
rejoices to participate in it with such gladness as can be derived from things
of such a kind. And since this is not the kind of good that causes no
frustrations to those enamored of it, the earthly city is generally divided
against itself by litigation, by wars, by battles, by the pursuit of victories
that bring death with them, or at best are doomed to death." Cities appear to be
permanent, but no city has endured throughout the course of human history. No
earthly city will endure the judgment that is to come. Fernandez Arnesto
sympathizes with our reflexive trust in cities. "The fragility of cities is a
cruel fact to acknowledge," he admits. "We put so much effort into them. We
beautify them in confidence of the future. We measure their greatness by their
willingness to make present sacrifices for future fame, or, more altruistically,
for the benefit of posterity. We admire cities that court disaster. Dazzlingly
heroic examples include Venice, built in stone on islets of salt marsh, so that
it is bound to sink, or San Francisco, built and rebuilt in defiance of
topography and almost in the embrace of a geological fault line; or Tokyo,
earthquake prone and in the path of typhoons." Even a brief review of human
history tells the story. Augustine wrote “The City of God” as a Christian
interpretation of history that had been made necessary by the fall of Rome. When
the Visigoths plundered Rome in AD 410 (followed by the Ostrogoths in 455)
the capital city of the Roman Empire fell, and the fall of that city was indeed
great. By the end of the fifth century, only a hundred thousand citizens lived
in Rome, the rich having fled to Constantinople or other safe and attractive
cities. The capital that had styled itself the "eternal city" was now a desolate
ruin.
Hamas Vows More Attacks Sept. 30….(WND) In an exclusive interview with WorldNetDaily yesterday, Hamas senior spokesman Sami Abu Zahri taunted Israel for its vulnerability to rocket attacks and warned that the terrorist group plans to kidnap more Israeli citizens just days after it claimed responsibility for the abduction and murder of a Jerusalem resident. Zahri also told WND Hamas maintains "good relationships" with Syrian President Bashar Assad and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. "Our relations are good with all the honest forces in the Arab world and this includes Assad's Syria, Hezbollah and other movements and forces," Zuhri said in the interview. Zahri claimed Israel does not have the military capability to stop Hamas' Qassam rockets from flying out of Gaza and hitting nearby Jewish communities. "Israel has always tried to stop Qassam attacks and she always failed to do so, even while using the most sophisticated technological and military tools. Hamas has fired more than 25 rockets at Jewish towns near the Gaza border since the Israel;I withdrawal from Gaza. Following Israel's assassination this week of a senior Islamic Jihad commander, Hamas' Gaza leader Mahmoud al-Zohar vowed to halt all attacks from Gaza. But Zuhri said Hamas will only cease rocket attacks "as long as the enemy [Israel] is committed to stopping its escalation." Zuhri took the occasion of the interview to again blame Israel for an explosion at a Hamas victory rally in Gaza last week that killed 21 people, even though the Palestinian Authority Tuesday announced Hamas mistakenly caused the blast. "The Israeli occupation is fully responsible for the rally massacre," Zuhri said. "Photos show and prove that an Israeli aircraft was flying above the area where the rally was happening. Also the rockets we bring to our rallies never contain live explosives." A PA probe found Hamas members who mishandled homemade rockets were responsible for the rally explosion, which Hamas reportedly then used as pretext for launching a barrage of Qassam rockets against Israeli Negev communities. Hamas this week admitted to kidnapping and killing Jerusalem resident Sasson Nuriel, releasing a video of Hamas members interrogating the Jewish merchant with a blindfold strapped around his head. Zuhri warned Hamas will kidnap more Israelis unless Palestinian prisoners are freed and the Jewish state ceases to arrest wanted Hamas militants. "This kidnapping is part of the resistance to the occupation and is part of our struggle to free the Palestinian prisoners," he said. "We gave Israel many opportunities to free our prisoners, which was supposed to be part of the [February] cease fire agreement [between PA President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon] but the occupier did not respect this and continues to carry our prisoners to their jails. "Therefore if we will not succeed in getting our prisoners freed in peaceful ways and through negotiations, we will do everything necessary to liberate them, including kidnapping more Israelis."
Jews Condemn Southern Baptist Effort (Anti-Defamation League: Use of converted Jews is offensive) Sept. 30….(CNN) A leading Jewish organization is condemning the Southern Baptist Convention for using a group of "messianic" Jews, those who have converted to Christianity, in its evangelism. Anti-Defamation League director Abraham Foxman said the effort is offensive because the Southern Baptists are using Jews who have converted to Christianity "to go after other Jews." "If people convert, that's their individual business," Foxman said. "But don't use them as a tool to convert other people." At the heart of the ADL's complaint is a decision by the Southern Baptist Convention executive committee to ask its missionary boards to study the idea of recognizing the Southern Baptist Messianic Fellowship as "an evangelistic mission to Jewish people." The fellowship is made up of about a dozen congregations in the United States. Its Web site says its mission is "to encourage Jewish believers that their ethnic and historical heritage need NOT be lost upon their commitment to Yeshua [Jesus]." The idea to use the fellowship was proposed at the national convention in Nashville in June. The SBC executive committee recommended last week that its International Mission Board and North American Mission Board study the possibility. Jim Sibley, coordinator of Jewish Ministries for the SBC's North American Mission Board, said the ADL was overreacting. The committee was simply forwarding the proposal, he said. "Personally, I don't really see this (recommendation) going anywhere," Sibley said Thursday. There's a history of conflict between Jews and Southern Baptists over this issue. The Southern Baptist Convention passed a resolution in 1996 calling on its members to "direct our energies and resources toward the proclamation of the gospel to the Jewish people." A 1999 prayer guide by the International Mission Board recommended conversion of Jews to Christianity during their High Holy Days, an effort labeled "offensive and disrespectful" by Jewish leaders. As recently as 2003 Jewish leaders criticized a Southern Baptist seminary president for saying Christians have a mandate to evangelize Jews just as a surgeon has a responsibility to tell a patient about the presence of a "deadly tumor." Now, Foxman said, "they're trying another approach." "Maybe they think Jews will talk to Jews because they feel more comfortable," he said. Said Sibley: "We believe we have a life-changing message that we are commanded to tell everyone. We don't use force, and we don't want to be rude or offensive in any way."
Israeli’s Urge US to Stop Iran’s Nuke Goals Sept.
30….(Washington Times) The United States and its allies must act to stop
Iran's nuclear programs, by force if necessary, because conventional diplomacy
will not work, three senior Israeli lawmakers from across the political spectrum
warned yesterday. As a last resort, they said, Israel itself would act
unilaterally to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear arms. Iran will not be
deterred "by anything short of a threat of force," said Arieh Eldad, a member of
Israel's right-wing National Union Party, part of a delegation of Knesset
members visiting Washington this week. "They won't be stopped unless they are
convinced their programs will be destroyed if they continue," he said. Yuval
Steinitz, chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, said
the best hope was for the United States and other major powers to make it clear
to Iranian leaders now there was "no chance they will ever see the fruits of a
nuclear program." "Threats of sanctions and isolation alone will not do it,"
said Mr. Steinitz. Yosef Lapid, head of the centrist opposition Shinui Party in
the Knesset, added that Israel "will not live under the threat of an Iranian
nuclear bomb." "We feel we are obliged to warn our friends that Israel should
not be pushed into a situation where we see no other solution but to act
unilaterally" against Iran, he said. Mr. Steinitz, a member of Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon's ruling Likud Party, stopped just short of a direct threat to bomb
suspect Iranian nuclear sites. to all Western
interests in the region," he said. "Despite all the different circumstances, we
see similarities to what happened in the 1930s, when people underestimated the
real problem or focused on other dangers. For us, either the world will tackle
Iran in advance or all of us will face the consequences."Israel has acted
unilaterally before to halt a nuclear program by a hostile neighbor, bombing
Iraq's Osirak reactor in 1981. Widely condemned at the time, the surprise raid
is now credited with dealing a major setback to Saddam Hussein's nuclear
ambitions. Mr. Eldad said Israelis across the political spectrum see Iran as the
country's most serious threat and one that cannot be ignored.
Hamastan Rises on Jewish Gaza's Ruins Sept. 30….(JNEWSWIRE) The worst fear of politicians, military officials and Israeli civilians regarding Israel's withdrawal from Gaza has become a reality, the volatile coastal strip is now the private domain of Islamic terrorism, led by the infamous Hamas organization. On Friday, Ha'aretz quoted an unnamed US official as saying the Bush Administration wanted to see the Palestinian Authority immediately exert control over Gaza, following a weekend terrorist flareup in the wake of Israel's “disengagement.” But senior PA sources told Middle East Newsline that is simply not possible. They pointed to the fact uniformed and heavily armed Hamas troops now operate their own military checkpoints and openly patrol the streets of many of Gaza's cities and towns. “Hamas is in control and all we can do is look on,” said one official. “This is the new reality.” Hamas sources said the group has some 5,000 men under arms in Gaza, organized into seven brigades. Evidence of Hamas' rising power lies in the fact it and groups associated with it have in the past month assassinated a senior PA security adviser and attacked the Gaza City home of the PA Interior Ministry spokesman with virtual impunity. As early as last October, IDF officials warned in an official report that quitting Gaza would likely result in the strip becoming a “terrorist entity where anarchy prevails.” Now that Israel is gone, Gaza's descent into Taliban-like rule is only expected to accelerate, aided by the reported introduction of Al Qaeda operatives into the area earlier this month. IDF intelligence chief Maj.-Gen. Aharon Ze'evi-Farkash this week said it is his assessment the global terror network managed to infiltrate numerous cells into Gaza amid the border chaos following the withdrawal of the last Israeli troops. Nor is Hamas satisfied with Gaza alone. On Thursday the group took control of 28 out of 104 local municipalities up for election in Judea and Samaria. Israel strongly protests Hamas' participation in elections on the grounds of its signed peace agreements with the PA. But Jerusalem has found little tangible support on this issue from its allies in Washington.
Nuke Terror set for Ramadan? (Al-Qaida
gears up for October 'American Hiroshima'?)
'Palestinians' Mark Five Years of Trojan-Peace War Sept. 29….(JNEWSWIRE) The Palestinian Arabs Wednesday marked the fifth anniversary of their current terrorist campaign against Israel, commonly known as the Oslo War or Al Aqsa Intifada. A third intifada, or uprising, far more intense in scope is on the horizon, they said, blowing away Western assertions that the region is gaining momentum towards peace in the wake of Israel's “disengagement” from Gaza and northern Samaria. On October 28, 2000, then-opposition leader Ariel Sharon led a small delegation of Likud Party Members of Knesset atop Jerusalem's Temple Mount to mark the Jewish holy day of Rosh Hashanah. The event was utilized by the “Palestinians” and their Israeli Arab allies to justify what is now known to have been pre-planned hostilities. While Sharon and his delegation were rescued from the Temple Mount that day without injury, the PA-controlled territories erupted in an orgy of violence that soon spilled over to the Israeli Arab community. Since that day, 1,064 Israelis have been murdered and another 7,500 maimed and wounded in thousands of acts of terrorist brutality. Over 4,000 “Palestinians” have died in that same time, a large percentage of them while engaging in anti-Jewish violence. “Palestinian” officials told Ynet the large death toll was acceptable due to the fact the violence had led to Israel's surrender of the Gaza Strip and northern Samaria. Analysts say the pullout has whetted their appetite for more. “Israel withdrew from Gaza and accepted the Road Map, so everyone should realize that this intifada achieved” great results for the Arabs, Palestinian Legislative Council member and senior Fatah faction leader Mohammed Ranaim said. Abu Araj, a Jenin-area commander in Fatah's al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, concurred. “How can I say this wasn't worth it when Israel withdrew from Gaza and took away settlements in the Jenin area. It's because of the blows that Palestinian organizations landed on Israel's head and on the heads of the settlers.” Next the “Palestinians” intend to use the issue of Israel's “West Bank” security fence to escalate the fighting even further. Israel started building the fence as a result of the unrelenting terrorism and the Palestinian Authority's failure to curb it. The “Palestinians” claim it is an attempt by Israel to unilaterally set unfavorable final borders. The “third intifada, which would be much more severe than its predecessor, will be the intifada against the fence,” Ranaim said. Araj told Ynet that from the perspective of his people, “the third intifada is almost here, and it will be much worse.” He also said it would not be only about the fence, but also “the liberation of Jerusalem and the rest of the land.”
Syria and Al Qaeda Planning Terror in Israel Sept. 28….(Debka) Syria is pushing complete Palestinian battalions with their commands and weapons into Lebanon in the largest military movement since Syrian troops entered Lebanon 25 years ago. DEBKAfile’s intelligence sources report the men are taken out of refugee camps near Damascus by Syrian intelligence agents and loaded on Lebanese civilian trucks hired by the Syrian army. In Lebanon, half are destined for the southern port town of Sidon and the rest for the Beqaa Valley. The estimated 1,200-1,500 men are operatives of Hamas, the Popular Front, the Democratic Front and the Abu Mussa splinter faction
Israeli Air Force Hits Gaza Targets Sept. 28….(YNET)
Parts of Gaza plunged into darkness after IDF
strikes at three buildings in Strip belonging to Fatah, Popular Resistance
Committees, Popular Front. Meanwhile, eyewitnesses say troops raid Hamas,
Islamic Jihad offices in West Bank
Hurricane Rita Causes Record Damage to Oil Rigs Sept. 28….(Financial Times) Hurricane Rita has caused more damage to America’s oil rigs than any other storm in history and will force companies to delay drilling for oil in the US and as far away as the Middle East, initial damage assessments show. Oil prices eased on Wednesday over concerns that demand for crude would be hit by the continued shutdown of refineries. ODS-Petrodata, which provides market intelligence to the offshore oil and natural gas industry, said it expected a shortage of rigs in the US Gulf this year. “Based on what we have right now, it appears that drilling contractors and rig owners took a big hit from Rita,” said Tom Marsh of ODS-Petrodata. “The path Katrina took was through the mature areas of the US Gulf where there are mainly oil production platforms. Rita came to the west where there is a lot of exploratory rig activity.” Ken Sill of Credit Suisse First Boston said: “Early reports indicate numerous rigs are missing, destroyed or have suffered serious damage and several companies have yet to report. Rita may set an all-time record.” The US Coast Guard said nine semisubmersible rigs had broken free from their moorings and were adrift. This damage could not have come at a worse time for oil companies and consumers. US crude futures on Monday fell 37 cents to $65.45 a barrel in midday trading in New York as refineries that were evacuated before the onset of Rita returned to operation. Earlier in the day, Ali Naimi, Saudi Arabia's oil minister, said the market had not taken up the 2m barrels a day of spare capacity the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries offered last week. Speaking in Johannesburg, he blamed high oil prices on a lack of industry infrastructure, including rigs and refineries, rather than oil reserves. Rigs, which are movable and are used for exploration and development, were in short supply before hurricanes Katrina and Rita blew through the US Gulf in late August and September. High oil prices and the desperate search for new oil supplies needed to meet rampant demand from the US and China have made rigs difficult to find and expensive to hire. Rigs cost $90m-$550m to construct, depending on how sophisticated the structure and how deep the water in which it will drill. A rig ordered today is unlikely to be ready before 2008 or 2009, analysts said. As a sign of just how precious rigs are becoming to the market, Anadarko, the biggest US independent oil company, this week set a record by committing to a rig six years in advance; commitments in the past were made months ahead of time rather than years. Initial reports from companies are ominous. Global Santa Fe reported it could not find two of its rigs. Rowan Companies reported four rigs damaged, with two having moved, one losing its “legs” and the fourth presumed sunk. Noble has four rigs adrift, with two run aground one into a Chevron Texaco platform.
Terror 'a Way of Life' for Syria Sept. 28….(Jerusalem Post) Deputy Defense Minister Ze'ev Boim told The Jerusalem Post Wednesday that Israel would "burn into the consciousness of the Palestinians that the rules of the game have changed." Boim responded to a report leaked to Israel Radio by Palestinian sources on Wednesday, that Syrian President Bashar Assad met with representatives of Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Damascus on September 10 and asked them to increase their terror attacks against Israeli targets. According to the report, Assad told the Palestinian terror groups at the meeting that they had absolute freedom of action in attacking Israel. Assad was quoted as saying, "Syria is under siege. We are under international pressure. They're hounding us because of what's happening in Iraq and the investigation of the assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri in Lebanon. Do what you must in the territories. Draw fire away from us." Boim told the Post that Assad's support for terror was not new. "Terrorism is a regular way of life for the Syrian regime, one which Assad the father began and Assad the son is continuing," he said. "It is a fact that over the years, Syria has hosted these terror organizations. This gives Assad a direct connection to the snakes' heads, the heads of the terror organizations," Boim told the Post. While Boim wouldn't say whether Israel had independent intelligence confirming the meeting in Damascus, Boim asserted that "you don't need special intelligence" to recognize the Syrian regime's connection to Palestinian terror. Earlier this week, Assad arrived in Cairo for an urgent meeting called at Egypt's request. According to Palestinian sources, who reportedly also gave the information about the Damascus meeting to the Egyptians, Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak told Assad not to interfere in the Palestinian arena. Boim added that while Israel would still hold the Palestinian Authority formally responsible for terror from its territory, "We don't care at this point exactly who is doing the shooting. Any missiles or Kassam artillery barrages will receive a response in kind. We will do what Abu Mazen [PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas] refuses to do. Our hands will not be tied in any way. "Abu Mazen made the greatest mistake he could," Boim continued, "when he invited Hamas into the political system without forcing it to take even the very first step toward participation in a democratic system: disarmament."
PA Sermon: Katrina Was Allah's Punishment on USA Sept. 28….(Palestinian Media Watch) A Chief Palestinian Authority religious leader preached on PA radio that the death and destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina was Allah's punishment to the United States for fighting Muslims in Afghanistan, Iraq and the PA, and for threatening Iran and Syria. Yusuf Abu Sneina, Imam of Al-Aqsa Mosque, also repeated a common theme that America's time as a power will end, and America will fall like such earlier powers as "Persia and the Byzantine." The sermon was aired on Voice of Palestine, a PA-owned and -run radio station. The following is the text of the Friday sermon: "And then Katrina happened, and the American president stood dazzled, beaten, defeated, stunned, lamenting his lot, and the question we are presenting here is, was the USA able to stop Allah's power, and limit His will? Within a few hours the storm has destroyed enormous areas and the water flooded the houses. "O Muslims, the greatness of the USA has fallen in the face of the storm. O Muslims, always remember that oppression never lasts forever, that the era of tyrants will not last forever, that the era of tyrants will not last forever. Where are the kings of Ancient Persia and the Byzantine emperors? Where are the nations of the past? Where are the former powerful states? Allah alone is the one who takes revenge, the Mighty One. "Therefore, learn a lesson, O you who see through things, owners of wisdom, the oppression of the USA in the world - especially in Iraq, in Afghanistan, and here, in our own land Palestine, has crossed the line, and Allah was right when He said in Surat Hud [from the Quran],'These are some of the stories of communities that we relate unto thee: of them some are standing, and some have been mown down. Such is the chastisement of thy Lord when He chastises communities in the midst of their wrong; grievous, indeed, and severe is His chastisement. In that is a sign for those who fear the penalty of the hereafter: that is a Day for which mankind will be gathered together. That will be a Day of Judgment.' "Servants of Allah, isn't it high time the USA pulled back its oppressing forces from Afghanistan and Iraq? Isn't it high time the USA stopped threatening others, such as Iran and Syria? Isn't it high time the USA stopped supporting Israel against the oppressed Palestinians?"
Sept. 28….(Palestinian Media Watch) Destroying Israel continues to be a desired and attainable goal candidly presented in Palestinian Authority discourse and education. The intensity of this hate message has increased on Palestinian Authority Television (PA TV) since Israel left Gush Katif in Gaza, as religious, political and educational leaders have encouraged Palestinians to perceive the events there as a first step towards Israel's destruction. Three PA TV programs stressed this goal last week. The first, a rebroadcast of a so-called "historical educational" program first aired in 2003, reiterated the PA teaching that Israel had no right to exist because all of Israel is "Palestine." Worse, it taught that Israel's continued existence is, by Israel's very nature, a threat to the entire Arab world. The PA TV broadcast showed a map of all of Israel marked as Palestine under the PLO flag, while the narrator taught that if Palestine is not "whole," meaning if Israel continues to exist, it is like a fatal knife thrust into the heart of the Arab nation, which threatens it in its entirety. The following are the words: "The countries of our Arab homeland also have a heart."If the heart is whole and healthy, then all the other parts are whole and healthy. The heart of the Arab homeland is Palestine. The homeland remains whole and healthy if Palestine is whole and healthy. "A stab in the heart is a deathblow. "Throughout the generations of history there were those who directed the first stab at the heart of the Arab nation, to Palestine." [PA TV, September 6, 2005 and July 1, 2003] A Palestinian academic expressed the same anticipation of Israel's eventual destruction, describing the joy of the Gaza withdrawal as incomplete until Israel will be destroyed: "Nothing compares to this joy, the oppressed overcomes the oppressor, but our happiness will not be complete only with the return of all of our lands, the West Bank, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Jaffa, Haifa, Safed, and other stolen cities". [Dr. Ismaeil Al-Fara, lecturer at Al-Quds University, and director of the General Union for Disabled Palestinians in Khan Yunis, PA TV, September 2, 2005] PMW has been warning for years about the dangers of this PA indoctrination to see Israel's existence as illegitimate and temporary, especially among children. The results of this education were seen again this week as three children showed off their drawings of maps of "Palestine" on PA TV. All three children erased Israel's existence in their drawings while the maps were tied in barbed wire symbolizing "Palestine" as ensnared by Israel. These were some their explanations: Mahmoud Eid: "In this painting I wanted to emphasize the chains that the occupation puts on our people. I painted this map of Palestine, with the Palestinian flag to say to our people that Palestine is still Palestine, and that the Palestinians deserve it - not the Jews." Udai: "I painted the map so we will not forget our place on the map." Significantly, the children call all of Israel "Palestine" and all of Israel is said to be "the Occupation." These conclusions are not surprising, they are the direct result of ten years of PA education. PA schoolbooks, even those published last year, replace Israel with "Palestine" on all maps. In addition, the word "occupation" in the school books refers to all of Israel. For example: "Colonialism: Palestine faced the British occupation after the First World War in 1917, and the Israeli occupation in 1948." [National Education, sixth grade, p. 16, PA ministry of Education, 2000, translated by Center for Monitoring the Impact of Peace] Palestinian Media Watch has reported on other examples of Palestinian children reflecting their education that Israel should be destroyed, thereby reflecting one of the central messages of their formal and informal education. One such example was a letter writing competition held by the PA Ministry of Education. The winner wrote of "returning" to Jaffa, a city in Israel. Read the bulletin here. Palestinian Media Watch finds it significant that PA TV would choose to air these programs the day before Israel withdrew its troops from Gaza. These programs reinforce the messages the PA educational system has been delivering for years, and teach Palestinian children to see the peace process as temporary and Israel's destruction as total and permanent.
Abbas Rushes to Meet Mubarak
Hamas is Preparing for War Beyond Gaza
Hamas Utilizing AlQaeda Terror Tactics
Common Sense on Terrorism Sept. 27….(Jeff Jacoby/Jewish World Review) Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney kicked off a rumpus last week when he observed that homeland security depends not just on protecting assets but on counter-terror intelligence, including keeping tabs on people and places when there is reason to believe they may be involved in terrorism or its incitement. ''People who are in settings, mosques, for instance, that may be teaching doctrines of hate and terror," Romney said. ''Are we monitoring that? Are we wiretapping? Are we following what's going on? Are we seeing who's coming in, who's coming out? Are we eavesdropping, carrying out surveillance on those individuals that are coming from places that sponsor domestic terror?" Well, no kidding. After 9/11, after the Madrid and London transit massacres, it is hard to imagine anyone objecting to Romney's statement of the obvious. But object they did. The ACLU objected to the counter-terror measures and accused the governor of proposing ''another giant stride toward a police state." The Council on American Islamic Relations, shamelessly distorting Romney's words, said it was aghast that any governor would ''suggest blanket wiretapping of houses of worship." Groups from the leftist fringe staged a protest outside Romney's office. But if they expected to browbeat him into an apology, they were disappointed. ''This thing is just common sense," he told reporters. ''Surely we have to recognize that some of this has gone on in mosques in the past. There have been places of extremism where certain teachers have been identified as having been involved in terrorist attacks. Let's not pretend that's not the case." Again, a statement of the obvious. ''The most dangerous thing that is going on now in these mosques, is the extremists' ideology. Because they are very active, they took over the mosques; and we can say that they took over more than 80 percent of the mosques that have been established in the US. And there are more than 3,000 mosques in the US says Sufi sheik Muhammad Hisham Kabbani, when he spoke at a State Department forum in 1999. Kabbani was one of the first moderate Muslim leaders in the United States with the courage to publicly denounce the extremists. Unfortunately, his alarm didn't wake Americans from their pre-9/11 slumber. But what excuse can there be now for not taking seriously his warning that most US mosques are in the hands of a radical minority? As Romney says, It was the focus on mosques that caused hackles to rise. Freedom of religion is an engrained American value, and the prospect of singling out Muslim houses of worship for special scrutiny leaves a bad taste. But if Americans want to protect themselves from Islamist terrorism, monitoring the mosques that foment it must be a priority. Needless to say, this must be done legally. Romney isn't proposing to do away with safeguards like judicial oversight and warrants issued only for probable cause. ''I don't want to change the rules," he emphasized in an interview last week. ''You can wiretap only when you comply with the Constitution." The evidence that some radical mosques have been perverted into terrorist hatcheries has been mounting for years. The notorious Finsbury Park mosque in London incubated jihadists for holy wars worldwide; among its alumni are Zacarias Moussaoui, the alleged 20th hijacker, and shoe bomber Richard Reid. Brooklyn's Al-Farooq Mosque is where Sheik Omar Abdul Rahman, a rabid Egyptian cleric, incited his followers to bomb the World Trade Center in 1993. Just last week, Hamid Hayat of Lodi, Calif., was indicted on federal terrorism charges; he is one of five suspected jihadis arrested earlier this year. All five attended the same Lodi mosque, and allegedly took direction from its two imams, Shabbir Ahmed and Adil Khan, both of whom have now been deported to Pakistan. Romney's position is the only responsible one. We will never be safe from terrorism so long as enemies within our borders keep spreading the plague of Islamist violence. Homeland security depends in part on monitoring those enemies and knowing what they're saying. Even when they're saying it in a mosque.
CAIR Presses Congress to Honor Ramadan Muslims to blitz lawmakers with plea to pass resolution Sept. 27….(WND) The controversial Council on American Islamic Relations is urging Congress to pass a resolution officially recognizing the Islamic fast of Ramadan. CAIR advised American Muslims to "blitz" their elected representatives with phone calls and urge them to pass the resolution honoring the Muslim holy month. A portion of the resolution, which would express the opinion of Congress, reads: "In observance of and out of respect for the commencement of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting and spiritual renewal, the House of Representatives acknowledges the onset of Ramadan and expresses its deepest respect to Muslims in the United States and throughout the world on this significant occasion." CAIR calls the resolution "an important tool for encouraging dialogue between Muslims and their elected officials, as well as enhancing understanding of the Islamic faith. 2003, then-Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich took part in a Ramadan iftar, a meal celebrating the breaking of the fast, on Capitol Hill hosted by Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich. The event was co-sponsored by Reps. Gregory Meeks, D-NY, Kucinich, Conyers, D-Ohio, Loretta Sanchez, D-Calif., and Barbara Lee, D-Calif. At least one elected official, Meeks, had second thoughts about participating in the CAIR event. When questioned about his attendance at a CAIR dinner, he told the New York Sun: "I don't want to be associated with anyone who condones suicide bombers, anti-Semitism, or any group that condones the extremism in Islam." He added, "I'm going to do some checking into this right now. I am going to talk to some of my colleagues, particularly some of my Jewish colleagues." CAIR is a spin-off of the Islamic Association for Palestine, identified by two former FBI counterterrorism chiefs as a "front group" for Hamas. Several CAIR leaders have been convicted on terror related charges. Although CAIR signed a fatwa, or decree, condemning terrorism in general, the grouprepeatedly has attacked the prosecutions of Islamic terrorists arrested or convicted since 9-11 and the government's freezing of Islamic terrorist fronts, calling it a "war against Islam" by the United States. CAIR's new resolution reads: "Recognizing the commencement of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting and spiritual renewal, and commending Muslims in the United States and throughout the world for their faith. "Whereas since the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, threats and incidents of violence have been directed at law-abiding, patriotic Americans of African, Arab, and South Asian descent, particularly members of the Islamic faith; "Whereas on September 14, 2001, the House of Representatives passed a concurrent resolution condemning bigotry and violence against Arab-Americans, American Muslims, and Americans from South Asia in the wake of the terrorist attacks in New York, New York, and Washington, DC; "Whereas it is estimated that there are approximately 1,500,000,000 Muslims worldwide; "Whereas Ramadan is the holy month of fasting and spiritual renewal for Muslims worldwide, and is the 9th month of the Muslim calendar year; and "Whereas the observance of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan commences at dusk on October 15*, 2005, and continues for one lunar month: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That; "(1) during this time of conflict, in order to demonstrate solidarity with and support for members of the community of Islam in the United States and throughout the world, the House of Representatives recognizes the Islamic faith as one of the great religions of the world; and (2) in observance of and out of respect for the commencement of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting and spiritual renewal, the House of Representatives acknowledges the onset of Ramadan and expresses its deepest respect to Muslims in the United States and throughout the world on this significant occasion." Ramadan 2005 is expected to commence October 4th or 5th.
Stakes in Iraq Rival Those in WWII, Gen. Myers Says
Sept. 27….(WND) Defeating the Iraqi insurgency is as important to the United States as winning World War II was 60 years ago, the Pentagon's top officer said Monday. Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, who will leave his post as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the end of this week, said the United States must win in Iraq because "the outcome and consequences of defeat are greater than World War II." Myers has been chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff since 2001. He will be succeeded by Marine Gen. Peter Pace. In the interview, Myers linked the post-9/11 war on terrorism with the fighting in Iraq, saying both require a continuing commitment by the American people, who sometimes "tend to forget" the threat from al-Qaeda and other terror groups. "This is a handful of folks who are willing to do despicable acts in the name of extremism," Myers said. Iraq, Myers said, is now al-Qaeda', "center of gravity," and the United States shouldn't reduce its forces there prematurely. "My view is, if terrorism wins in Iraq, the next 9/11 is right around the corner." Although some US allies, including Saudi Arabia's foreign minister last week, have predicted Iraq may disintegrate, Myers said the United States has high expectations there. Eventually, he said, the United States hopes for an Iraq that is at peace with its neighbors, is an ally against terrorism and respects human rights. "I don't think we're dialing back our expectations in Iraq," he said. Myers said US troops will continue to battle the insurgency aggressively, but the role of Iraqi security forces in the fight will continue to expand. "We're not backing off," he said. "You don't win by playing defense.
US to Israel: Defend Yourself, But... Sept. 27….(JNEWSWIRE) The Bush Administration respects Israel's right to defend itself, but wants Jerusalem to remember Washington is working to create an Arab state in the Jews' ancient homeland. America's decades-long pursuit of this goal has already cost innumerable Israelis their lives. On Monday, reporters asked State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack for the administration's reaction to this week's flare-up of Hamas violence emanating from Gaza. McCormack said Washington sees the Palestinian Authority has having “the responsibility to try to prevent such future attacks; that is very important. It is important that they take up their obligations to stop terror attacks, to dismantle terrorist organizations.” “We also understand Israel's right to defend itself,” the spokesman said. But McCormack urged Israel, while taking such actions of self-defense, “to consider the effect that its actions may have on reaching the overall goal that all share of achieving two states living side by side in peace and security.”
Sharon Narrowly Edges Netanyahu for Continued Leadership Sept. 27….(JNEWSWIRE) Prime Minister Ariel Sharon won a paper thin victory over Knesset Member Binyamin Netanyahu Monday after the central committee of their Likud Party voted 1,433 to 1,329 against bringing forward primaries for the election of a new leader. The primaries will be held, as scheduled, in April 2006, meaning that the next Israeli general elections will likely take place on schedule in about a year from now. While the outcome was anticipated to be close, the tiny margin separating victory from defeat has left the once strongly-Zionist party’s central committee divided down the middle over the direction in which the Likud should lead the country. Since its formation in 1973, the Likud has been the country’s major right wing party, either governing Israel or leading the parliamentary opposition. Its platform includes efforts to end hostilities with the Arabs by pursuing treaties based on “peace-for-peace” as opposed to the “land-for-peace” approach pursued in the Oslo Accords and Road Map peace plans. Sharon has been accused of manifestly departing from this platform by leading Israel in a unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, a major concession to the Arabs which critics charge has weakened Israel’s security, and provided for the creation of a terrorist state nestled up against Israel’s underbelly, just minutes away from Israeli population centers. With his immediate tenure now secured against efforts to dislodge him, Sharon is expected to see “his” victory as a vote of support for his policies, and to further pursue them. Despite Sharon’s win, Netanyahu apparently does not believe the vote shows overwhelming support for the premier’s course of action. Netanyahu told Israel Radio Tuesday that many of those who had voted against the primaries actually opposed the direction Sharon was taking, but were influenced to vote for him by incentives. “Commentators have for years described the political contest between Israel’s right and left wings as a “battle for the soul of the Jewish state.” Broadly speaking, the right supports a stronger Jewish Israel, while the left would rather see the country transformed into a secular-humanist democracy. In this light, Monday’s win for Sharon, once known as a hardline hawk, is ironically being celebrated on the left as a victory for the post-Zionist cause.
Mubarak: Sharon’s Moves Thwart Peace Sept. 27….(YNET) Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is taking a number of negative steps, which undermine the peace process and hurt the prospects of political negotiations, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said in interview published in the Egyptian newspaper Roz al-Yusuf Tuesday morning. The Egyptian president was sworn in for the fifth time Tuesday in a festive ceremony in the parliament. On Wednesday, Mubarak is expected to meet with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas in Cairo. Mubarak said in the interview that “Sharon is trying to strengthen the perception of a long-term intermediate resolution. He is demanding that the Palestinian Authority dismantle the organizations’ weapons before implementation of the Road Map, and is simultaneously expanding settlements, particularly in the Jerusalem area.” “These are all negative steps that are thwarting peace contacts undermining negotiations. These steps are gradually closing the doors to a chance of establishing a Palestinian state,” Mubarak added. Mubarak made it clear that he sees the withdrawal as an important step. “Any Israeli withdrawal from any part of the occupied Arab territories is considered to be a profit for the Arabs and Palestinians, because this plan included the dissolving and evacuation of settlements,” he said. “Egypt will assist the Palestinian Authority and its institutions and will continue to assist in the training of Palestinian security forces so that they can fulfill their obligations. Simultaneously, we (Egypt) will act on the political level in order to renew the implementation of the Road Map toward the establishment of a Palestinian state in the ’67 borders with Jerusalem as its capital, and will do this through negotiations on the permanent agreement,” Mubarak said
Stormy Weather, Stormy Politics Sept. 27….(David Dolan) Israel was among many nations that offered immediate aid to the United States in the wake of the devastating Hurricane Katrina. In fact, officials in Jerusalem were among the first to launch preparations to rush disaster teams to the affected Gulf coast. However, the offer was rebuffed by American leaders who were apparently concerned that the presence of Israeli military disaster experts might offend international Muslim sensibilities, an exact copy of what occurred early this year when Israel attempted to assist tsunami-stricken Sri Lanka. Dozens of Israeli Orthodox religious leaders delivered sermons or gave media interviews during September noting the many similarities between the latest US catastrophe and the unilateral Israeli withdrawal process; particularly forced civilian evacuations, complete destruction of many homes and businesses, and the sudden displacement of citizens forced into temporary shelters. They opined that Katrina’s wrath, which struck Florida just two days after the final uprootings were completed in northern Samaria, and five days before the huge storm devastated the Gulf coast, was a form of Divine judgment upon America for its central role in pushing forward the harrowing withdrawal process. Some rabbis later noted that September’s follow-up Hurricane Rita caused the shutdown of George Bush international airport in Houston, named after the current President’s father, who presided over the seminal Mid-east peace conference that jumpstarted Israeli-Palestinian peace talks in 1991. Others noticed that it caused serious flood damage in portions of Texas and Arkansas, where the last three US leaders, who all prodded their Israeli counterparts to accept the potentially suicidal “land for peace” process, hail from. Rita struck just days after the current Commander in Chief, speaking at UN headquarters, reiterated US calls for more Jewish evacuations, followed by the rapid establishment of a Palestinian state next to tiny Israel. It is impossible to say for certain that Israel’s Sovereign Lord was sending a glaring message by allowing the twin hurricanes to strike and seriously wound the world’s currently reigning superpower in her oil energy heartland. Still, it surely behooves all world leaders, whatever their personal religious beliefs, to be aware that the Hebrew Bible foretells that God will “enter into judgment” with all nations at the end of time who have played a role in “dividing up My land” (Joel 3:2).
Israel Retaliates Against Hamas Rocket AttacksSept. 26….(MSN) Israel pressed on with a broad offensive against Islamic militants on Monday, firing at least two missiles into the Gaza Strip a day after security forces killed an Islamic Jihad commander in a pinpoint airstrike and rounded up more than 200 wanted Palestinians. The first missile fired Monday hit an open area and nearby buildings, slightly injuring one woman who was hit by shrapnel, witnesses said. The second missile hit a Gaza City metal workshop, Palestinian witnesses said. There were no immediate reports of casualties. The missile strikes occurred hours after the most powerful militant group, Hamas, said it would stop firing rockets at Israel from Gaza. Not all militant factions have followed suit. The Israeli offensive, coming just two weeks after Israel withdrew from Gaza, followed a wave of militant rocket attacks against Israeli towns over the weekend. Israel has promised to continue with its airstrikes, arrests and a possible ground invasion until the rocket fire ceases. The fighting turned up already intense pressure on Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to confront militants and weakened Sharon as he parries a challenge to his leadership. A group of senior Israeli Cabinet officials, led by Sharon, approved the military operation at an emergency meeting late Saturday after Hamas militants fired nearly 40 rockets from Gaza at southern Israeli towns. The rocket barrage, which injured six Israelis, was the Islamic group’s first major attack since Israel concluded its Gaza pullout two weeks ago. Abbas said the Palestinians were asking the US government to pressure Israel to stop its actions. “We’re back to square one, now we need time to regain calm. Our people need a quiet life and to make a living,” he said Sunday. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called Abbas on Saturday evening and urged him to preserve the truce and stop the situation from deteriorating further, Palestinian spokesman Nabil Abu Rdeneh said. Rice also spoke several times with Israeli officials in recent days, new US Ambassador to Israel Richard H. Jones said. “We understand the terrorists are trying to provoke Israel at this sensitive time, we understand the Israeli position and the response it has taken,” he said.
Arab Leaders Show Support for SyriaSept. 26….(Jerusalem Post) Arab leaders and citizens from across the region are coming to the defense of Syria as it faces increased American pressure and a probing UN inquiry. In the latest efforts, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Cairo for two hours, after which Egypt publicly denounced the idea of Syrian isolation. "The Egyptian proposal rejects isolating Syria and calls for achieving stability in the region and not opening a new focus of tension that adds to an already complicated situation," Egyptian presidential spokesman Suleiman Awad said. Egypt and Saudi Arabia, both US allies, have united to stem US pressure, reported the US Arabic-language radio SAWA last week. The heightened tension began two weeks ago when US President George Bush warned Syria it would face isolation over the issues of Iraq and Lebanon. "The [Syrian] government is going to become more and more isolated as a result of two things: one, not being cooperative with the Iraqi government in terms of securing Iraq, and two, not being fully transparent about what they did in Lebanon," the president stated. Bush did not specify what he referred to in Lebanon, but a couple of days later US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called on other countries in the international community to pressure Syria "because it might have known of what had taken place in Lebanon." It is widely assumed that Syria was involved in the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri this past February. Syria is also under US and Iraqi verbal fire over the insurgents crossing its border into Iraq. Last week the UN Security Council held a meeting concerning Iraq, which Syria was not invited to. During the meeting Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoyshar Zebari accused Syria of not doing enough to stop the flow of insurgents into Iraq. In the weeks following President Bush's statement, Arab leaders, lawyers and newspapers from Yemen to Sudan have expressed their support for Syria and condemned the US attempts to isolate it.
WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 18 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 25
Cherokee Nation Votes to Display Ten Commandments FOJ Note: Maybe the secular humanist nation of the United States needs to take a que from its native Americans. Ironically, the Pilgrims came to America and brought God and his Commandments to the Indian nations. The Cherokee Indian nation, located on the Cherokee Indian Reservation in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina has demonstrated that it hasn’t forgotten God, unlike the rest of America. Sept. 24….(WND) If you are nostalgic for the days when the Ten Commandments were posted in public buildings, you might want to consider visiting the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians. The tribal council is making plans to mount a copy of the Ten Commandments in the council house where government meetings are held, and possibly display them throughout other public buildings in Cherokee. The idea was introduced by Councilwoman Angela Kephart last month. She said the tribe should display the Ten Commandments out of respect and devotion to God. The motion passed unanimously. "We aren't saying you have to abide by the Ten Commandments," Kephart said, according to the Smoky Mountain News. "We are simply displaying God's Ten Commandments. That's what He expects from each and every individual. If you break that, it is between you and God. It is not between you and the tribal council; it is between you and God." There is no First Amendment issue involved, and even if the American Civil Liberties Union wanted to make one, it can't. The US Constitution does not apply to Cherokee, nor to any other Native American tribe for that matter, according to Cherokee's Attorney General David Nash. "We are a sovereign nation and we can pretty much post anything we want in our council chambers," said Kephart. "For once the federal government is not going to tell us what to do. We can feel good about it because we are standing up for God. The more it becomes controversial, the more we need to stand firm."
President Bush Seeks King Abdullah’s Assistance
Saudi Foreign Minister Chides US Policy Sept. 23….(AP) Saudi Arabia's foreign minister says the Bush administration did not heed some Saudi warnings on occupying Iraq and that he doesn't believe a new constitution and elections will solve the emerging nation's problems. Prince Saud al-Faisal also said his country was still holding out the prospect of a peace treaty with Israel, but would have no diplomatic contact in the meantime, as other Arab and Muslim countries have had. He said Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has not acted on opportunities for peacemaking after his withdrawal from Gaza. "He does something and then immediately goes to the United Nations and makes a speech saying, 'I am not going to do this, I am not going to do that,'" Saud told The Associated Press. "We are not establishing relations just for the heck of it," he added. "It would be false because we are in a state of conflict." In a wide-ranging interview Thursday, Saud said he'd like to see oil prices drop about $20 a barrel from their current $60-plus range, but predicted a lack of refineries will keep consumer prices higher even if crude becomes cheaper. On Iraq, the foreign minister expressed skepticism at Bush administration officials' predictions that the upcoming political events in Iraq would heal the country's divisions. "Perhaps what they are saying is going to happen," he said. "I wish it would happen, but I don't think that a constitution by itself will resolve the issues, or an election by itself will solve the difficult problems." US policies in Iraq risk dividing the country into three separate parts: Kurdish, Sunni and Shiite, he cautioned, and the war could spill over into Saudi Arabia. "We have not seen a move inside Iraq that would satisfy us that the national unity of Iraq, and therefore the territorial unity of Iraq, will be assured," he said. He also said the Saudis were skeptical of the outcome before the United States went to war in Iraq, but its concerns weren't always heeded. "It is frustrating to see something that is clearly going to happen and you are not listened to by a friend and soon harm comes out of it," Saud said. "It hurts." The foreign minister said his kingdom was not ready to send an ambassador to Baghdad because the diplomat would become an immediate target for assassination. "I doubt that he'd last a day," Saud said. At the United Nations, Iraq's foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari said in an interview that neighboring Syria is largely to blame for the continuing violence in his country. Syria, he asserted, is refusing to stop insurgents and foreign fighters from entering Iraq because it fears Iraq's effort to build a democratic nation in the heart of the Middle East and wants to see it fail. Saud, in the interview with the AP, also made clear that the kingdom's offer to Israel of peace with all Arab countries if it relinquished all the land the Arabs lost in the 1967 war remains on the table. By withdrawing Israeli troops and settlers from Gaza, Saud said, Sharon seemed willing to turn from being "a general who wants to conquer territory" to making peace. Instead, Saud said, Sharon is making demands of the Palestinian Authority that he knows cannot be met. "The Palestinian Authority has been decimated by Mr. Sharon himself; they are weak because of what he did to them, and now he is insisting they disarm Hamas and (Islamic) Jihad," Saud said. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas does not have the troops to do it, Saud said. Ministers from nearly a dozen Arab and Muslim countries, including Qatar, Turkey, Morocco and Tunisia, have met with Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom. Saud said his government would not follow their lead. "We have not signed a peace treaty with Israel. How can you establish relations? How is that conceivable? How can Israel be trusted?" he said. With oil prices rising amid disruption of Gulf Coast crude oil production and refining due to the Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Saud rejected suggestions of an oil shortage and said prices should drop to $40 to $45 a barrel from over $65. "The oil industry does not suffer from a lack of oil," Saud said. He cited a lack of refineries in the United States and elsewhere and an upsurge in Chinese competition for the higher prices.
Baptist Organization Splitting Over Homosexual Issue Sept. 23….(AP) Leaders of 300 churches in the Pacific Southwest plan to break from the American Baptist Churches USA, claiming the national denomination has failed to implement its declaration that gay relationships are incompatible with Christianity. The Pacific Southwest Region said some churches with liberal stands on homosexuality have not been properly disciplined. But a top committee of the denomination said Monday that the national church does not set policy for any of its 5,800 congregations because each is autonomous. The Pacific Southwest board of directors plans to stop contributing to national headquarters as of Dec. 31. A conservative Baptist leader in West Virginia said last week that he and his allies were also preparing to split from the national organization. The debate over interpreting what the Bible says about homosexuality is tearing at mainline Protestant denominations. Among the most dramatic examples is the worldwide Anglican Communion, which is struggling to stay together following the decision of its US province, the Episcopal Church, to consecrate its first openly gay bishop two years ago. The 1.5 million-member American Baptist Church is more liberal than the Southern Baptist Convention, the solidly conservative, 16.3 million-member group. American Baptist leaders said they will be contacting congregations in the Pacific Southwest to discuss their affiliation with the national denomination.
Israel: Al-Qaida Likely in Gaza (FOJ has continuously run stories warning of the Al Qaida incursion into the Sinai, and now into Gaza since the Israeli withdrawal, and we will continue to keep FOJ readers abreast of these reports) Sept. 23….(WND) Israel has information al-Qaida-linked members likely infiltrated the Gaza Strip while its border with Egypt was opened last week, senior security officials told WND. "Militants linked to Hezbollah, al-Qaida and other international terror groups are now very likely in Gaza," said a senior security official. "The groups had set up bases in the Sinai that are still functioning, and we have information indicating members managed to get inside Gaza. These are people with advanced knowledge in specific kinds of deadly attacks and explosions." Palestinians officials denied the claim. The worry al-Qaida agents made it to Gaza is especially poignant, security officials point out, because Egypt has had difficulty eliminating al-Qaida cells in the Sinai desert suspected of involvement in recent attacks, including the bombings in Sharm el Sheikh in July and Taba last year, which together killed more than 100 people. The concern is great these international groups will use Gaza as their forward base to stage attacks against Israel, including the large-scale style of attacks al-Qaida is famous for," said a security official. Chief Palestinian Negotiator Saeb Erekat this morning denied al-Qaida was in Gaza. "These reports are baseless," Erekat told WND. "Egypt did a good job in cracking down on cells in their country and they wouldn't have allowed any al-Qaida people to get into Gaza." An aide to PA Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei told WND on condition of anonymity, "it would certainly be against our interests to say al-Qaida was in our territory." Analysts long have warned that after Israel carried out its withdrawal, the Gaza Strip could become a safe haven for international terrorists, including al-Qaida. Amidror previously told WND: "Today, one of the weaknesses of al-Qaida is its lack of a safe haven in the Middle East. The new realities in Gaza will make it one of the most convenient places for al-Qaida to base their global operations. The Gaza Strip will become a paradise because it will be an area in which the population and the terror groups in power, especially Hamas, share the same ideology as al-Qaida."
US Congress Blasts Abbas Regime Sept. 23….(JNEWSWIRE) A US congressional hearing Wednesday harshly criticized the regime of PLO chief Mahmoud Abbas, and took the Bush Administration to task for tolerating an entity that repeatedly fails to honor its commitments and shows no signs of desiring true peace. US Assistant Secretary of State David Welch opened the hearing by telling the House International Relations Subcommittee on the Middle East and Central Asia that the days following Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip have been less than encouraging. “The PA must move quickly to establish order and take steps to dismantle the infrastructure of terror.” The chair, Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, had a more severe outlook on the situation. While the Israelis made a significant “sacrifice for the sake of peace,” Ros-Lehtinen pointed out, “Lawlessness within the Gaza Strip and continued attacks against Israel has characterized the Palestinian response to disengagement.” “In addition, by torching the synagogues and storming the [Gaza-Egypt border], they are not only signaling that they do not intend to behave responsibly, but that they may transform Gaza into a major security threat.” Ros-Lehtinen said the “spotlight has now clearly shifted to the Palestinian Authority, which must now show that it can effectively and successfully govern Gaza.” Failure to do so, she warned, “will undermine any hopes for progress toward peace” and an independent Palestinian Arab state. Congressman Gary Ackerman urged his colleagues to “get honest” about the matter at hand, and then lead by example. “On good days, the Palestinian Authority is rife with corruption and riddled with political hacks and thugs,” the congressman said. “It vacillates, caves and pretends that appeasement is the highest of political virtues.” “Yet this is the horse we are betting on!” an incredulous Ackerman exclaimed. He criticized the Bush Administration for dealing with the PA with kid gloves, noting, “They never deliver anything, and that is because they have come to the conclusion we are a bunch of paper tigers.” Congressman Thaddeus McCotter asked Welch how the State Department can condone the participation of Hamas, which it considers a terrorist organization, in the upcoming PA parliamentary elections in January. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Tuesday urged Israel to drop its objection to Hamas' election bid, saying, “I think we have to give the Palestinians some room for the evolution of their political process.” Rice said she “understands” PLO chief Mahmoud Abbas' difficulties in dealing with the likes of Hamas, and so has suggested he start fulfilling his obligations by disarming those closest to him, the “military wings” of his own Fatah faction. She noted that the Palestinian Authority has a decades-old obligation, reiterated in the Road Map peace plan, to disarm all terror groups operating out of territories under its control. But Rice said she could “understand that there are complications with Hamas and there are questions about how capable the PA would be of actually insisting on disarmament of Hamas.” Israel provided the PA with thousands of guns and other military equipment at the start of the peace process for the express purpose of ensuring such arms were never acquired by the terror groups. Now Hamas is believed to be better armed than the PA. “They really do need to start getting at having one authority and one gun,” Rice said. Abbas angrily reacted to the growing calls for him to eliminate the threat of terrorism, by saying, “With regard to dealing with the Palestinian organizations, this is our affair.” Abbas has repeatedly insisted he will not forcibly disarm the terror groups, and prefers to engage them in dialog, brushing aside the fact Israel's Jews must continue to live under the constant threat of terror, and then in turn be pressured by the world to accord the PA an excuse not to facilitate the terrorists.
Oil Refineries in Texas Brace for Hurricane Rita
Russia Tells West to “Cool It” Over Iranian A-Bomb
As the United States, Canada, Australia and Japan threw their weight behind the diplomatic campaign, Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, said the move would be "counter-productive". His position threatens to split the governing council of the UN International Atomic Energy Agency, which is meeting in Vienna this week, into a confrontation of "the West v the rest". Western countries believe they have a majority on the board to push through a British-drafted resolution calling for "Iran's many failures and breaches of its obligation" to comply with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to be reported to the Security Council. But they fear that unless they have an understanding with Moscow, the issue will be blocked by a Russian veto in the council and open up another damaging international rift. FOJ Note: Isn’t it amazing how Russia defends Iran’s right to pursue nuclear weapons? Oh, Russia is quick to point out along with the leaders in Teheran in saying that the Iranian nuclear program has nothing to do with nuclear bombs, but Bible Prophecy portends that Russia will facilitate her allies before she leads a coalition against Israel. Foremost among the allies that Russia will arm is Iran. (Ezekiel 38:7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.) Russia’s strategic arming of Iran signals that we are already witnessing the advance preparations for the Ezekiel 38 scenario. Many prophecy commentators speculate that the Ezekiel 38 scenario is pre-trib, and while the current Russia-Persia alliance certainly leads one to conclude in that direction, I would point out that Russia and China (co-sponsors of the Iranian program) are simply playing an expert game of strategic geo-political-economic chess. They are simply getting their ducks-in-a-row for an eventual showdown in the Middle East.
Beware our Fiery Wrath, Iran Warns US-Israel
Israeli Shin Bet Chief: PA is Crumbling, Fatah in Disarray
Sept. 21….(Jerusalem Post) The Palestinian Authority is crumbling, it's leader Mahmoud Abbas is too either weak to enforce law and order or he simply does not desire to control them. His Fatah party is in disarray and Hamas is taking control of the Gaza Strip, Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin said on Wednesday during a rare on-the-record briefing with military reporters. "The Palestinian Authority is barely functional," Diskin said at his headquarters in Ramat Aviv. "Abbas has no apparatus to control Fatah. He is a general without soldiers. Giving him more weapons won't give Fatah strength. He needs more motivation." Preaching a message of doom and gloom for the prospects of a positive times ahead, Diskin said the Palestinians were making enormous efforts to acquire rockets and other weapons in the West Bank, smuggled in from the Sinai. He also said the Shin Bet believes Islamic extremists who follow an al-Qaida ideology were still targeting the Sinai resorts and that Israelis should stay out of there. "There is a strong infrastructure of World Islamic Jihad there, far stronger than even the Egyptians themselves were aware of," Diskin said. Diskin said that Hamas and other groups took advantage of the euphoric chaos after the IDF abandoned the Philadelphi corridor to smuggle in huge amounts of weapons and arms as well as return fugitives wanted for organizing terrorist attacks. The Palestinian Authority lacks the capability to effectively control these militants, and thus Al-Qaida is poised to infiltrate Israel and the Gaza Strip and the main focus of Palestinian terror operations is shifting from Gaza to the West Bank, Diskin. "We are identifying efforts to transplant the main struggle to Judea and Samaria," Diskin said, using the biblical names for the West Bank in his first on-the-record comments since taking office in May. Islamic Jihad militants have been active in the West Bank despite a February cease-fire, and there are signs that Hamas is also preparing attacks, Diskin said. Earlier this month, King Abdullah of Jordan said Al-Qaida had "certainly" set up cells in Israel. Diskin said that the PA is suffering from problems "of motivation and legitimacy," not from a lack of weapons. Although Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas opposes terror, his ruling Fatah party is crumbling, and if it doesn't strengthen, it won't be able to control Gaza, he said. Regarding movement between the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Diskin said, "We will need to allow movement between the West Bank and Gaza, because of demands from the international community. On the other hand, the Strip is not yet completely sealed by the separation fence, and we need to adhere to strict checkpoint examinations at the exit from the Strip, of everything leaving from there to the West Bank.
Hurricane Rita, Here We Go Again
Russia Opposes UN Security Council Review on Iran Sept. 21….(AP) A European Union drive to haul Iran before the UN Security Council over its nuclear plans was in jeopardy on Wednesday following stiff opposition from Russia, which warned against escalating the standoff with Tehran. The EU has circulated a draft resolution calling on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) governing board to report Iran's secretive nuclear program to the Security Council, which could impose sanctions on Tehran. But Russia, which as a permanent, veto-wielding member of the Council would block any action, and today Russia warned against antagonizing Iran. The US and Israel, along with the EU suspect that Iran is developing atomic weapons under cover of a civilian nuclear energy program. "While Iran is cooperating with the IAEA, while it is not enriching uranium and observing a moratorium, while IAEA inspectors are working in the country, it would be counter-productive to report this question to the UN Security Council," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said. "It will lead to an unnecessary politicizing of the situation. Iran is not violating its obligations and its actions do not threaten the non-proliferation regime," he said in a speech in San Francisco reported by the RIA Novosti news agency. Russia is building a $1 billion nuclear reactor for Iran and sees it as a key ally in the Middle East. "The Russians are blocking the resolution," said a diplomat from one of the EU "big three" countries, France, Britain and Germany. "If we don't get them on board, or at least to abstain, I don't think our resolution will be voted on." At a meeting of foreign ministers of the Group of Eight countries on Monday, the United States, Japan, Germany, France, Britain, Italy and Canada all tried to convince Russia of the need to take Iran to the Security Council for hiding its nuclear fuel program from the IAEA for 18 years. But Moscow has refused to budge. Iran's chief nuclear negotiator reacted angrily to the EU draft resolution, warning on Tuesday that Tehran might pull out of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and resume uranium enrichment, which can produce fuel for energy or bombs, if it is approved and Tehran goes to the Security Council. Iranian spokesman Ali Larijani, has also said his country, the world's fourth biggest oil producer, might link other countries' access to its oil on whether or not they support Iran’s nuclear position.
Jordan Slams Sharon's Claim to Jerusalem Sept. 21….(JNEWSWIRE) The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has responded with outrage and farcical counterclaims to Jewish assertions of a historic and religious right to the city of Jerusalem. Last week, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told the United Nations General Assembly Jerusalem is the “eternal undivided” capital of the nation of Israel, and a city the Jews have always held most dear. On Monday Jordan's Royal Committee for Jerusalem Affairs blasted both Sharon and the UN over what it called “a statement full of lies and falsehoods.” “How could this world organization allow a war criminal to review lies based on false claims and biblical legends in Palestine,” the committee wondered in an official statement released to the press. According to the experts who chair the committee, “historic, demographic and religious facts” as well as “archaeological discoveries” prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that “the land of Palestine and Jerusalem have been inhabited by Arab Canaanites for over 5,000 years.” Oddly enough, the Arabs also claim to be descendants of Abraham, who lived some 4,000 years ago, a full millennium too late to be the father of the “Arab Canaanites” whom he interacted with during his sojourn in this land. In fact, Israel today abounds with layers of archaeological sites attesting to the land's long and deep connection with the Jewish People.
Bush Wants Provisional State in Gaza Sept. 21….(JNEWSWIRE) For US President George W. Bush the birth of Palestine is a phased affair, and it begins now in the Gaza Strip. According to Arab sources quoted by the London-based Arabic daily al-Quds al-Arabi, Bush is using US envoys in the region to pressure the Palestinian Authority into setting up a fully functional local government in Gaza and declaring statehood there. The American President sees post-Israeli withdrawal Gaza as a test case for both the PA's ability and willingness to effectively govern and impose law and order. President Bush reportedly said as much when he met with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in New York last week. If the “Palestinians” fail to prove themselves in Gaza, “the Americans will regard the continuation of the peace process as doubtful,” Sharon told reporters after the meeting. PA Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia recently rejected the idea of a provisional state in Gaza, claiming Israel will use Gaza's new status to keep the “Palestinians” in perpetual diplomatic limbo.
UN and Arab Return to Calling for More Israeli Concessions Sept. 21….(Jerusalem Post) With the unprecedented experiences of Jews uprooting their own and the international community embracing a once ostracized Israeli warrior all but a memory, the world returned Tuesday to the business of birthing a Palestinian Arab state on ancient Jewish lands. Israel had hoped its “disengagement” from Gaza and northern Samaria would buy it some respite from the headlong diplomatic rush for Palestine, or at the very least grant it license to retain control over major Jewish population centers in Judea and Samaria. Those hopes were bolstered by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's warm welcome at the United Nations last week. But on Tuesday, the world body known as the Quartet, comprised of the United States, European Union, Russia and the UN, the driving force behind the Road Map peace plan, signaled Israel it was mistaken on both accounts. Following a get together in New York, UN Secretary General Koffi Annan insisted Israel's surrender of Gaza would not be its last major concession. “For us, the Quartet, it's Gaza first and then the next stage will be the West Bank, not Gaza first and Gaza last,” Annan told reporters after the meeting. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice indicated the international community expects the next pullout to come in short order. “Our task now is to build on the momentum of last month's withdrawal,” she said. Israel for its part insisted any further progress towards an agreement with the “Palestinians” would depend on the Palestinian Authority eliminating the threat of anti-Jewish terrorism and displaying effective control over Gaza. “If they want Gaza to be first, and not last, then this experiment must succeed,” a government spokesman told The Jerusalem Post. And while Israel was thanked for going “beyond its obligations under the first phase of the Road Map” in the areas covered by the disengagement, the Quartet in an official statement took strong issue with the Jewish state over “settlement expansion elsewhere.” Dealing with the remaining questions in Gaza is “the easy business,” British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said. “We've then in the West Bank area got the issue of the extension of settlements.” Israel has started building new homes in large Jewish towns such as Ma'aleh Adumim and Ariel, areas Sharon vows will remain part of Israel under any final status agreement with the PA. Rice, turning back to her desire for greater momentum, urged Israel to drop its efforts to have Hamas disqualified from January's PA parliamentary election. Sharon last week told reporters in New York he would purposely hinder polling if Hamas was not first either disarmed or denied the right to participate in government. The PA's allowing Hamas to field candidates is a violation of its signed agreements with Israel. But Rice said democracy is still developing in the PA-controlled territories, “and I think we have to give the Palestinians some room for the evolution of their political process.” Though she did agree “there is a fundamental contradiction between armed activities and the political process.” As far as the PA and Hamas are concerned, however, the issue is settled, and the terror group will run for office in its present incarnation, fully armed.
Abbas Dismisses Plea to Disarm Terrorists Sept. 21….(YNET) Despite Quartet's pressure, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday brushed aside an appeal from the quartet of international peace mediators to dismantle terror groups, saying he knew best how to handle them. "With regard to dealing with the Palestinian organizations, this is our affair," Abbas told reporters in the town of Rafah on Gaza's border with Egypt. "We know more and are more capable than others in dealing with our brothers." Ministers of the United States, the United Nations, Russia and the European Union said in a joint statement on Tuesday that following Israel's pullout from Gaza, Palestinians needed to "Dismantle terrorist capabilities and infrastructures". Hamas and Islamic Jihad Terrorists held several mass rallies in the wake of the Gaza pullout with marches by thousands of heavily armed men, who portrayed the Israeli departure as a victory for their fight. They have said the ceasefire could fall apart if Israel keeps tightening its grip on the West Bank. The Roadmap Quartet, which in 2002 drafted a "Road map" Peace plan, said armed groups should not run in the Palestinian ballot as there was a "a fundamental contradiction" between violence and "the building of a democratic state". Abbas said he welcomed the Quartet's endorsement of a future Palestinian state, which is mentioned in the road map, but that the terrorist situation was best left under his authority.
Clinton Launches Withering Attack on Bush Sept. 21….(FOJ) Just days after launching his Global Initiative Plan, former US president Bill Clintonsharply criticized George W. Bush for the Iraq War and the handling of Hurricane Katrina, and voiced his opposition to the reasons for going to war in Iraq. Judging from the former President’s actions, one gets the impression that Mr. Clinton has ambitions for promoting a Global government, and perhaps even vying for high ranking position within this new global structure. It has been rumored for sometime that he aspires to becoming the next Secretary General of the UN, and that his motivation for accommodating President Bush in fund-raising efforts for the Indonesian tsunami and the Hurricane Katrina relief was to garner presidential support for his nomination to the UN leadership position. But, surely his withering attack on the President shows that Mr. Clinton has higher ambitions. Thus his breaking with the time-honored tradition under which former US presidents mute criticisms of their successors shows that Clinton is either maneuvering for his wives anticipated run at the Presidency in 2008, or else, he envisions working towards forming a World Governance Alliance. Mr. Clinton said the Bush administration had decided to invade Iraq "virtually alone and before UN inspections were completed, with no real urgency, and with no evidence that there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq." The Iraq war diverted US attention from the war on terrorism "and undermined the support that we might have had," Clinton said. Clinton said there had been a "heroic but so far unsuccessful" effort to put together a constitution that would be universally supported in Iraq. On Hurricane Katrina, Clinton faulted the authorities' failure to evacuate New Orleans ahead of the storm's strike on August 29. People with cars were able to heed the evacuation order, but many of those who were poor, disabled or elderly were left behind. On the US budget, Clinton warned that the federal deficit may be coming untenable, driven by foreign wars, the post-hurricane recovery program and tax cuts that benefit just the richest one percent of the US population. "What Americans need to understand is that, every single day of the year, our government goes into the market and borrows money from other countries to finance Iraq, Afghanistan, Katrina, and our tax cuts," he said. "We have never done this before. Never in the history of our republic have we ever financed a conflict, military conflict, by borrowing money from somewhere else." Clinton added: "We depend on Japan, China, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, and Korea primarily to basically loan us money every day of the year to cover my tax cut and these conflicts and Katrina. Mr. Clinton’s remarks about the financing and expenditures for America’s war on terror, however should be taken seriously, for America is indeed treading on thin ice.
King Abdullah Pushing Religious Tolerance to US Jews Sept. 21….(Arutz) King Abdullah II of Jordan is set to speak with a group of American rabbis today, as part of his ongoing effort to build bridges between Muslims, Jews and Christians. In the event, slated to take place in the capital, Abdullah is expected to lay out his vision of inter-religious respect and of promoting a tolerant Islam, as opposed to the interpretation used by terror groups. The Jordanian monarch also believes that Islam can lead the Arab world towards modernization, and is advocating stronger relations with the West. The Washington speech will not be Abdullah's first attempt to reach out to believers from all religions. He has met with Pope Benedict XVI, and this summer held a high level meeting with leading Islamic clerics to discuss ways of promoting moderate Islam. At the conclusion of that meeting, held in Amman, the leaders agreed upon several resolutions intended to curb the influence of clerics that preach for religious intolerance. During his visit to the US, Abdullah and his wife Queen Rania met with many groups of young Jews, Christians and Muslims, and called for moderation and for keeping an open dialogue between faiths.
Saudi Government Supports Jihad Sept. 21….(Jewish World Review) The office of the US Trade Representative announced on September 9 that the US and Saudi Arabia have concluded a bilateral agreement for the kingdom to join the World Trade Organization. Once the technicalities are resolved the kingdom will become an official member, something they have been working for since 1993. (when the Oslo Peace Accords began) During this time, there has been opposition by members of Congress. For example, a May 25, 2005 letter signed by 47 House members to US Trade Representative Robert Portman outlined areas of concern regarding Saudi policies, including the lack of full cooperation in combating terrorism. The letter quoted officials from the Treasury Department criticizing the Kingdom for "not establishing an oversight commission to regulate its charitable sector" as well as "for its failure to set up a Financial Intelligence Unit." The letter ended by urging the "Administration to oppose Saudi accession to the WTO" until it takes more "meaningful measures to cut off both the finances and ideologies that feed terrorist movements across the globe. Clearly this has not occurred. For example, a program on Saudi Iqra TV on August 29, 2005 was devoted to supporting Jihad in Palestine. Explicit instructions were given on how Saudis can donate money. A caption then appeared on the screen: "Saudi Committee for Support of the Al-Quds Intifada, Account #98, a joint account in all Saudi Banks." This was followed by a moderator that explained "Jihad is the pinnacle of Islam" and that sending money will go directly to supporting those waging Jihad and "helps them carry out this mission." In 2001, Account #98 was cited in an official Saudi government report which extensively detailed Saudi financial support to Palestinians, including families of suicide bombers. For decades the Saudi royal family has been the main financial supporter of Palestinian terrorist organizations, through the creation of two major committees. According to records on a Saudi royal family website, Ain-Al-Yaqeen, The Popular Committee for Assisting Palestinian Mujahideen and The Support Committee for the Al-Quds Intifada and The Al-Aqsa Fund have given over 15 billion Saudi Riyals (4 billion $US) and reportedly pledged Palestinians up to 1 billion dollars to finance the continuation of the Intifada, which they commonly referred to as "Jihad" and "resistance." The Committees are headed by powerful Prince Salman Ibn Abd Al-Aziz, the Governor of Riyadh, and Prince Nayef bin Abd Al-Aziz, the Interior Minister. The August 29 Iqra program included the Secretary General of the Saudi Government's Muslim World League Qur'an Memorization Commission Sheikh Abdallah Basfar explaining why it was an "obligation" for all Muslims to support Jihad. Shiekh Basfar promised "all of the funds sent via the known charities and organizations" reach those who the funds are meant for. The Saudi government official then citied a few Hadiths, or sayings of Muhammad, including: "He who equips a fighter, it is as if he fought himself." Another Hadith explained: "Someone who does not fight or equip a fighter, Allah will afflict a disaster upon him." He clarified his statement claming "if you don't give money, you should expect punishment from Allah because Jihad is the most important thing." The Saudi committees are cited in the US congressional Saudi Accountability Act. This legislation among other things calls on the Saudis to: "permanently close all charities in the Kingdom that fund, train, incite, encourage, or in any other way aid and abet terrorism anywhere in the world." FOJ Note: About 12% of the active insurgents in Iraq are Saudi’s and about 60% of the financing for the insurgency comes from Saudi Arabia.
The North Korean Nuclear Gambit Sept. 20….(FOJ) Yesterday, North Korea pledged to drop its nuclear weapons development and rejoin the international arms treaties (that it ignored in 1996) in a unanimous agreement reached at six- party nuclear arms talks. The six party members of the nuclear talks include China, Japan, Russia, the United States and North and South Korea. The agreement was the first-ever joint statement by the six after more than two years of negotiations. North Korea announced that it had "promised to drop all nuclear weapons and current nuclear programs and return to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty as soon as possible and to accept UN inspections" by the International Atomic Energy Agency. "All six parties emphasized that to realize the inspectable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula is the target of the six- party talks," the joint statement said. North Korea and the United States also pledged in the agreement to respect each other's sovereignty and right to peaceful coexistence. The United States affirmed to the six that is has no nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula and has no intention to attack or invade North Korea with nuclear or conventional weapons, which may have been just the information that China was seeking in the talks. Then today comes word that North Korea has added a late precondition to the joint agreement. North Korea insisted today that it would not dismantle its nuclear weapons program until the US gives it civilian nuclear reactors. North Korea also said it would not rejoin the non-proliferation treaty or sign a safeguards agreement with the IAEA until it receives light-water reactors from the US. North Korea's surprise move to press demands for light-water reactors underlined its unpredictable nature and shows that any agreement it makes is not worth the paper it is written on. North Korea’s late condition states that, "The US should not even dream of the issue of North Korea's dismantlement of its nuclear deterrent before providing light-water reactors, as a physical guarantee for confidence-building." One has to laugh at North Korea’s requirement for confidence building measures, since it is North Korea that reneged on the prior commitments. The North Korean nuclear breakthrough would be a major diplomatic victory for the Bush administration, if it were to actually become a verifiable reality. The achievement could also prove to be timely in that it would isolates Iran as being the lone rogue nuclear transgressor from the NNT. In the past Tehran and Pyongyang exchanged delegations of military scientists, and have worked extensively together on building nuclear capabilities and missile technology. The North Korean nuclear talks revealed two things. 1) North Korea cannot be trusted. And, 2) China now knows the US has no nuclear arsenals in the Pacific rim.
Israeli Arab: Temple Mount Islam's Forever Sept. 19….(Jerusalem Newswire) The Judeo-Christian world's holiest site, Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, will forever remain under Islam's dominion, vowed a venerated Muslim Israeli Arab Friday. Speaking to some 70,000 supporters in the northern Israel town of Umm el-Fahm, Islamic Movement leader Sheikh Raad Salah urged all Muslims to converge on the Temple Mount to defend it against “Jewish aggression.” The sea of Arab Israeli citizens appeared united in their hatred of their state, chanting in unison their intention and desire to oppose any Israeli activity at the site. Salah told the chanting crowd that Israel was laying siege to the Al Aqsa Mosque that occupies the holy site by installing a new security system to ensure Muslims could no longer hurl stones from the top onto Jewish worshipers at the Western Wall below. Salah also claimed the Jews were at this moment building a subterranean city under the mount. “We will make every effort to protect the mosque, and we hereby announce the operation of dozens of buses that will bring thousands of people to al-Aqsa every day so they may defend it,” Ynet quoted Salah as saying. “We will redeem the mosque with blood and fire,” he declared, to roaring cheers from the mob. Salah's tirade comes close on the heels of a pledge last week by Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar to continue the group's terrorist war against the Jews until “the flag of Islam is raised over Jerusalem.” Islam views as an affront renewed Jewish control over the holy city, after the followers of Mohammed conquered and subjugated Jerusalem more than 1,500 years earlier. Muslims fear the Jews will one day rebuild their temple to the God of Israel, in accordance with biblical prophecies. With that in mind, today's adherents to Islam have broken with their own tradition and with history in claiming the Jews have no connection to the Temple Mount. The prophets foretell that once the temple is rebuilt, the Messiah will descend and establish his throne on that holy hill. The Muslims have sealed off the Mount's eastern gate (also known as the Golden Gate) in an apparent attempt to deny him entry
Palestinian Authority Enraged Over Israeli Buffer Zone PlansSept. 19….(Arutz) PA elements are furious because Israel proposes constructing a buffer zone between northern Gaza and mainland Israel, even though it is to be built in Israeli territory. The planned protective zone is to be at least seven kilometers (4.5 miles) long and 150 meters (165 yards) wide. Israel has two critical strategic areas in close proximity to northern Gaza: the crude oil tanks of the Ashkelon-Eilat oil pipeline, and the Rothenberg power station in Ashkelon. Arutz-7's Haggai Huberman reports that a fence already exists along the Gaza-Israel border, part of which is concrete, and another fence is planned for the other side of the buffer zone. The community of Netiv HaAsarah is located practically on the Gaza border, and Yad Mordechai, Zikim and Karmiyah are just to the north. The fact that the location of the planned buffer zone is in Israel has not stopped the Arabs of Gaza from threatening Israel. FOJ Note: This story literally reveals that the PA has plans for terrorist attacks inside Israel, north of Gaza even after the Gaza disengagement. Why else would they complain about a security fence?
Sharon in US: Ma'aleh Adumim will be Linked to JerusalemSept. 19….(Ha Aretz) Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, speaking to US Jewish figures in remarks broadcast Monday, pledged that the West Bank settlement city of Ma'aleh Adumim will be linked to Jerusalem. Sharon's remarks came as the outgoing US ambassador to Israel said that President George W. Bush would back an Israeli government request to keep larger West Bank settlement areas under its control in a permanent peace agreement with the Palestinians. To applause, Sharon declared, "Ma'aleh Adumim, the most beautiful town in the most beautiful area there, it's really unbelievable, will be connected to Jerusalem." Ma'aleh Adumim, several kilometers from Jerusalem, is one of the blocs in question. The area known as E1, which links the cities, has been the focus of a flurry of reports over Israeli plans to build in the zone. Palestinians have voiced fears that Israel intends to settle the West Bank such that the northern half is effectively severed from the south. Israel has stated that it will build a police station in E1 as well as scores of new housing units. But it has denied reports of plans to build thousands of homes. In remarks broadcast on Israel Radio, the prime minister turned aside the Palestinian suggestions that Samaria, the northern half of the West Bank, would be cut off from Judea, the southern part. Outgoing US Ambassador Daniel Kurtzer said in an interview broadcast Sunday that Bush would back a request by Israel to retain some West Bank settlement blocs under a permanent peace deal with the Palestinians. Palestinians reacted with anger to the comments, saying they would only encourage Israel to preempt final status negotiations. Kurtzer, who completed his term Friday, cited an April 2004 letter from Bush to Sharon. "The policy is exactly what the president said," Kurtzer said in the prerecorded interview. "In the context of a final status agreement, the United States will support the retention by Israel of areas with a high concentration of Israeli population." Kurtzer's language went slightly further than the original Bush letter, which did not speak of Israel retaining territory it captured in the 1967 Six-Day War, but said only that a return to the pre-war borders of 1949 was unlikely. "In light of new realities on the ground, including already existing major Israeli populations centers, it is unrealistic to expect that the outcome of final status negotiations will be a full and complete return to the armistice lines of 1949," Bush wrote in the letter handed to Sharon during a visit to Washington on April 14 last year. A senior Palestinian official, Saeb Erekat, said that the United States should remain unbiased in matters related to the final peace agreement between the sides. "I believe this preempts and prejudges issues that are reserved for final status negotiations," Erekat said. "Any talk of preempting and prejudging is counterproductive to the peace process."
WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 11 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 18
'It's Still Not Enough' Sept. 16….(JNEWSWIRE) The Palestinian Authority is glad Gaza is free of Jews, but rejected Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's notion the “disengagement” was a major peace gesture that must now be reciprocated. Responding to Sharon's speech before the UN General Assembly a day earlier, PA spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said Friday it was clear the Israeli wanted the peace process to fail after he demanded the “Palestinians” finally honor their commitment to eliminate anti-Jewish terror. In his Thursday afternoon address to the world's leaders, Sharon emphasized that while the Land of Israel was precious to the Jews, he was prepared to sell the nation's birthright for a paper agreement with the Arabs. Chief “Palestinian” negotiator Saeb Erekat said if Israel really wanted “peace,” it must follow up the Gaza pullout by leaving all of Judea and Samaria, including eastern Jerusalem, without preconditions. “The problem can only be solved be ending the occupation that began in 1967. The way to peace and stability is through an end to occupation,” Erekat told Reuters. PA National Security Advisor Jibril Rajoub concurred, saying the “Palestinians” were looking for Sharon to announce Israel's intention to make a full retreat to its pre-1967 borders, indicating the prime minister's desire for reconciliation was simply not enough. Regarding Jerusalem, Palestinian Planning Minister Ghassan al-Khatib in a morning interview with Israel Radio took issue with Sharon's reference to the city as Israel's “eternal undivided capital” at the opening of his speech. Since Israel's departure from Gaza, “Palestinian” officials from Hamas to the PLO have highlighted their desire to now wrest Jerusalem from the hands of the Jews.
Sharon And Betrayal at the UN Sept. 16….(Stan Goodenough) In an internationally broadcast event Thursday, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon took the podium at the United Nations, spelled his nation’s right of absolute ownership to the Land of Israel, then told the whole world that he was ready to forever relinquish parts of the ancient Jewish patrimony for the creation of a Palestinian state. He would do this, he said, despite the fact that it was painful and as difficult as “parting the Red Sea.” Beginning his widely anticipated speech to the notoriously anti-Israel global body, the aging Israeli boldly declared that he had come to New York from Jerusalem “the capital of the Jewish people for over 3,000 years, and the undivided and eternal capital of the State of Israel.” His people’s history, and thus their claim to the Land of Israel and the city of Jerusalem, stretched back more than three millennia to God’s calling out of “our forefather Abraham,” the giving of the Torah (Law of God) at Mount Sinai, and the wanderings of the children of Israel until Moses led them to “the promised land, the land of Israel.” Israel was more “precious” to the Jewish people “than anything.” “Every inch of land, every hill and valley, every stream and rock, is saturated with Jewish history, replete with memories,” Sharon said. Jews had maintained a continuous presence in the land through the millennia. Those who were exiled kept alive in their hearts and three times a day in their prayers the memory of their land and the belief that one day the Jewish people would return to it. The Land of Israel was a written testimony; “the identity and right of the Jewish people.” The Israeli leader described these facts as “the essence of my Jewish consciousness, and of my belief in the eternal and unimpeachable right of the people of Israel to the Land of Israel.” Despite the enduring reality of these historical and biblical truths, however, Sharon said he was motivated and guided by “the right path for the future of Israel” when he chose to “relinquish…part of our forefathers’ legacy” and accept that the Palestinian Arabs were “also entitled to freedom and to a national sovereign existence in a state of their own” on Israel’s ancient land. The Israeli leader appeared to believe that his democratic election to a four year term as Israel’s Prime Minister gave him the right to abandon land given to the founding fathers of his nation, and held in sacred trust in the hearts of millions of persecuted Jews for thousands of years. Although not a religious man, Sharon made two selective references to the God of Israel during his speech. It was God who had called out Abraham, and it was God who foresaw the future destiny of all peoples. The fact that this same God had given the Land of Israel exclusively and in perpetuity to Abraham and his descendants through Isaac and Jacob, and had commanded that the land never be sold, was not mentioned. Sharon also appeared to have made irrelevant forever the memorable words of Israel’s first and most famous leader, Prime Minister David Ben Gurion, who told the Zionist Congress in Basel in 1937 that no Jew had or would ever have the right to yield the rights of the Jewish People in Israel: "No Jew has the right to yield the rights of the Jewish People in Israel. No Jew has the authority to do so. No Jewish body has the authority to do so. Not even the entire Jewish People alive today has the right to yield any part of Israel. It is the right of the Jewish People over the generations, a right that under no conditions can be cancelled. Even if Jews during a specific period proclaim they are relinquishing this right, they have neither the power nor the authority to deny it to future generations. No concession of this type is binding or obligates the Jewish People. “Our right to the country, the entire country, exists as an eternal right, and we shall not yield this historic right until its full and complete redemption is realized.”
What Have we Bought with ‘Palestinian’ Handouts? Sept. 16….(JNEWSWIRE) Maybe it was that last $50 million that George W. Bush forked over to the Palestinian Authority in May that made the Gaza transfer between Israel and the PA this week so, what was Condoleezza Rice's word for the lawless Palestinian stampede of looting and desecration that erupted after the Israeli withdrawal? "Successful." That is, something must have sweetened the deal to make Israeli-Palestinian coordination on this territorial handover so very ... How did Ms. Rice describe the dynamic that led to the flags of jihad terrorism being hoisted into a sky darkened by burning synagogues? "Effective." Successful and effective? Not everyone's first reaction, but maybe it all depends on what Ms. Rice was hoping for. The fact that burning synagogues failed even to singe the Secretary of State's assessment of diplomatic success and effective statecraft is nothing less than chilling. But maybe it reflects our arrival at a cold, new reality that calls into question administration attitudes toward longstanding American motives and goals in the Middle East. Since the Oslo "peace process" began in 1993, Palestinians have received more than $1.5 billion from the United States, more aid, as the San Francisco Chronicle pointed out in August, than from any other single country. Not that other countries, mainly European ones, haven't been generous. The Atlantic Monthly's David Samuels tallied up post-Oslo P aid at $7 billion, estimating that as much as half of that money was siphoned off by Yasir Arafat and his cronies. Still the bucks flow. This year alone, the Chronicle reported, the United States will double last year's $275 million PA aid package, paying out $550 million (not including the $50 million handed out in May, as near as I can tell). In July, even as jihadis struck the London Underground, the Group of Eight countries couldn't pile up money for the PA fast enough, agreeing by 2008 to present its government, which by then could very well include landslide-elected terrorists from Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Al Qaeda, whatever, with $9 billion. They say you get what you pay for. But what exactly have we paid for? As recently as Sept. 2, according to Palestinian Media Watch, the PA's "Voice of Palestine" was sermonizing against "heretical" America, exhorting the Muslim faithful to attack Americans in Iraq. All of which should make us wonder: Have we paid for a "peace process," or have we financed holy war (jihad)? Have we supported a "peace partner"? Or have we just helped create a terrorist state?
Russia’s Prophetic Destiny Revealed: Enemy to Israel & America(By Bill Wilson)A recent report by the Independent Inquiry Committee to the United Nations Oil for Food Program exposes tremendous light on the clandestine workings of Russia's geo-political aspirations against the United States and Israel, and brings into clear focus the modus-operendi of the nation that will lead the Middle Eastern and Northern African nations against Israel in the Gog-Magog battle. Nevertheless, the world is blinded by Russia's ambition and will hardly mount a challenge to its deceptive game of arming terrorist nations and empowering them to act, while benefiting from their oil trade. Russia, a facsimile of the former Soviet Union, may have changed the focus of its government, but the underpinnings of what President Ronald Reagan called "the evil empire," are actively foundational to its military and political ambitions. The cunning and deceitful means employed by Russia to financially benefit while exporting its evil political philosophy are exposed in the Oil for Food Program and are in full operation currently in its relationship with Iran, using the UN as its shield. The sordid journey begins when France and Russia used their Security Council influence to get Iraqi agreement in January 1996 on Resolution 986-the basic template for the operation of the Oil for Food program. This "diplomatic" victory attributed to Russia was the action that created a bribery and kickback scheme that Russia played all the way through until it was exposed by the United States war on Iraq. And Russia's participation in this illegal scheme may well have caused the US to go to war rather than pull back understanding that something was more amiss on the Security Council than in Iraq. The Oil For Food Program allowed Iraq to choose its customers in much the same way that it marketed its only when it was allowed to do so on the free market. Iraq chose to sell the most oil to Russia because it had the most influence on the Security Council in perhaps overturning the sanctions. Russia benefited billions of dollars because of this. Of the Security Council members, the United States was country non-grata with only one company, able to purchase Iraqi oil. And that company had ties to the Iraqi government and was supposed to use its influence to work with Russia, France and China to overturn the sanctions. On the supply side of humanitarian goods to Iraq, Russia and France also were at the top of the list. So much so that there were many front companies, according to the ICC report, that were set up to channel money so that the humanitarian goods could be delivered. Even at this stage of early operations in Oil for Food, Russia was forming up its dominance of trade with Iraq and the system of bribes paid that made many a crook rich. Iraqi officials began to allocate oil allotments to people who Iraq thought might help eliminate the sanctions, targeting Russian and French officials on the Security Council as well as people in the United Nations, notably Oil for Food Program Director Benon Sevon. In August 2000, Russia began participating in a program with Iraq to launder money into Russian hands as well as to Saddam Hussein under the table. Hussein would add costs to the oil in the form of surcharges. This was essentially bribe money paid to Hussein for allowing access to the oil. However, there were certain companies from certain nations where the price of the oil was discounted so that the surcharges could be paid. Russia was a most favored nation, so to speak. Russia sent most of the surcharge payments to banks in Jordan and Lebanon to conceal their origin. The money was then sent to Baghdad. In over $61 million paid in oil surcharges, Russia received over $52 million. Although these surcharges or bribes were widely reported in the media, Russia used its influence on the Security Council to assert that there was a lack of evidence to suggest that the surcharges even existed. This, in effect, blocked a US attempt to force accountability into the purchasing system. Then Iraqi officials started implementing a system of kickbacks on humanitarian goods procured. Russia far and away was the leading supplier of humanitarian goods, paying illegal kickbacks for the business. These kickbacks soon became a larger source of illegal revenue to Saddam Hussein than were the oil surcharges. Fast forward to today and Russia is implementing the same lessons it learned so well in Oil for Food. Russia has a multi-billion dollar contract with Iran to supply nuclear goods, services, missile technology and weapons. Russia has told the Security Council that Iran has only peaceful intent for its nuclear program. In fact, Russian President Vladimir Putin has personally guaranteed that any spent fuel rods from Iranian nuclear power plants would be returned safely to Russia rather than be used for developing nuclear weapons. Since these guarantees, Iran has abandoned talks with the appeasement team of European Union negotiators-France, Germany and Great Britain-and has announced with great fanfare that it has restarted its uranium enrichment program (something many analysts believe they never stopped). Russia has stated publicly that it would not support bringing Iran before the Security Council for the possibility of economic sanctions. There have been no statements by policymakers that Russia should be excused from the matter because of its extensive conflict of interest in financial matters. It is not hard to connect the dots that Russia has been behind the arms and munitions that are sold, smuggled or given to terrorists (those are not western-made AK-47's and Baryshnikov rifles shown every time a terrorist is shown on television). And it should come as no surprise that Russia is not only an enemy to the United States and to Israel, but also is on track to fulfill its prophetic destiny as the leader of the Gog-MaGog battle against Israel which some believe will mark the beginning of the great tribulation. There is an undeniable pattern of lies and deceit by Russia. The United States, should take aggressive diplomatic action against Russia. But there will be no such action. 2 Corinthians 4:4 says, "the god of this world (meaning Satan) has blinded the minds of them which believe not." And thus, Russia will proceed to fulfill its prophetic destiny of leading Iran, Northern Africa and other nations of the world against Israel. Russia has been arming and dealing with the terrorist sponsors for decades as it circles its prey, and America is one of the only nations that stands between Russia and Israel. Pray for our nation. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
A Famine in The Land For The Prophetic WordSept.
16….(Focus On Jerusalem/Darrell G. Young) Behold,
the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a
famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD
Amos 8:11 The Lord placed a burden in my heart and
upon my soul for his prophetic word when I was just a small boy. I remember
sitting and devouring the big family Bible with its large detailed artistic
pictures of Israel’s history that my Mother taught me from. I developed a huge
love of history, and how God used the nation of Israel to accomplish his Divine
plan of the Ages to point the whole world to Jesus Christ, God’s own sacrificial
Lamb. God’s prophetic word records the historical panoramic trails that pointed
to the first coming of Jesus 2000 years ago. Jesus himself added to that
prophetic record when he left this world and pointed his Church to the climactic
days when HE shall return to this world and complete the great Mystery of God. (Revelation
10:7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to
sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his
servants the prophets.) But sadly, the prophetic word of God is frowned upon
in our land and even renounced in our Churches today. I can think of fewer
conditions that make me sadder than the fact that the Bride of Christ no loner
yearns for the Bridegroom. Jesus Christ was the Last Prophet. It was not
Mohammad or any of the esteemed prognosticators that have lived since the 1st
century. The book of the Revelation is the completed installment of Gods
prophetic word. Jesus himself said, (Matthew 24:11) “and many false prophets
shall rise, and shall deceive many,” but thank God, he still calls and
inspires expositors of his prophetic word to feed his people. Unfortunately, and
as part of the signs of the Last Days, there is a famine in our land, a famine
not only of preaching His uncompromising Gospel, but also a famine of teaching
and preaching His prophetic word. In the annals of Church history, I can think
of no more urgent message to be sharing with the world today than Gods prophetic
word, because it is climaxing in world events right before our generation’s
eyes! Today, I will be traveling all alone to attend another Prophecy
Conference, and I am extremely sad in my heart as I travel. I have a deep sense
within my heart that time is short in this world, and yet nobody cares. We all
know that God’s word feeds his own, and sustains us while we strive in this
famine ravaged land, but deep down I feel starved for more of his word, and more
of His love. (Amos 8:11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I
will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water,
but of hearing the words of the Lord) It is a rare occasion that I actually
get to sit among 1,000 prophecy loving, Bible believing watchers, but for a
little while this weekend, I will enjoy a feast, a feast of Gods wonderful
prophetic word. And I will remember YOU, and leave you with this word: “And the
Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him
that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this
book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues
that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of
the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life,
and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. He
which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so,
come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. Prime Minister Sharon Addresses United Nations
Israel’s Worst Nightmare: Unfettered
Al-Qaida Infiltration into Gaza Sept. 15….(Haaretz)
Border Policemen and Israel Defense Forces trackers in the southern Negev region
early Thursday morning arrested 20 Palestinians residents of the Gaza Strip
attempting to infiltrate into Israel along the border with Egypt. The
Palestinians, who were arrested in three different incidents, said they exited
the Strip through the Philadelphi route which borders with Egypt, and where
Palestinians have been able to cross unhindered in and out of Egypt since Israel
completed its withdrawal from Gaza. The arrested men were taken for police
questioning to establish whether they wished to enter Israel in order to carry
out terror attacks. IDF officials said they expected this phenomenon of
Palestinian infiltrations from the Sinai into Israel to repeat itself and widen
Clinton-Soros Initiative at UN Summit
'Vacuum' caused by
United Nations corruption creating new power center Sept. 15….(WND)
A South China Morning Post headline
captures the mood: "His plans are grand, but can he save the world?" Maybe so,
according to heavy-hitter sponsors, including Microsoft, Starbucks, Hewlett
Packard, Google, Yahoo, Goldman Sachs, the Rockefeller Foundation and Citigroup.
As Americans remain focused on Katrina recovery and the confirmation hearings of
Supreme Court nominee John Roberts, an international drama is unfolding in New
York where the UN is hosting a World Summit in celebration of its 60th
anniversary. The Summit is the largest ever gathering for world leaders. Topping
the list for diplomats is the urgent and embarrassing call for UN reform. Expect
world leaders to dodge some scheduled United Nations sessions today in a rush to
attend the opening round of the Clinton Global Initiative, where 750 global
glitterati and their aides have converged on the Sheraton New York Hotel and
Towers, at $15,000 per head to forge a "new level" of global cooperation. The
former US president has openly sought a post-presidential position commensurate
with his vision, hoping to use his "clout, connections and charisma" on behalf
of the global community. The Clinton Global
Initiative finds religion to be "a chief engine of deadly conflict, providing
immediate pretext and overall context. Yet, people of faith are wary of those
who preach peace by fingering religion as the source of "deadly conflict." In
light of the CGI's goal of an "integrated global community of shared benefits,
responsibilities, and values," a looming question is, whose religious "values"
will this "integrated global community" demand? The advisory board for the
Religion Forum is packed with those who are noted for their liberal views toward
religion, those for whom dogma (fundamentalism) is "problematical."
Judge: School Pledge Is Unconstitutional
Sept. 15….(AP)
A federal judge declared the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance in public
schools unconstitutional Wednesday in a case brought by the same atheist
whose previous battle against the words "under God" was rejected
by the US Supreme Court on procedural grounds. US District Judge Lawrence
Karlton ruled that the pledge's reference to one nation "under God" violates
school children's right to be "free from a coercive requirement to affirm God."
Karlton said he was bound by precedent of the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals,
which in 2002 ruled in favor of Sacramento atheist Michael Newdow that the
pledge is unconstitutional when recited in public schools. The Supreme Court
dismissed the case last year, saying Newdow lacked standing because he did not
have custody of his elementary school daughter he sued on behalf of. Newdow, an
attorney and a medical doctor, filed an identical case on behalf of three
unnamed parents and their children. Karlton said those families have the right
to sue. Karlton, ruling in Sacramento, said he would sign a restraining order
preventing the recitation of the pledge at the Elk Grove Unified, Rio Linda and
Elverta Joint Elementary school districts, where the plaintiffs' children
attend. The decision sets up another showdown over the pledge in schools, at a
time when the makeup of the Supreme Court is in flux. Wednesday's ruling comes
as Supreme Court nominee John Roberts faces day three of his confirmation
hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee. He would succeed the late
William H. Rehnquist as chief justice. Sandra Day O'Connor stepped down
unexpectedly from the Supreme Court in July. The Becket Fund, a religious rights
group that is a party to the case, said it would immediately appeal the case to
the San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals. If the court does not
change its precedent, the group would go to the Supreme Court. "It's a way to
get this issue to the Supreme Court for a final decision to be made," said fund
attorney Jared Leland. Secretary Rice: US Will Press Israel Sept. 14….(YNET)
The United States will act to
preserve the momentum in Israeli-Palestinian relations and is expected to press
both sides to make progress, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told the New
York Times Tuesday. The American pressure is expected to focus on advancing
understandings reached between the two sides in the Sharm el-Sheikh summit in
Egypt earlier this year. For Israel, this means the handover of more West Bank
towns to Palestinian control and the release of Palestinian prisoners. In his
recent statements, President George W. Bush focused on American demands from the
Palestinian and PA leader Abbas. Recently, the US also related a message to
European and other nations to refrain from exerting pressure on Israel for
further concessions as a result of Sharon’s internal troubles and upcoming
Palestinian elections. However, the US Administration is apparently also
concerned about stalling the process. During her meeting at the New York Times,
Rice said the key on the Israeli side is to use the momentum, including the
Sharm understandings, in order to go back to the US-brokered Road Map peace
plan. Rice noted both sides have obligations under the plan and said the US
will press both sides to deliver on their pledges. The Americans intend to put
pressure on Israel to allow passage of Palestinians through the Rafah (Egypt-Gaza)
border crossing. They believe that opening the crossing will debunk the
Palestinians’ claim that the Israeli occupation of the strip in effect continues
despite the pullout. It is clear to the Americans that at present Israel cannot
allow the opening of the airport or the crossing between the West Bank and Gaza.
Therefore they now concentrate on facilitating the opening of the Rafah
crossing. Rice praised Israel and the IDF’s conduct and operations during the
pullout, as well as the excellent cooperation between Israel and the
Palestinians. She explained that contrary to the apparent lack of cooperation,
the two sides have in fact worked together well. Gaza-Egypt Border Wide Open Despite
Egyptian Promises
'Flag of Islam Will Rise Over
Jerusalem' Sept. 14….(JNewswire)
After successfully helping to get Gaza for Palestine, Hamas' eyes are riveted on
Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, chief city of David's ancient kingdom and
future site of the throne room of the Messiah. Gaza-based Hamas leader Mahmoud
al-Zahar Tuesday continued his volatile public relations campaign to stir up a
fresh wave of anti-Jewish “Palestinian” violence in the wake of Israel's
withdrawal from Gaza and northern Samaria. He insisted the “disengagement” was
the result of nearly five years of concerted efforts at mass murdering Jews, and
is confident Jaffa, Haifa and Jerusalem will all fall to Islamic terror in their
time too. “We will win in Jerusalem and in Palestine, the whole of Palestine,”
Zahar declared during the largest Hamas rally Gaza City had ever seen, according
to some reporters. As frenzied throngs chanted “Allah is greater,” Zahar vowed
Hamas would not give up the fight “until the flag of Islam is raised over
Jerusalem.” “This land should not have any Zionists in it,” stated Zahar,
bringing to the fore what many in the West mistakenly, or expediently, thought
was the abandoned Arab desire to drive the Jews into the sea. If the current
generation could not “complete the victory, we’ll hand over the flag of the
struggle to our sons, who will complete the journey.” Children living in the
Palestinian Authority continue to be indoctrinated for just such a task in
school and during summer camps. Complaints and warnings by groups monitoring the
PA education system have gone unheeded by those behind the land-for-peace
process. Hamas was founded in the 1970, but has seen the greatest increase in
public support over the past decade. In Gaza, where the PA is reported to be
losing control to the terror group, Hamas' growth is expected to continue
exponentially. The group is set to challenge the ruling PLO for the first time
in January's PA parliamentary election. The international community, including
the United States, appears ready to acquiesce to the terrorists' participation
in Palestinian elections. Islamic
'Crescent' 9-11 Memorial for Flight 93 You’ve got to
be kidding! Why memorialize the terrorists who attacked our country?
Sept. 14….(WND)
"It has raised questions in some circles
about whether the design, if constructed, will in fact make the memorial a
tribute to the hijackers rather than the victims whose mission the flight's
passengers helped to thwart," wrote Tancredo in a letter to Fran Mainella,
director of the National Park Service. "Regardless of whether or not the
invocation of a Muslim symbol by the memorial designer was intentional or not,
it seems that such a symbol is unsuitable for paying appropriate tribute to the
heroes of Flight 93 or the ensuing American struggle against radical Islam that
their last historic act and the 'Let's Roll' effort has come to symbolize, when
the hijacked plane plunged into the ground Sept. 11, 2001." The heart of the
memorial is a mile-long semicircle of red maples surrounding the place near
Bush Questions US Readiness
('Are
we capable of dealing with a severe (terror) attack?) Sept. 14….(WND)
President Bush today expressed concern about whether or not the US is adequately
prepared to respond to a terrorist attack on American soil. Meeting at the White
House with the president of Iraq, Bush responded to a reporter's question about
the nation's readiness in view of mistakes made in the aftermath of Hurricane
Katrina. Given what happened with Katrina, shouldn't Americans be concerned
their government isn't prepared to respond to another disaster or even a
terrorist attack?" a reporter asked. Responded Bush: "Katrina exposed serious
problems in our response capability at all level of government, and to the
extent the federal government didn't fully do its job right I take
responsibility." The president said he wants to know exactly went wrong in
relation to the Katrina response so he can answer the question "Are we
capable of dealing with a severe attack?" "That's a very important question," he
said. All three levels of government, federal, state and local, have taken
their fair share of criticism about how quickly and effectively disaster
response was provided after Hurricane Katrina pummeled the Gulf Coast and
flooded New Orleans. Independent analysts and officials of the Bush
administration have warned of US vulnerability to terror attacks using weapons
of mass destruction, saying it is a matter of "when" not "if." Hurricane Katrina
and its nightmarish disaster coordination reveals just how vulnerable America is
to the after-effects of a cataclysmic disaster.
Vietnam Burns Homes of Christians
'Christian religion is America's religion and is not allowed
here' Sept. 14….(WND)
Vietnamese authorities burned more than 10 homes of tribal Christians who
refused to deny their faith, a US persecution monitor reported. Christians in Suoi Rut hamlet, Doi Sau village, Quang Ngai province, were forced to flee their
village July 21 and now are searching for a new place to live, according to
Washington, DC-based International Christian Concern. The victims belonged to
the Evangelical Church of Vietnam, which has formal recognition by the
Vietnamese government. But the local communist authorities publicly have stated
"the Christian religion is America's religion, and is not allowed here." ICC
released a statement from a pastor of the Hre tribe: Sunday, Aug. 21, 2005, at
8:00 a.m., Mr. Dinh van Hoanh, police chief of Son Thuong village and his
assistant, Mr. Thai Mai Quan, came to Mr. Dinh van Hoang's house and said: "We
do not allow any Christians to live here. If you want to stay you must sign this
paper to declare that you and your family are renouncing your faith." Hoang
refused, and the police chief called numerous officials, including Dinh van Xoa,
hamlet chief, and Dinh van Hoach, his assistant, to come and destroy Hoang's
house. The officials told Hoang that if he recanted his faith, they would
rebuild his house, but Hoang again refused. The authorities then destroyed his
animal pens. ICC points out that the US State Department last fall designated
Vietnam a Country of Particular Concern, which requires issuance of penalties or
benchmarks of improvement within six months. But no penalties or benchmarks were
assessed by last spring due to political pressures and assurances from the
Vietnamese government that its behavior, including persecution of tribal
Christians, would cease. In June, at the time of President Bush's historic
meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai, Freedom House’s Center for
Religious Freedom reported beatings, forced renunciation of faith and land
confiscations carried out against Hmong Christians. Freedom House says the
oppression of religious minorities in Vietnam continued despite a May 5
agreement with the US that Vietnam would liberalize its treatment of religious
believers. In April, according to reports, officials seized the properly
registered land of 12 Christian families in Lu Khai Villiage, in the Ta Pinh
Commune of Sa Pa District. Members of the families said officials told them
their land was seized because they "believe in a Christian God." Judge Roberts: I Don’t Look To The
Bible Sept. 14….(FOJ)
Supreme Court Chief Justice nominee John Roberts yesterday responded to the
pro-abortion Democratic assembly of Senators (Kennedy, Biden, Schumer,
Feinstein, Leahy, and Rep. Specter) when forcefully pinned down on the issue
of Abortion that he looked to the Constitution on matters of judicial precedent
and ruling and not to the Bible. I think the Judges comments in relation the
Bible as a source for wisdom in ajudicating the laws of our nation was pleasing
to the Senators ears. However, it also pointed out that Judge Roberts, although
equivocating the matter to strictly a legal jurisdiction, clearly wasn’t willing
to confront the myth of Separation of Church and State that prevails in the
political arena. My early assessment of the hearings is how much the hearings
resemble an inquisition to keep God out of the affairs of our nation.
President Bush Praises Sharon’s Courage to Leave
Gaza
Praises to
Allah in Gaza Synagogue Sept. 13….(JNEWSWIRE)
For Muslims “holy war is a religious duty, to convert everybody to Islam
either by persuasion or force,” The Jerusalem Post quoted from the
writings of respected 15th century Arab historian and philosopher Ibn
Khaldun in its Tuesday editorial. In 1406, Ibn Khaldun noted that Islam is the
only religion “under obligation to gain power over other nations.” While the
West bends over backwards to sugarcoat Islam as a religion of peace, it was in
obedience to that quest for religious dominance that Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar
entered the desecrated synagogue of the former Gaza Jewish community of Kfar
Darom Monday. Four of the nearly two dozen synagogues Israel left standing in
Gaza were burned by “Palestinian” mobs earlier in the day, and at least one was
bulldozed by the Palestinian Authority. Accompanied by an entourage of
flag-waving Hamas members and supporters, Zahar proceeded to lead a Muslim
prayer service, thanking Allah for Islam's victory over the Jews of Gaza. “Our
resistance has succeeded in ending” the Jews' presence here, Zahar was quoted as
saying. Hugely popular with the “Palestinian” masses, Hamas is expected to
become the second largest parliamentary faction in January's Palestinian
Legislative Council election. Many in Israel, meanwhile, said the scenes of
Muslim intolerance and unbridled desecration from Gaza proved the
Judeo-Christian world was embroiled in a religious battle with Islam. “The
burning of Jewish synagogues by Arab rioters proves again that this is a
religious war, based on a hatred for Judaism, and not merely political
hostility,” leading rabbis from Judea and Samaria said in an official statement.
They said the only way to win this war was “by connecting to the Torah, Land and
Nation of Israel.” National Religious Party MK Gila Finkelstein noted that more
than desiring their own state, the “Palestinian” Muslims “want to destroy every
Jewish trace” from this biblical land.
Syria Denounces US Threats
World Silent after Muslim Gang Attacks
‘Palestinian’ Christian Village
For years,
media outlets have largely refused to report one of the most troubling aspects
of the Mid-east conflict, Muslim intimidation and violence against Christians in
the Palestinian-controlled areas. It is therefore ironic that so many Protestant
denominations are choosing to divest from Israel, and lend support to the
Palestinian Authority.
History of Muslim Abuse & Christian Flight Under the PA
Incidents such as
this, largely ignored by the western media, have been the leading cause of
massive Christian flight from the Holy Land over the past few years. The historical
Christian towns of Bethlehem and Nazereth, once home to large Christian
populations, have seen that population flee en masse due to Muslim
intimidation and violence. As Honest Reporting has documented: ● Over 100
Palestinian terrorists took over the Church of the Nativity in 2002, using it as
a fortress from which to fire upon Israeli troops, while holding nuns, priests
and monks hostage, and looting or destroying virtually everything of value
inside the building. ● During
2000-2002, the PA's Tanzim militia chose the Christian town of Beit Jala as a
base for unprovoked shooting at people in Jerusalem. The Tanzim were
specifically positioned in or near Christian homes, hotels, churches, and the
Greek Orthodox club, knowing fully well that these sites would be hard-hit by
Israeli return fire. ● In 1995,
Bethlehem was 62% Christian, but today is less than 20% Christian. Before 1995,
Bethlehem had a majority-Christian municipal council, but when the Palestinian
Authority took over the town, Yassir Arafat replaced the municipal council with
a predominately Muslim council, and Christian Arabs fled Bethlehem in droves
after a radical Islamic wave began inciting against them. ● On February 6,
2002, the Boston Globe reported "a rampage of Palestinian Muslims against
Christian shops and churches in Ramallah. Police made no attempt to stop the
mob, which besieged and damaged a widely respected youth center associated with
the Boy Scouts of America after torching the Christian properties. It Ain’t
Just the Synagogues in Gaza
Sept. 13….(Jewish World Review)It ain't just the Jews, folks. A sustained assault on Arab Christians has led to
their fleeing the birthplace of Christianity. The likely result will be reduced
to empty church buildings and a congregation-less hierarchy with no flock. What
some observers are calling a pogrom took place near Ramallah, West Bank, on the
night of Sep. 3-4. That's when fifteen Muslim youths from one village, Dair
Jarir, rampaged against Taybeh, a neighboring all-Christian village of 1,500
people. The reason for the assault? A Muslim woman from Dair Jarir, Hiyam Ajaj,
23, fell in love with her Christian boss, Mehdi Khouriyye, owner of a tailor
shop in Taybeh. The couple maintained a clandestine two-year affair and she
became pregnant in about March 2005. When her family learned of her condition,
it murdered her. That was on about Sep. 1; unsatisfied even with this "honor
killing," for Islamic law strictly forbids non-Muslim males to have sexual
relations with Muslim females, the Ajaj men sought vengeance against Khouriyye
and his family. They took it two days later in an assault on Taybeh. The Ajajs
and their friends broke into houses and stole furniture, jewelry, and electrical
appliances. They threw Molotov cocktails at some buildings and poured kerosene
on others, then torched them. The damage included at least 16 houses, some
stores, a farm, and a gas station. The assailants vandalized cars and looted
extensively. "It was like a war," one Taybeh resident told The Jerusalem Post.
Hours passed before the Palestinian Authority security and fire services
arrived. The fifteen assailants spent only a few hours in police detention, then
were released. As for
Khouriyye, the Palestinian police arrested him, kept him jail, and have
repeatedly beat him. As the news service Adnkronos International notes, for
Palestinian Christians "the fact that the Muslim aggressors have been released
while the Christian tailor-shop owner is still being held, at best symbolizes
the PA's indifference to the plight of Palestinian Christians, at worst shows it
is taking sides against them."
Sharon
Heads to UN for His 'Victory Lap'
Sept. 13….(Jerusalem Post) Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will
travel to New York todayy for what is expected to be a "victory lap" and slap on
the back among world leaders at the United Nations following the successful
implementation of the Gaza disengagement. Diplomatic officials said Monday that
a number of the 170 world leaders who would be in New York to take part in the
60th United Nations General Assembly and the concurrent 2005 World Summit had
expressed an interest in meeting Sharon. Although the Prime Minister's Office
has not released his schedule, Sharon is expected to meet on Wednesday with US
President George W. Bush, Russian President Vladimir Putin and British Prime
Minister Tony Blair. On Thursday, Sharon will meet with British Prime Minister
Tony Blair, Australian Prime Minister John Howard and Canadian Prime Minister
Paul Martin. On Friday, the prime minister was expected to meet with King
Abdullah II of Jordan and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Sharon's "victory
lap" however may be dampened by a contentious debate taking place in the UN now
regarding the definition of terrorism, one of a number of issues to be tackled
during three days of deliberations. While the West is in favor of a definition
that states "killing civilians to achieve political objectives amounts to
terrorism," the Arab countries, with an eye on the Palestinians, want the world
body to endorse a right to resist occupation and the utilization of suicide
bombers. Israeli officials said that Sharon's message at the UN would be a
simple one: Israel promised and performed, and now is the time for the
Palestinian Authority to take action, to fight terror and prove they could
govern. Sharon is scheduled to address the General Assembly Thursday afternoon
(8 p.m. Israel time). Meanwhile, the Quartet, the US, European Union, UN and
Russia, is scheduled to hold a meeting on the sidelines of the UN deliberations.
The Quartet is expected to praise the sides for a successful implementation of
disengagement and to help consolidate its gains. Britain
Won't Change Holocaust Tribute Sept. 13….(YNET)
Britain’s
Prime Minister Tony Blair announced today
that it had no plans to rename Britain's
Holocaust Day, despite calls from Muslim groups to make the annual memorial more
inclusive. A committee of Muslim
leaders advising the government as it seeks to combat Islamic extremism proposed
renaming the day of remembrance Genocide Memorial Day, to recognize atrocities
carried out against all faiths. Meanwhile, Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper
reported that a Muslim lawyer appointed by the British government to advise Tony
Blar, Ahmad Thompson, described the Holocaust as a "big lie." Thompson is
reported to have said that the British prime minister decided to go to war in
Iraq because he was under the influence of "sinister" group of Jews and
Freemasons. Pressure was put on Tony Blair before the invasion. The way it works
is that pressure is put on people to arrive at certain decisions. It is part of
the Zionist plan and it is shaping events," said Thompson. The deaths of some 6
million Jews murdered during World War II are remembered on Jan. 27 in Britain.
USA
Preparing For Abortion Cultural War?
Sept. 13….(FOJ) Comparing judges to baseball umpires,
Supreme Court chief justice nominee John Roberts told senators Monday that the
judiciary has a "limited" role and must realize it doesn't make the law. "Judges
and justices are servants of the law, not the other way around," he told the
Senate Judiciary Committee on the first day of confirmation hearings. "Judges
are like umpires. Umpires don't make the rules. They apply them. The role of an
umpire and a judge is critical to make sure everybody plays by the rules. But it
is a limited role. Nobody ever went to a ballgame to see the umpire." Roberts
added: "Judges have to have the humility to recognize that they operate within a
system of precedent, shaped by other judges equally striving to live up to the
judicial oath." Liberal groups have expressed concern that Roberts would seek to
overrule past Supreme Court decisions, including the infamous Roe v. Wade case
that legalized abortion. Democrats urged Roberts to answer questions about
specific cases from the past, and as we all know, the whole battle looming over
Supreme Court nominees ias all about abortion, and the infamous Roe v. Wade
decision of 1973, that opened the floodgates for over 40,000,000 legal
abortions. My how America could use those young men and women today, when our
nation is compassed with so great an enemy. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R.-Utah, argued
that the Founding Fathers believed separate branches of government, with the
legislature making the law and the judiciary interpreting it, was the "lynchpin
of limited government and liberty." "Well, times have changed," Hatch said.
"Today, some see the separation of powers not as the condition for liberty but
as an obstacle to their own political agenda. When they lose in the legislature,
they want the judiciary to give them another bite at the political apple.
Politicizing the judiciary leads to politicizing judicial selection." Yeah, the
times certainly have changed, and the cultural debacle that is abortion is
likely to be central in America’s fate as God looks on from above and wonders
why we don’t aspire to have magistrates and judges such as he proscribed to the
only nation He founded. (Ezra 7:25 And thou, Ezra, after the wisdom of thy
God, that is in thine hand, set magistrates and judges, which may judge all
the people that are beyond the river, all such as know the laws of thy
God; and teach ye them that know them not.) Gaza Now A
Teen-Terrorist Training Commune
'Palestinians' Burn
Gaza Synagogues Sept. 12….(JNEWSWIRE)
Proclaiming their god Allah greater than the God of Israel, “Palestinian”
Muslims set upon four abandoned synagogues in the Gaza Strip Monday, setting
them ablaze and raising the flags of the PLO and Hamas. In the early morning
hours, even before the last IDF soldier had left Gaza, Arab mobs overwhelmed the
scant police forces deployed by the Palestinian Authority and swarmed over the
former Jewish communities of Morag, Neve Dekalim, Kfar Darom and Netzarim.
Making straight for the synagogues, they fired their weapons in the air, set off
fireworks and chanted “Allah is greater” in celebration of Islam's victory over
the Jews in that narrow coastal strip, a piece of land given by God to the
Israelite tribe of Judah. “This is only the first step of the liberation.
Tomorrow we'll liberate all of Palestine,” they shouted. The burned-out shells
of the Jewish houses of worship, as well as the other 15 or more synagogues in
Gaza, will be razed in the coming days, PLO chief Mahmoud Abbas said early
Monday, after Israel chose to leave the structures standing. “The Israelis left
behind empty structures that served as synagogues in the past,” Abbas stated.
“But they removed all religious artifacts from there and therefore they are no
longer holy places.” That formal destruction began Monday afternoon, when a PA
bulldozer was reported by the Associated Press to have started razing the
synagogue in Netzarim. Earlier, Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom had
pleaded with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to intervene and prevent the
desecration of the synagogues, according to Ynet. Annan promised to do so, but
either failed to keep his word or was rebuffed by the PLO chief. Last week,
Knesset Member Effi Eitam said the Palestinian Arabs' treatment of the
synagogues following the IDF's departure would prove what kind of people Israel
was dealing with. “This is a test for this new Palestinian entity,” Eitam told
CNS News. “If the first thing that they will do is to destroy the synagogues and
just to wipe out any Jewish presence from this land, that will prove that their
face is toward war forever.” By resorting to such desecration, the Palestinian
Arabs “will prove that they are not only terrorists, but they are really
barbarians,” he continued. That was the exact sentiment expressed by Shalom
Monday morning as scenes of the burning synagogues began to flood the media.
Shalom told Israel Radio the Gazan Arabs' actions were “barbaric.” He was
supported in that assessment by Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee
Chairman Yuval Steinitz, who said the images from Gaza prove “we have no
genuine, responsible partner for peace on the other side, but at most, a partner
for excuses.” Some in Israel suggested the unbridled desecration of the
synagogues should be answered with the destruction of the Al Aqsa Mosque, which
occupies Israel's holiest site, the Jerusalem Temple Mount. “If the government
does not do it, no one should be surprised to find proud Jews standing up and
doing it instead,” an unnamed source told Ynet. Hamas: Israel will be
Defeated One Day Soon Sept. 12….(JNEWSWIRE) Gaza-based Hamas leader Mahmoud Al-Zahar told an Israeli Arab newspaper that the Jewish
state's ability to withstand the Muslim onslaught against it would one day fail,
and that all “Palestine” would be “liberated” from Zionist control. “Israel’s
power is not eternal, and neither is our weakness,” Zahar said in an interview
with Nazareth's Kul el-Arab. He went on to say that his group still
considers Israeli Arabs to be “Palestinians,” and urged them to continue
participating in the “struggle” against their Jewish countrymen. Israeli Arabs
are regularly implicated in “Palestinian” terrorist plots against Israeli Jews.
As proof that victory was on the horizon, Zahar pointed to Israel's retreat from
the Gaza Strip and northern Samaria following nearly five years of unrelenting
Islamic terrorism. “We dealt a blow to Israel’s security model, which was based
on military strength, a quick victory and distancing the 1948 home front from
the confrontation,” he said. “We struck all of these three principles with our
suicide bombings, Kassam rockets and tunnels.” Despite Hamas' unswerving
dedication to Israel's destruction, Washington and Europe, the primary pushers
of the land-for-peace process, are largely dismissing the group's intention to
participate in January's Palestinian Legislative Council election. Hamas is
expected to garner 25 percent of the vote, becoming the second largest PLC
faction and gaining significant influence over the “peace” process.
Los Angeles Targeted in New 9-11 Threat
"Yesterday, London and Madrid.
Tomorrow, Los Angeles and Melbourne, God willing. At this time, don't count on
us demonstrating restraint or compassion," the 11-minute tape warns. "We are
Muslims. We love peace, but peace on our terms, peace as laid down by Islam, not
the so-called peace of occupiers and dictators." Intelligence officials believe
the man whose face is partially covered to be Adam Gadahn of Orange County,
Calif. Gadahn sent a similar tape for the al-Qaida terrorist network last year.
"Don't believe the lies of the liars at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and 10 Downing
Street," Gadahn insists. "They have dispatched your sons and daughters to die
lonely deaths in the burning deserts of Iraq and the unforgiving mountains of
Afghanistan." According to ABC, Gadahn went from a typical southern California
teenager who liked heavy metal music to an operative for al-Qaida in just a few
years. He reportedly converted to Islam at an Orange County mosque, and was
influenced by terrorists who brought him to Pakistan. Only a few years ago, Adam
Gadahn was a southern California teenager with interests in the environment and
heavy metal music. His family says he converted to Islam at an Orange County
mosque. There, officials say Gadahn came under the influence of militants who
took him to Pakistan. His latest message warns of an imminent attack on
Americans unless the US halts its military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Also threatened are Great Britain and Australia. "We love peace, but when the
enemy violates that peace or prevents us from achieving it, then we love nothing
better than the heat of battle, the echo of explosion, and the slitting of the
throats of the infidels," the tape says. "The statement broadcast this
morning on Good Morning America should come as no surprise to anyone," said Los
Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the city's police department in a joint
release this morning. "The statement was meant to instill fear, and fear is the
most important weapon the terrorists possess." While local officials admitted LA
is a terror target, they said there are no known, credible threats against the
city, calling the tape propaganda. On the rest of the tape, Gadahn tries to
dispel rumors that Osama bin Laden is dead, and he closes by mentioning the
names of the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers who flew planes into New York's World
Trade Center and the Pentagon. “Everyone of us is Mohammed Atta," he says.
Abbas: End West Bank
Occupation Now, Establish Sate
Sept. 12….(Jerusalem Post)
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas marked the end of Israeli miltiary rule in Gaza with a trip to an
evacuated settlement Monday, where he said that the next step for the
Palestinians is to establish a state. "What is important is that Israel not be
allowed to turn Gaza into a big jail," said Abbas. He reiterated that no
agreement has been reached with Israel on the Egypt-Gaza border crossings, and
said statehood was still a distant prospect. "The next step is to end the
occupation of the West Bank and to establish our state," said Abbas. Abbas told
the Palestinians that there is still a "long road" to statehood, but that the
day was one for joy.
WASHINGTON — A Pentagon planning document being updated to reflect the doctrine
of pre-emption declared by President Bush in 2002 envisions the use of nuclear
weapons to deter terrorists from using weapons of mass destruction against the
United States or its allies. The "Doctrine for Joint Nuclear Operations," which
was last updated 10 years ago, makes clear that "the decision to employ nuclear
weapons at any level requires explicit orders from the President." But it says
that in a changing environment "terrorists or regional states armed with WMD
will likely test US security commitments to its allies and friends." "In
response, the US needs a range of capabilities to assure friend and foe alike of
its resolve," says the 69-page document dated March 15 and posted on a Pentagon
web site. The draft is still being circulated among the various services, field
commanders, Pentagon lawyers and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld's office.
Its existence was initially reported by The Washington Post in Sunday editions.
"A broader array of capability is needed to dissuade states from undertaking
courses of action that would threaten US and allied security," the draft says.
"US forces must pose a credible deterrent to potential adversaries who have
access to modern military technology, including WMD and the means to deliver
them." It says "deterrence of potential adversary WMD use requires the potential
adversary leadership to believe the United States has both the ability and will
to pre-empt or retaliate promptly with responses that are credible and
effective." It says "this will be particularly difficult with non-state
(non-government) actors who employ or attempt to gain use of WMD. Here,
deterrence may be directed at states that support their efforts as well as the
terrorist organization itself.
(FOJ
Note: this statement should be taken as a direct reference to Iran,
Syria, and North Korea) "However, the continuing proliferation of WMD along
with the means to deliver them increases the probability that someday a
state/nonstate actor ation/terrorist may, through miscaluation or by deliberate
choice, use those weapons. In such cases, deterrence, even based on the threat
of massive destruction, may fail and the United States must be prepared to use
nuclear weapons if necessary." It notes that US policy has always been purposely
vague with regard to when the United States would use nuclear weapons and that
it has never vowed not to be the first to use them in a conflict. One scenario
for a possible nuclear pre-emptive strike in the draft would be in the case of
an "imminent attack from adversary biological weapons that only effects from
nuclear weapons can safely destroy." The Bush Administration is continuing to
push for development of an earth-penetrating nuclear warhead, but has yet to
obtain congressional approval. However, the Senate voted in July to revive the
"bunker-buster" program that Congress last year decided to kill. Administration
officials have maintained that the US needs to try to develop a nuclear warhead
that would be capable of destroying deeply buried targets including bunkers
tunneled into solid rock. But opponents said that its benefits are questionable
and that such a warhead would cause extensive radiation fallout above ground
killing thousands of people. And they say it may make it easier for a future
president to decide to use the nuclear option instead of a conventional weapon.
The Senate voted 53-43 to include $4 million for research into the feasibility
of a bunker-buster nuclear warhead. Earlier this year, the House refused to
provide the money, so a final decision will have to be worked out between the
two chambers. PA and Hamas Defend
Synagogue Destruction Sept. 12….(Arutz)
The
Palestinian Authority and Hamas jointly defended the decision to demolish the
Jewish synagogues in the Gaza Strip, saying they did not want to give Jews an
excuse to ever think about returning to the area. PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas
visited the former settlement of Dugit in the northern Gaza Strip, where he
declared that Israel did not leave behind any synagogues. "There are no
synagogues here," he said. "Israel left behind some empty buildings which that
are likely to collapse. All the public buildings they left are in danger of
collapsing," he said. According to Abbas, the PA would destroy all the empty
structures, including the synagogues, to build homes for thousands of
Palestinians. Ismail Haniyeh, a senior Hamas official in the Gaza Strip, said
his movement would not allow the synagogues to exist for fear that they would be
turned in the future into "Wailing Walls" for Jews. "We won't allow any Wailing
Walls on our blessed land," he said. Defending the decision to raze the
synagogues, Haniyeh said Israel was trying to keep them to put pressure on the
PA to protect them in the future. "These synagogues were built for political,
not religious, reasons. They were built illegally and should go away with the
occupation." Meanwhile, a number of armed groups in the Gaza Strip announced
that they would continue to launch attacks on Israel until it withdraws from
more territories. The armed wing of Fatah announced that it was planning to
launch attacks inside Israel "until all our lands are liberated." Muhamemd
Hijazi, commander of one of the Fatah- affiliated militias in the Gaza Strip,
said his men were planning suicide attacks in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and
Beersheba. "We will continue our martyrdom operations inside Israel until
all our lands are liberated, by God's will," he said. "Gaza is only part of
historic Palestine. We won't lay down our weapons as long as Jerusalem and the
West Bank are under occupation." Islamic Jihad leader Muhammed al-Hindi said his
group's main task now was to liberate Jerusalem and the West Bank. "Today we are
celebrating victory in the Gaza Strip, but we still have Jerusalem and the West
Bank," he said. "Today we have begun the march toward Jerusalem and all of
Palestine." He said the pullout from the Gaza Strip did not mark the end of
Israeli occupation "because Israel continues to control the airspace and border
crossings." He, too, declared that his group would not abandon its weapons
following the disengagement. Israeli Army Leaves
Gaza
Iran Warns
Against Nuke Sanctions
Sept.
12….(Fox News) Iran warned Sunday that there will be "certain consequences" if
it is referred to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions over its
nuclear activities. New Foreign Minister
Manouchehr Mottaki also told a news conference Iran plans to organize tenders
for building two more nuclear power plants in the Islamic republic. Mottaki
reiterated Iran's position that it will not stop uranium reprocessing, rejecting
a US-backed European threat that Tehran has about a week to freeze the
activities or face referral to the Security Council for possible sanctions.
"There is no legal or legitimate reason, given Iran's transparent activities and
its open cooperation with the IAEA, that Iran be referred to the UN Security
Council," Mottaki told reporters. "If a political decision is made the US to
refer Iran to the UN Security Council, it will be entering a lose-lose game," he
added. "It will have its own certain consequences and will affect Iran's
decisions. We prefer that such a game is not played." The United States accuses
Iran of using its civilian nuclear program as a cover to secretly produce
nuclear weapons. Iran has rejected the charges, saying its nuclear program is
geared toward generating electricity, not a bomb. WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 4 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 11
Who’s Really Losing in
Louisiana?
Sept. 9….(FOJ) Just in case you aren't familiar with how the American
government is supposed to function in times of a natural disaster, here is the
chain of responsibility that existed for the protection of the citizens of
New Orleans as Hurricane Katrina hit town on August 29. The federal system of
natural disaster has served America well in other natural disasters, such as
last year, when Florida was devastated by four hurricanes. But in the Katrina
disaster, many people are pointing fingers at FEMA, (which has only 2,500
full time and 4,000 part time employees) and also blaming President Bush for
failing to adequately lend assistance to the double catastrophe victims in New
Orleans. However, the chain of responsibility started in Louisiana:
1. The Mayor of New Orleans
2. The New Orleans Director of Homeland Security
for Louisiana
(a political appointee of the Governor who
reports to the Governor)
3. The Governor of Louisiana
4. The Secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security
5. The President of the United States In
the aftermath of the cataclysmic hurricane, some of America’s politicians are
playing political football and using the event to stir up strife and division in
the country. Sometimes, the way some politicians and news media behave, you
would think they are trying to demolish the American government by constantly
brainwashing the American public into believing that the President and the whole
American system of government was corrupt and irresponsible. I note that there
are in fact some politicians and media moguls who think that America should
surrender its national sovereignty to the UN. FEMA is actually a government
organization under the Homeland Security Department that works in conjunction
with local government authorities to assist in helping devastated communities
cope with disaster. In the Louisiana catastrophe, FEMA was told by the Louisiana
branch of Homeland Security that FEMA could not come to New Orleans and provide
supplies at the New Orleans Superdome.
The Red Cross has stated to Fox News
reporter Major Garret that the state agency in Louisiana said, "Look, we do
not want to create a magnet for more people to come to the Superdome or the
convention center. We want to get them out." So then, at the same time local
officials were screaming, "Where is the food? Where is the water?" The Red Cross
was standing by ready to provide supplies, and yet the Louisiana Department of
Homeland Security and the Governor of Louisiana said, "You can’t come in." The
Governor’s office of Louisiana decided they didn’t want the FEMA, Red Cross, and
Salvation Army relief organizations where the people of New Orleans needed it
most, because the State wanted those people to get out. While the people of
Louisiana continue to suffer the consequences of Hurricane Katrina, millions of
Americans are making donations and helping the people of the Gulf Coast. One
thing is for sure, the American people are showing they care, and that they are
willing and ready to help all the people hurt by Katrina. Churches across the
country are reaching out and adopting displaced families. Surely, the goodness
of the Lord is shining through to the people that were caught up in Katrina’s
dark clouds. Storm clouds still remain over the whole land of America, whether
it be from the terrorist threat, or judicial warfare, separation of Church and
State, and the pending Supreme Court fight over abortion. One subtle attack came
from one rap artist on an NBC fund raising show and demonstrated that even the
office of the Presidency of the US is being targeted for slander and disrepute.
Never mind that the President declared the whole area a national disaster area a
full 2 days before Hurricane Katrina even came ashore. Now, two weeks later,
this same President is asking all Americans to pray for the nation on September
16th. And we surely do need that, but then, on the other hand, I
expect some squirt to complain about the President requesting prayer citing it
as being illegal based upon the separation of Church and State re-interpretation
of the Constitution. Who’s losing in Louisiana? America had better wake up, and
humble itself to call upon the Lord, and repent of our national sins, or else
the whole country is going to lose a lot more than Louisiana lost last week.
Another Homosexual Parade after Hurricane Devastation
Bush
Declares Sept. 16 National Day of Prayer, Asks Americans to Pray for Nation
Sept. 9….(Baptist Press News) As the nation unites for the daunting
challenge of assisting Hurricane Katrina survivors, President Bush is calling
for a national day of prayer and remembrance Friday Sept. 16. “Throughout our
history in times of testing, Americans have come together to heal and ask for
strength for the tasks ahead,” Bush said during remarks on hurricane relief
Sept. 8. “I ask that we pray, as Americans have always prayed in times of trial,
with confidence in His purpose, with hope for a brighter future and with the
humility to ask God to keep us strong so that we can better serve our brothers
and sisters in need.” In response to Bush’s request for a national day of
prayer, the National Day of Prayer Task Force is stepping up to promote
awareness, Terrell Mayton, head of marketing and communications for the
organization, told Baptist Press. The task force has no official relationship to
the Sept. 16 day of prayer, although it is working to promote participation.
“We’re encouraging people to do things like ring their church bells at noon
Sept. 16, keep their car lights on throughout the day, display the flag at their
home, gather at their workplace to pray during their lunch time, gather at their
churches or places of worship for prayer and support our leaders as they make
some very difficult choices as we provide aid and comfort to these people who
have gone through this awful natural disaster,” Mayton said. The personal
relationship with God through prayer is a very important part of the recovery
process, he said, and even surpasses the need for food and water. Shirley
Dobson, chairwoman of the National Day of Prayer Task Force, called on Americans
to pray for all those affected by Katrina. “As the devastation from Hurricane
Katrina escalates, we at the National Day of Prayer Task Force want to express
our heartfelt sympathy to the families and communities affected by this
catastrophic event,” Dobson said in a Sept. 6 news release. President Bush also
announced two steps he is taking to cut through the red tape that has prevented
some needy citizens from receiving aid in a timely fashion. Federal officials
are in the process of giving every household a debit card worth $2,000 in
emergency disaster relief, he said, to be used for immediate needs such as food,
clothing and personal essentials. Also, the government is working to ensure that
those people who received federal benefits prior to the hurricane can continue
to receive them now that they are displaced and have lost all necessary
documents. “We will start by granting evacuee status for all of you who have
lived in counties that have been declared disaster areas,” Bush said. “We know
that many of you no longer have the legal documents or the records to prove your
eligibility for the benefits you’ve been getting. We understand that. And so
with this evacuee status, you will be able to register for your benefits without
many of the traditional administrative requirements for verification and
enrollment.” Bush also said he would work with Congress to reimburse states that
are taking in hurricane evacuees because their budgets are strained and they
“should not be penalized for showing compassion.” “We have much more work to
do,” he said. “But the people who have been hurt by this storm need to know that
the government is going to be with you for the long haul.” Al-Qaida
Planning Spectacular 'Ramadan Offensive'?
Sept. 9….(WND) Raising new concerns about the use of weapons of mass
destruction by terrorists, al-Qaida is planning spectacular attacks next month
against the US, Russia and Europe in what it is calling the "Great Ramadan
Offensive." The offensive, designed to overshadow the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on
New York and the Pentagon, was first referenced in a May 30 letter written by
al-Qaida's Iraq commander Abu Musab Zarqawi to Osama bin Laden. It is the
subject of a report written by terrorism expert Yossef Bodansky, the former
director of the Congressional Task Force on Terrorism and Unconventional
Warfare, to government officials. Ramadan, the holiest period in the Muslim
calendar, begins Oct. 4 this year and lasts a month. Zarqawi characterizes the
attacks as a "fateful confrontation" with the US and Israel. Airports in Italy
and the Netherlands are referenced as specific potential targets, and Italy is
already on high alert for possible terrorist attacks. A Zarqawi operative named
Abu Abdul Rahman al-Jazaeri is considered a key figure in the planned Italy
attacks. He is believed to be in the country, but eluding authorities. Details
of the operation came from intercepted communications between top al-Qaida
leaders about two weeks ago. "I think that the plan for the next stage that was
drawn up has reached you or is on its way to you," said Zarqawi's letter to bin
Laden. "O God. Make the expedition of Osama proceed toward its goal, We await
your orders as to the next stage of the plan." Bodansky says plans for attacks
against Europe are being finalized in the Balkans, while preparations for
attacks on Russia are being completed in Chechnya. Attack plans against the US
are being directed from the tri-border area in Latin America. He also
concludes that al-Qaida leaders have interpreted the devastation of the Gulf
Coast by Hurricane Katrina as a sign that Allah is pleased with their plans.
Intelligence analysts and sources disagree on the details of the way bin Laden's
"American Hiroshima" plan unfolds. Some G2 Bulletin sources emphasize bin
Laden's commitment to re-enacting the 1945 attack on Japan with one nuclear
detonation, followed by another days later. Paul Williams, author of "The
Al-Qaeda Connection," however, sees a much more devastating, coordinated,
all-out, surprise attack coming. "The next attack, according to al-Qaida
defectors and informants, will take place simultaneously at various sites
throughout the country," he writes. "Designated targets include New York,
Boston, Philadelphia, Miami, Chicago, Washington, DC, Houston, Las Vegas, and
Valdez, Alaska, where the tankers are filled with oil from the Trans-Alaska
pipeline. To orchestrate such an incredible event requires not only the shipment
of the nukes into the United States but also the establishment of cells, the
training of sleeper agents, the selection of sites, and the preparation of the
weapons without detection from federal, state or local law enforcement
officials. Unlike 9-11, that cost less than $350,000, this event already has
cost a king's ransom, and bin Laden will not waste the billions in expenditures,
the years of planning and his coveted 'crown jewels' on an attack that is
ill-planned, poorly timed and carelessly coordinated." Other sources interpret
some of the same information, based on captured al-Qaida operatives and
documents as well as defectors, differently. They project an escalating series
of attacks, each followed by blackmail demands upon the US government and the
American people. In any event, both kinds of spectacular nuclear terror attacks
require pinpoint coordination and secure communication. Williams also says al-Qaida
is determined to locate tactical nuclear weapons that were forward-deployed by
the Soviet Union during the Cold War. These weapons were reportedly buried at
remote sites throughout the country for recovery by Soviet agents. "There is no
doubt that the Soviets stored material in this country," says Rep. Curt Weldon,
R-Pa., chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Research.
US officials have reportedly ordered the excavation of several sites believed to
be possible depots. Russian defector Stanislav Lunev told congressional
investigators nuclear suitcases had been buried throughout the US, and that he
could not pinpoint the locations because Russian military leaders continue to
believe a nuclear conflict with the US is still "inevitable." He said the only
hope of finding them would be if the Russian government disclosed the locations.
WND has previously reported, al-Qaida has obtained at least 40 nuclear weapons
from the former Soviet Union – including suitcase nukes, nuclear mines,
artillery shells and even some missile warheads. In addition, documents captured
in Afghanistan show al-Qaida had plans to assemble its own nuclear weapons with
fissile material it purchased on the black market. The plans for the devastating
nuclear attack on the US have been under development for more than a decade. It
is designed as a final deadly blow of defeat to the US, which is seen by al-Qaida
and its allies as "the Great Satan." The World Just Lets Hamas Run Loose Sept. 8….(JNEWSWIRE)
Despite Hamas' unswerving dedication to Israel's destruction, the
international community is ignoring Israel’s pleas to block the terror group's
participation in upcoming “Palestinian” elections and a subsequent diplomatic
role in the “peace” process. The European Union officially classifies Hamas as a
terrorist organization, and will not conduct official ties with the group. But
that has not stopped the Europeans from meeting with Hamas members who will be
candidates in the Palestinian Legislative Council election, or who have already
won local elections. The US and President George W. Bush similarly sees Hamas as
a terrorist organization, but has declined, as primary sponsor of the
Israeli-Palestinian peace process, to make Hamas' participation in the
Palestinian Authority a sticking point in negotiations. President Bush doesn't
“think Hamas terrorists are going to get elected” anyway, because, according to
the president, “Palestinian moms want their children to grow up in peace just
like American moms want their children to grow up in peace.” In other words, the
extent of Hamas' political role will be left to Palestinian Arab voters, the
same public from which Hamas so successfully recruits “suicide” bombers. For its
part, Israel says it would accept Hamas running for election if the group first
disarmed, and if it annulled its charter which calls for the eradication of the
Jewish state through armed violence. Last month, PLO chief Mahmoud Abbas
insisted that if Israel and the US truly believe in democracy they must accept
Hamas as it comes. Arafat's Physician: Arafat Died of AID
US Orders
Abbas to Gain Control over Gaza
Sept. 8….(Israel Insider) After former PA Security Chief
Moussa Arafat was gunned down in his house by Palestinian gunmen on Wednesday,
and after a mob of Palestinians had a confrontation with IDF soldiers after the
former stormed the evacuated Gaza settlement of Neve Dekalim, US State
Department Spokesman Sean McCormack reiterated the United States' expectation of
the Palestinian Authority, and of PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to gain control over
Gaza. According to a report on YNET, McCormack said that the persistence of
terror and violence is driving a wedge between the Palestinians and is
undermining their aspirations for a better life. McCormack nevertheless praised
Abbas' stated commitment to dismantle terrorist infrastructures. But, the fact
that Palestinian officials were in contact with the gunmen/kidnappers of
Arafat's eldest son, Manhal, a senior security commander, suggests that a major
crackdown on the gunmen is not imminent. In the meantime, Abbas cancelled a trip
to New York to attend the UN General Assembly due to the rise in violence in
Gaza. Was Hurricane Katrina Judgment From
God?
Perhaps the best
known scriptural narrative regarding a wind tossed billowing sea is the story of
Jesus asleep in the bowels of a ship while a tempest raged on the sea, causing
everyone on board the ship to fear for their lives. (Matthew 8:24-27
And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was
covered with the waves: but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and
awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye
fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea;
and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is
this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!) The Disciples
expressed the same natural tendencies as mankind does today in the aftermath of
Hurricane Katrina. They asked the Lord, “Carest thou not that we perish?”
Today people are searching for answers as to why God allowed Katrina to wreak so
much destruction. In a nation that teaches its young that there is no such thing
as a Creator, it is amazing how we will intuitively blame God for all our
problems. We don’t seem to be in tune to the fact that the one who created the
sea and the winds can speak to them, and cause them to obey! Like the Disciples
in the storm tossed ship, we all need to remember that God is in control, and
that He can still rebukes the winds and the waves of destruction. But for a
nation and that has turned its back on God, perhaps when these times of trouble
come to our shore, we need to fear that He won’t be so inclined to rebuke the
adversary that is seeking our total destruction. Katrina may not have been a
Divine judgment, (who can say but God) but it most certainly was a
warning siren blaring along our coast, allowed by God to send a stern signal to
the very heartland of America. Now is the time to for all Americans to seek the
Lord and realize that He alone is the one to ask, Carest thou not that we
perish? Perhaps if we acknowledge Him, HE will heal our land, and chase all our
storms away. PA Receives $50
Million in US Aid, then Incites Terror Against US Sept.
7….(Jerusalem Post) A report published by Palestinian Media Watch revealed
that after having signed a deal with the US for $50 million to help with housing
and infrastructure, Palestinian Authority officials called on its members to
launch attacks against US soldiers and portrayed the US as "an enemy." PMW noted
that in recent days PA religious officials in radio and television sermons
described the US as "the most heretic" among countries and as an enemy who is
trying to dismantle the Islamic world. One of the PA officials called for
intensifying terror acts against US soldiers, and did so in the presence of PA
Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, who did not rebut the call. The report mentioned texts
of two sermons conducted on September 2. One was broadcast on PA television and
in the presence of Abbas and Yusuf Jum'a Salameh, the PA minister of the Wakf
and Religious Affairs: "We say to the dear, heroic Iraqi nation, turn this
incident [the accidental death of 1,000 Iraqis] into an opportunity for
resisting the American occupation, for uniting families, for unifying the forces
and for opposition to the policy of dismantling Iraq and dividing it
geographically." On PA radio, Aksa Mosque Imam Ysuef Abu Sneina said "Anyone who
watches closely the nature of our world today, can see that the heretical
countries, first and foremost, is the USA. America has succeeded greatly in
tearing our Islamic world apart by disintegrating and splitting up more than one
Islamic state, intending to weaken it, disperse its citizens and plunder its
resources. America is terrorism, and there's no choice but to fight it. The USA
is planning to rule Saudi Arabia and disintegrate it, too, despite the close
friendly relations between the two countries. Hamas Calls Abbas Bluff in Battle With
PA
Did God
Send Katrina as Revenge Over Gaza?
Sept. 7….(excerpt from WND)
Close to 10,000 Jews were expelled from their homes in the
Gaza Strip and parts of northern Samaria. Katrina's death toll is now expected
to reach at least 10,000. America's population ratio to Israel is about 50:1.
Ten thousand Jews who lost their Gaza homes is the equivalent of about 500,000
Americans who are now reported to be displaced as result of Katrina. Gaza's Jewish
communities were located in Israel's southern coastal region; America's southern
coastal region now lies in ruins. The US government called on Louisiana
residents to evacuate their homes ahead of the storm. The Israeli government,
backed by statements from US officials, demanded Gaza residents evacuate their
homes. President Bush, from Texas, and Sec. Rice, from Alabama, were the most
vocal US backers of the Gaza evacuation plan. Hurricane Katrina hit the states
in between Texas and Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi. Similarity in scenes:
Many residents of Jewish Gaza climbed to their rooftops to escape the threat of
expulsion, while residents of the Gulf Coast climbed on their own rooftops to
protect themselves from the rising waters. Jewish Gaza homes described as
beautiful and charming were demolished this week by Israel's military. Once
beautiful homes in New Orleans now lie in ruins. The day Katrina hit, Israel
began carrying out what was termed the most controversial aspect of the Gaza
withdrawal, the uprooting of bodies from the area's Jewish cemetery. There have
been media reports of corpses floating around in flooded New Orleans regions.
Citizens of Israel were barred from entering Gush Katif; people were only
allowed to leave Jewish Gaza. As Katrina was making landfall US authorities
barred citizens from entering the affected areas. People were only allowed out.
Gush Katif was an important agricultural area for Israel, providing the Jewish
state with 70 percent of its produce. A New Orleans port that exported much of
the Midwest's agricultural production was destroyed by Katrina. The connections
have caused a firestorm of speculation on Internet blogs and in chat rooms. In a
Jerusalem Newswire op-ed piece discussing the similarities just before Katrina
made landfall, writer Stan Goodenough commented, "Is this some sort of bizarre
coincidence? Not for those who believe in the God of the Bible and the
immutability of His Word. What America is about to experience is the lifting of
God's hand of protection, the implementation of His judgment on the nation most
responsible for endangering the land and people of Israel. "While the
'disengagement' plan was purportedly the brainchild of Israeli Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon, the US has for more than a decade been the chief sponsor and
propeller of a diplomatic process that has dangerously weakened Israel in the
face of an overwhelming, growing threat to annihilate her. Can't you see the
link, America? California Passes Gay Marriage Bill Sept. 7….(AP)
The California Legislature on Tuesday became the first legislative body in
the country to approve same-sex marriages, as gay-rights advocates overcame two
earlier defeats in the Assembly. The 41-35 vote sends the bill to Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger. The bill's supporters compared the legislation to earlier civil
rights campaigns, including efforts to eradicate slavery and give women the
right to vote. "Do what we know is in our hearts," said the bill's sponsor, San
Francisco Democrat Mark Leno. "Make sure all California families will have the
same protection under the law." Leno's bill had failed in the Assembly by four
votes in June, but he was confident he could get it through on a second try
after the Senate approved a same-sex marriage bill last week. Democratic
Assemblyman Paul Koretz called bans on gay marriage "the last frontier of
bigotry and discrimination, and it's time we put an end to it." FOJ Note:
Barely days after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans, (and
its Southern Decadence display) and the Gulf Coast, (casino gambling
Mecca of the South) California has chosen to blaspheme God by sanctioning
the most hideous from of human depravity. Bad decision, California! Iran’s
Leader Calls for Jihad Against Israel Sept. 6….(Iran
Press) Iran's supreme leader hailed Palestinian militants for "expelling the
Zionist regime from Gaza" and called for the "continuation and fortification of
resistance and Jihad," or holy struggle. "The only way to confront the Zionist
enemy is the continuation and fortification of resistance and Jihad," Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei was quoted as saying Saturday in a meeting with the militant group
Islamic Jihad's secretary general Ramazan Abdullah. "Although the retreat of the
Zionist regime from Gaza is short of Palestinian rights and demands, it is
however a big victory that shows the inability of the occupier regime of Qods
(Jerusalem)," the ISNA news agency quoted Khamenei as saying. He added that
"with the cooperation of Jihadi groups," further "success is also possible in
other parts of the occupied territories". Iran is frequently accused of funding
and supplying Palestinian militant groups, but the clerical regime says it only
provides "moral" backing. Tehran also refuses to recognize Israel. FOJ Note:
The beat goes on from Iran, and its Islamic leadership. With the acquisition of
nuclear weapons, the Ayatollah’s of Iran plan to exterminate the state of
Israel. The scenario of the Iranian mullah’s acquiring nukes (estimates range
from 1-5 years) would set the stage for an Ezekiel 38 type event. Could we
be that close? It is a question that every Christian should ponder. New Orleans
Worst Nightmare Still Unveiling Sept. 6….(MSN)
Eight days after Hurricane Katrina struck, and a day after floodwaters began
being pumped out, morgue specialists were expected to deploy Tuesday in drier
parts of this devastated city to start removing the dead. “It’s going to be
awful and it’s going to wake the nation up again,” Mayor Ray Nagin told NBC’s
“Today” show. A morgue team from the Federal Emergency Management Agency is in
place and should start extracting bodies via boat later in the day, Nagin added.
Until now, bodies for the most part have been left where they were found so that
responders could focus on searching for survivors. On Monday, the US
Army Corps of Engineers began pumping water out the flooded city after closing a
major gap in the levee that burst during Hurricane Katrina, flooding 80 percent
of the bowl-shaped city. The Corps was also working to plug another major breach
in the levees built to keep out the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain,
which nearly surround the city, spokesman John Hall said. “We are proceeding
very gently,” Hall said. Engineers want to ensure the water being pumped out
does not further damage the levee system and create a new breach.
Buffeted by criticism over the federal
response to Hurricane Katrina, President Bush said Tuesday he will oversee an
investigation into what went wrong and why, in part to be sure the country could
withstand more storms or attack. Bush also announced he is sending Vice
President Cheney to the Gulf Coast region on Thursday to help determine whether
the government is doing all that it can. "Bureaucracy is not going to stand in
the way of getting the job done for the people," the president said after a
meeting at the White House with his Cabinet on storm recovery efforts. "What I
intend to do is lead an investigation to find out what went right and what went
wrong," Bush said. "We still live in an unsettled world. We want to make sure
we can respond properly if there is a WMD [weapons of mass destruction] attack
or another major storm." But Bush said now is not the time to point fingers
and he did not respond to calls for a commission to investigate the response.
"One of the things people want us to do here is play the blame game," he said.
"We got to solve problems. There will be ample time to figure out what went
right and what went wrong."
US Jets Bomb Bridges Near Iraq-Syria
Border Sept. 6….(Debka)
US Marine jets Tuesday destroyed two bridges across the Euphrates River near
the Syrian border to prevent insurgents from using them to move foreign fighters
and munitions into major cities, the US command said. The attacks occurred a day
after UN chief Kofi Annan said that Iraq has become an even greater terrorist
center than the former Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. (Perhaps the UN Secretary
would prefer to have the terrorist-center being in the US) Attacks
attributed to al-Qaida’s wing in Iraq have increased in the Baghdad area and
western Iraq. A Marine statement said F/A-18 jets dropped bombs shortly after
midnight on two light bridges near Karabilah, about 185 miles west of Baghdad.
The purpose of the strike was to prevent al-Qaida terrorists in Iraq from using
the structures,” the US statement said. Karabilah is one of a cluster of towns
near the Syrian border, a major infiltration route for foreign fighters heading
for Baghdad and other major cities. Iraqi officials say al-Qaida in Iraq, led by
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, has taken over parts of the area after local residents
fled fighting between tribes supporting and opposing the insurgents. Hurricane Katrina: A sign of the Last
Days? Sept. 6….(Greg
Laurie) Hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes and global terrorism all cause us
to wonder what on earth is happening. Sure, there has always been tragedy and
cataclysmic events in our world, but, these days, it seems that a new crisis is
exploding just as another is beginning to abate. As we prepare to remember the
horrific attack on American soil on 9-11, we may wonder could it be that all
these things that are happening in our world today are actually signs of the
times. Could these be reminders to us that Jesus Christ is coming back soon?
Consider the tsunami that struck Southeast Asia on Dec. 26 last year. It was
caused by the fourth most powerful undersea earthquake on record. An earthquake
so powerful it moved the entire island of Sumatra 100 feet to the southwest from
its pre-quake position. Geologists said the tsunami was so powerful that it set
the whole Earth to vibrating and it interfered with the Earth's rotation to the
degree that time stopped for three microseconds. According to the US Geological
Society, earthquakes are on the increase. For the past 50 years, every decade
has increased in the number of earthquakes recorded. And not just minor ones,
but "killer quakes" as well. And, this one has been one of the strongest ever,
with more than 286,000 causalities in its wake. More will come. And now in our
own back yard, this tragic hurricane called Katrina may end up claiming
thousands of lives as well. Then there is the continuing threat of terrorism.
The last attack happened in London, with threats of more to come. When Jesus was
asked what the signs of His return would be, He painted a picture of a world
torn by strife and war; famine in the midst of plenty; the Earth rocked by great
earthquakes and ravaged by pestilences. Jesus said: "And there will be great
earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be
fearful sights and great signs from heaven" (Luke 21:11, NKJV). Jesus indicates
that natural disasters along with global conflict will begin to increase in
frequency and intensity in concert with each other shortly before His return.
And it is as these "birth pains" begin to take place that Christians are to know
their deliverance is near! Jesus said "Now when these things begin to happen,
look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near" (Luke 21:28,
NKJV). I had the opportunity to be a guest on "Larry King Live" in August, and a
caller directed a question to me about what is happening in our world today. I
was asked if we are, indeed, seeing signs of the times, predicted in the Bible,
reminding us that the coming of Christ is near. I told her, "I believe that we
are." And Larry pointedly said to me, "It's been 2005 years"! And I responded,
"Yes, and we are 2005 years closer"! We have never been closer to the return of
Jesus Christ to the Earth than we are right now! Muslims
Ransack West Bank Christian Village
Sept.
6….(Jerusalem Post) Efforts were under way on Sunday to calm the situation
in this Christian village east of Ramallah after an attack by hundreds of Muslim
men from nearby villages left many houses and vehicles torched. The incident
began on Saturday night and lasted until early Sunday, when Palestinian
Authority security forces interfered to disperse the attackers. Residents said
several houses were looted and many families were forced to flee to Ramallah and
other Christian villages, although no one was injured. The attack on the village
of 1,500 was triggered by the murder of a Muslim woman from the nearby village
of Deir Jarir earlier this week. The 30-year-old woman, according to PA security
sources, was apparently murdered by members of her family for having had a
romance with a Christian man from Taiba. "When her family discovered that she
had been involved in a forbidden relationship with a Christian, they apparently
forced her to drink poison," said one source. "Then they buried her without
reporting her death to the relevant authorities." When the PA security forces
decided to launch an investigation into the woman's death, her family protested
for fear that the relationship would be exposed. The family was further
infuriated by the decision to exhume the body for autopsy. The attack is one of
the worst against Christians in the West Bank in many years. Residents said it
took the PA security forces several hours to reach Taiba. Others complained that
the IDF, which is in charge of overall security in the area, did not answer
their desperate calls for immediate help. "More than 500 Muslim men, chanting
Allahu akbar [God is great], attacked us at night," said a Taiba resident. "They
poured kerosene on many buildings and set them on fire. Many of the attackers
broke into houses and stole furniture, jewelry and electrical appliances." Homosexuals
Parade in Ravaged New Orleans
Sept. 6….(WND)
Despite the devastation and ongoing suffering by thousands from Hurricane
Katrina, homosexuals paraded on Bourbon Street in New Orleans over the weekend,
and have rescheduled their "Southern Decadence" event for tomorrow. "It's New
Orleans, man. We're going to celebrate," Matt Menold, a 23-year musician wearing
a sombrero and a guitar slung on his back, told the Associated Press. An account
of the small parade on the homosexual newssite 365gay.com noted: It was a scene
like something from a Fellini movie. Amid the death, the destruction, and
suffering in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina a small parade behind a tattered
rainbow flag made its way up Bourbon Street on Sunday. The marchers said they
were celebrating Southern Decadence. The group, about two dozen people, all said
they lived in the largely gay French Quarter. Defiant, they said they were not
about to flee the community despite orders from the city to do so. One marcher
carried a sign proclaiming, "Life Goes On?" "The shocking callousness of New
Orleans' gay activists towards the severe suffering of its fellow citizens
cannot be adequately articulated in a news report," says James Hartline, a
former homosexual, who describes the "Southern Decadence" festival as being
"replete with tens of thousands of men and women engaged in public nudity,
prostitution, illegal drug use and destructive public S & M sex." "The idea that
human beings are continuing to party while hundreds of thousands of fellow
citizens are starving, dying and suffering from a multitude of sicknesses brings
into focus the real lack of judgment that these constant advocates of special
gay rights demonstrate in a time of crisis." According to Agape Press, Hartine
himself has AIDS and is now warning homosexuals about the consequences of their
lifestyle. As World Net Daily previously reported, Hurricane Katrina walloped
New Orleans just two days before the annual homosexual "Southern Decadence"
festival was to begin in the town, an act characterized by some as God's work.
The event has been slated to go on tomorrow in the nearby town of Lafayette,
La., featuring "Floatin' Floozies," according to the event's website. Parades
and non-stop parties aside, Southern Decadence may be most famous (or infamous)
for the displays of naked flesh which characterize the event, which is only
fitting, since New Orleans in early September is generally the closest thing
you'll ever experience to walking around in a steambath outside of a health spa.
While police have started to crack down on public lewdness and pressure from a
local crackpot conservative religious organization has caused the five-day
festival to become a little more sedate than it was in years past, the
atmosphere of Southern Decadence has stayed true to its name and public displays
of sexuality are pretty much everywhere you look. The event has been endorsed by
Mayor Ray Nagin, who promoted the activities in a letter stating: "There is no
place like this on Earth! Southern Decadence XXXII is an exciting event. We
welcome you and know that you can anticipate great food, great music and great
times in New Orleans." 
|
Sept.
28….(YNET) Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas rushed today to enlist Egypt's help to halt the
violence in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Abbas, who met Egyptian President
Hosni Mubarak in Cairo, said Hamas was partly to blame for the latest bout of
violence. The PA leader said Hamas has the right to retaliate, (What
retaliation? Hamas instigated the current situation) but added: "We agreed
in Cairo on a collective truce and the retaliation, therefore, should be
collective too because this is an Israeli carnage, the result of which,
must be shared by all parties." After the meeting, chief Palestinian negotiator
Saeb Erakat told reporters that "the situation is deteriorating very gravely and
if it does not come under control, it will be complicated and a third party, (I
wonder what 3rd party they have in mind---UN, EU, ?) such as the
Quartet, should intervene to stop the escalation." PM Abbas requested Egypt
boost its security activities in the Gaza Strip, and increase its negotiating
efforts with the Palestinian factions to bring about calm. (Egypt allowed the
Hamas and Al Qaeda to cross the Rafah border last week) He added that the PA is
satisfied with Egypt's security measures in Gaza. In response, Mubarak promised
to provide the Palestinians with any assistance needed in order to stabilize the
situation. 
Sept. 28….(FOJ)
Emboldened by the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, Hamas is enjoying rearmament
from Iran and Syria through the porous Egyptian border, now that Israeli forces
no longer control the Gaza-Sinai crossings. Hamas is gaining extraordinary
strength (aka the past A Karine ship incident) show of strength. Members of the
Hamas military wing, the Izzedin Kassam Brigades recently showed their resolve
to strike into Israel by holding a rally in Gaza City. Thousands of Hamas
supporters flooded in the city for a military-style victory parade celebrating
Israel¹s pullout from Gaza. The speakers at the rally called for Jihad in the
West Bank. 
Sept. 27….(FOJ)
Much like the spate of kidnappings and beheadings carried out by Al Qaeda in
Iraq, and proudly shown on Al Jazeera television, Hamas released on Tuesday
graphic pictures of Sasson Nuriel taken after his abduction but before he was
murdered. 
Sept.
23….(FOJ) President Bush on Thursday asked Jordan's King Abdullah II to
visit Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas
to help advance the Middle East Roadmap peace process. "It will be very helpful
to have your voice of reason there to talk to both leaders," Bush said. King
Abdullah said he had agreed to meet with them, and would be honored to do
whatever he could to help accomplish a two-state solution. Earlier this week,
King Abdullah proclaimed that Israel does not have any authority over the Temple
Mount, and should not act as though it was the sovereign ruler over areas that
are scheduled for negotiation in the Roadmap process. 
Sept.
22….(MSN) A second major hurricane is headed toward the heart of America's
oil-producing center, this time slated to hit near critical Houston-area
facilities left untouched by Hurricane Katrina. 
Sept.
22….(Telegraph) Russia put up a defensive wall around Iran yesterday, saying
no action should be taken over moves that western countries fear amount to a
covert attempt by Teheran to make an atomic bomb. The announcement could derail
a move by Britain, France and Germany to report Iran to the United Nations
Security Council over its refusal to come clean about key aspects of its nuclear
program. 
Sept. 22….(Debka)
Iran’s new President warned potential aggressors that the Islamic state would
vigorously repel any attack. "We have always said we want friendly relations
with other countries," said President Mamhoud Ahmadinejad, addressing his first
military parade since taking office last month. "But to those who decide to
misuse our nation's honor and dignity and want to test what has been tested in
the past, should know that the flames of the nation's wrath are very hot and
destructive," he added. Ahmadinejad said Iran's enemies had learned a lesson
from the eight-year war during which Iran and Iraq fought each other to a
standstill and hundreds of thousands were killed. "Iran's enemies understood
that the nation is very serious in defending the country's security, integrity,
and the achievements of the (1979 Islamic) revolution," he said. As in previous
years the highlight of the parade, which included tanks, jets and troops, were
six huge trailer-mounted Shahab-3 ballistic missiles, capable of hitting Israel,
US bases in the Gulf and parts of southeastern Europe. "If the Global Arrogance
wants to attack Iran, it will destroy their countries with these missiles," the
parade announcer said. "God is Great!" the announcer cried repeatedly as the
missiles trundled past the presidential viewing platform. Some of the missiles,
which have a range of 1,250 miles, bore banners proclaiming "Israel should be
wiped off the map" and "We will trample America under our feet". Washington
broke ties with Iran shortly after the 1979 revolution and the Islamic state
officially refuses to recognize Israel's right to exist. US and Israeli
officials have said they believe Iran intends to use its Shahab-3 to carry
nuclear warheads. Former Iranian President Khatami emphatically stated that Iran
would use nukes to destroy Israel.
Sept. 21….(FOJ) I think it was Yogi Berra that coined the phrase, “its deja vu all
over” again. Hurricane Rita is no gathering strength and heading towards the
Gulf Coast of Texas and Louisiana, just a bare couple of weeks after Hurricane
Katrina battered Louisiana and Mississippi. Many prophecy scholars drew
comparisons between the US coerced Gaza disengagement and Hurricane Katrina as
judgments from God. Now, Hurricane Rita is threatening to follow with a second
punch. Whether or not these calamitous storms are being permitted by God to
strike America’s oil import underbelly is certainly debatable, but one thing is
sure, the Bush Administration is being gored by the events, and it has been
guilty of compromising Gods Land. Only time will tell what the sudden outburst
in the frequency and intensity of these hurricanes is all about, but one
certainly must what the signs in the weather are pointing to. 
Sept.
15….(Arutz)
Sept. 14….(Arutz)
Contrary to Egyptian commitments relative to the Gaza Disengagement Plan, the
border between Gaza and Egypt has been left wide open for two days, with
unmonitored movement of personnel and weapons between the two areas. Defense
Minister Sha'ul Mofaz said Tuesday that Egypt's failure to close the border
"could have serious repercussions," but stopped short of threatening an IDF
re-entry to the Philadelphi corridor, instead opting to file a complaint with US
Ambassador Dan Kurtzer.
As of Wednesday at noon, PA Arabs and Egyptians were still crossing the border
freely, carrying large packages, goods and unknown quantities of weapons and
ammunition that until Monday had been smuggled through underground tunnels. The
main IDF activity along the route up until withdrawal was uncovering the
elaborate tunnel system through which weapons and drugs were transported. Many
parts of the wall between Egyptian and Gazan Rafiach were torn down by armed PA
militia and residents, some reportedly members of the PA police, using
explosives. Israeli Security forces are worried about the possibility that in
the days the border has been left open Al-Qaeda terrorists and upgraded Katyusha
missiles and explosives have already been brought into Gaza. (this
security problem was supposed to be breached by the Egyptians) "The mantra
of all the retreat-supporting academics, diplomats, brass, politicians and
journalists was that 'Egypt will stop the smuggling because they want quiet in
Gaza,' " said media watchdog Dr. Aaron Lerner of Independent Media Research
Analysis. "What is transpiring on the ground certainly seems to fit an
alternative interpretation," Lerner added, "that Egypt is interested in having
Israel tied down in an ongoing low grade war of attrition." Knesset Foreign
Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman MK Dr. Yuval Shteinitz (Likud) harshly
attacked Egypt for the border chaos saying, “the ink has not even dried and this
miserable agreement has already been compromised by the demilitarized status of
Sinai and will now result in the Philadelphi Corridor becoming a central weapons
running route into Gaza "
The choice of a red crescent to honor the victims of Flight 93 who fought back
against Muslim hijackers on 9-11 is being blasted as "unsuitable" by a US
congressman who is urging its rejection. Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colorado, has sent
a letter to the Interior Department, asking officials to reconsider the
Sept.
14….(FOJ) Today, Ariel 
Sept.
13….(Worthy News) A Damascus state-run newspaper on Tuesday criticized the
US ambassador to Iraq for trying to intimidate Syria and said his "baseless"
accusations of Syrian aid to foreign fighters was an attempt to detract from
America's failures. Tishrin's front-page editorial referred to Ambassador Zalmay
Khalilzad, who said in Washington Monday that Syria has become a hub for
terrorists who want to stop Iraq's democratic progress and that US patience was
"running out." Khalilzad refused to specify what consequences Damascus might
face. Asked by reporters about the possibility of a military action against
Syria, he said: "All choices are likely." "It is strange that the ambassador
of a superpower uses the language of intimidation instead of being more
committed to the traditions of international relations," Tishrin said.
"Threatening with aggression is a style that reminds us of colonization and cold
wars." The Damascus newspaper rejected the terrorism accusations as "baseless."
"They are an expression of the same well known old policy of exporting crises
and putting blame on others to cover up failure in preserving security and
stability in Iraq," the editorial said, reasserting that Damascus has exerted
all efforts to safeguard the borders and to support Iraq in preserving its
stability and unity. Iraq and the United States have both complained that Syria
has done little or nothing to block the flow of so-called foreign fighters into
Iraq across the long and porous border. Syria has always denied it is allowing
foreign fighters to cross saying it is impossible to control the more than 600
kilometers (360-mile) desert border. On Sunday, Iraq closed a northern crossing
point on Syrian-Iraqi borders in an attempt, according to Iraqi officials, to
stanch the flow of terrorists and insurgents coming from Syria.
A cousin, Suleiman Khouriyye, pointed to his
burned house. "They did this because we're Christians. The Khouriyyes and others
recall the assailants shouting Allahu Akbar and anti-Christian slogans:
"Burn the infidels, burn the Crusaders." "Almost every day, I repeat, almost
every day, Palestinian Christian communities are harassed by the Islamic
extremists in these regions." "And if it's not the members of Hamas or Islamic
Jihad, then it is the Palestinian Authority itself." In addition to the
Islamists, a "Muslim land mafia" is said to operate. With PA complicity. it
threatens Christian land and house owners, often succeeding to compel them to
abandon their properties. Even as the Christian population of Israel grows, that
of the Palestinian Authority shrinks precipitously. Bethlehem and Nazareth,
historic Christian towns for nearly two millennia, are now primarily Muslim. In
1922, Christians outnumbered Muslims in Jerusalem; today, Christians amount to a
mere 2 percent of that city's population. One factor that could help prevent
this dismal outcome would be for mainline Protestant churches to speak out
against Palestinian Muslims for tormenting and expelling Palestinian Christians.
To date, unfortunately, the Episcopalian, Evangelical Lutheran, Methodist, and
Presbyterian churches, as well as the United Church of Christ, have ignored the
problem. Instead, they pursue the self-indulgent path of venting against what
they call Israeli occupation, and withdrawing investments in Israel. As they
obsess with Israel but stay silent about Christianity dying in its birthplace
one wonders what it will take to awaken them. 
Sept.
13….(Honest Reporting) 
Sept. 12….(WND) Exactly four
years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror onslaught against the US, a brand new
communiqué broadcast on ABC News is targeting Los Angeles for more attacks.
Sept.
12….(FOJ) The last IDF vehicle rolled out of the Gaza Strip through the Kissufim
crossing at 6:40 a.m. Monday, marking an end to 38 years of military presence in
the area. Addressing officers, soldiers and reporters at the Karni crossing,
Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said, "Today 38 years of Israeli occupation of Gaza
have ended. I am full of hope that when the gates of Gaza reopen, they will be
gates of peace." OC Southern Command Maj.-Gen. Dan Harel addressed the crowd
standing near Kissufim, adding to the bittersweet atmosphere. He reminded those
present of the people who were notably not present: "We have to remember our
fallen - those who fell here over the past 38 years for the sake of Israel's
citizens and its security. They are in our hearts, and we wish full recovery to
the wounded." While he was speaking, crowds of Palestinians waving Hamas and
Islamic Jihad flags gathered on the other side of the Kissufim crossing. They
filled the roads that they had previously been unable to traverse. All day long,
Palestinian throngs have been ransacking and looting the buildings that the IDF
left in tact after the disengagement. Ironically, many of the Gaza Jewish
evacuees still remain homeless. On a side note, Palestinian terrorists fired at
least two kassam rockets at the departing Israeli convoy as it left Gaza. The
terrorists also fired two rockets at the Israeli town of Sederot, as a
provocation to Sharon’s statement that he would return to Gaza if there was fire
from Hamas.
Sept.
8….(Israel Insider) The release of Yasser Arafat's
pathology report has reignited a heated debate about the former PA Chairman's
cause of death. Although no sources point to a definitive conclusion, most
signs, including an admission by Arafat's doctor Ashraf al-Kurdi, that the
French doctors that cared for Arafat found the virus in his blood, point to
AIDS. Still, some experts maintain that he was poisoned. 
Sept.
7….(FOJ) News commentators and insurance companies often refer to disasters
of the natural realm as acts of God. In reality, natural disasters are all acts
of the evil one. But, sometimes, because we live in a fallen physical world, we
are all subjected to the threats that come from living in, not only a natural
disaster zone, but also in a world-wide spiritual disaster zone. Last week
Hurricane Katrina wreaked unprecedented havoc and turmoil on the southern
coastland of America. Its devastation and toll in human misery are unparalleled
in the history of this nation. It even makes the 9-11 terror attacks of four
years seem small in comparison, for Katrina has since launched a storm of
cultural and political warmongering within the nation that must be causing our
terrorist enemies to double over in mocking laughter. The President and even the
Homeland Security Director have been brutally criticized during this nightmarish
cataclysm, and this domestic nightmare comes on the heels of the divisive spirit
of protest over how to protect our shores from the onslaughts of an unseen enemy
known as terrorism. It almost seems as if there is an unseen director behind the
scenes fomenting chaos and upheaval in our land. If one happens to be a student
of the Bible, one would surely be led to suspect that there was a supernatural
element to the ever quickening and relentless onslaught of chaotic events taking
place in our world today. From tsunami’s to earthquakes, to global warming, to
violent storms, and a perplexing distress among the nations fearing
annihilation, it is apparent to even the most casual observer that something is
not quite normal in our world today. Although natural disasters have plagued our
world since the great Fall, Bible
Prophecy reveals that these physical upheavals in our natural geo-physical world
will increase in intensity and in frequency in the Latter Days. We are
accustomed to calling a disaster connected to the physical elements as an “act
of God,” but what we fail to realize is that the Creator of the universe is
always in control, and that nothing comes to pass in the entire galaxy unless it
passes through the lens of his permissive will. It seems that mankind can easily
blame God for things such as a calamitous hurricane, but we must also remember
that there is a powerful adversary running around out there in the world that (Ephesians
2:2 prince of the power of the air) is seeking the destruction of all
mankind. (I Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary
the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour)
God is not the architect of evil, but He does allow mankind to pursue his own
lusts, and He is also the one who allows the Devil to reign in this present evil
day. Even the natural physical world has fallen victim to the onslaughts of the
evil one. (Romans 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth
and travaileth in pain together until now.) We must always remember that God
created the world, and that it is he who sustains it, and prevents the total
devastation of the world that Satan is seeking. God is even in control of the
raging seas and the winds that drive them. (Psalms 89:6-9 For who in the
heaven can be compared unto the Lord? who among the sons of the mighty can be
likened unto the Lord? God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the
saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him. O Lord God of
hosts, who is a strong Lord like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about
thee? Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou
stillest them.) (Psalms 107:25-28 For he commandeth, and raiseth
the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. They mount up to the
heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of
trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their
wit's end. Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them
out of their distresses. Sometimes, but not every time a natural calamity
happens, God uses the cataclysmic events in our physical world to compel mankind
to contemplate upon and recognize the wayward spiritual paths that curses our
world, or He may use the tragic event to show his mercy and grace in a
mysterious way that is either allowed for seasons of repentance or for times of
judgment. History is replete with examples of tragedy and disaster affecting a
society in a way that it causes mankind to recognize the sovereignty of God, and
cause men to give more serious attention to Gods will in the affairs of mankind
while we are in this present evil world.
Sept. 7….(FOJ) On Tuesday, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas ordered Palestinian Authority
security officials to prepare a plan for disarming terror groups in the Gaza
Strip. A senior Palestinian official told Arabic-language newspaper al-Bayan
that Abbas demanded that relevant officials present him with plans to disarm
Palestinian factions. “The implementation of this task will take a long time,
but the chairman expressed his determination (to ensure) not even one weapon
would be found in the Strip expect arms held by security officers,” the source
said. “According to the reports received by Abu-Mazen (Abbas) the most
difficult task would be removing weapons from the hands of Hamas, because the (Fatah’s)
al-Aqsa Brigades will eventually join the security forces and receive a permit
for their weapons,” he said. “The most appropriate time for taking away Hamas’
weapons would be right after the elections for the legislative council,” another
source added. Then today comes word that Mousa Arafat, the cousin of the late
Yasser Arafat was murdered by Hamas gunmen. The assassination was undoubtedly
meant as a sign to Abbas that he’d better cool his rhetoric about muzzling the
terrorist factions in the Gaza Strip. Mousa Arafat was a member of a Fatah cell
in a Gaza neighborhood in 1965-66 and later headed the Fatah’s southern command
in Jordan. He was appointed as head of Military Intelligence while Arafat’s PLO
was headquartered in Tunisia and then moved to the territories in 1994 following
the Oslo agreements. The assassination was Hamas way of telling Abbas that it is
determined to keep its weapons, and it will do so it says because the Israeli
Gaza withdrawal “does not constitute the end of the conflict.” Abbas made his
move to unarm terrorists in Gaza following an explosion in a residential
building in Gaza two days ago that left four people dead and another thirty
wounded. The dead were working on bombs for Hamas. Abbas has postponed PA
elections, knowing full well that he needs to gain the upperhand in Gaza before
he could possibly be reelected. Hamas Palestinian militants dragged the former
security chief Moussa Arafat from his Gaza home and shot him dead in the street
on Wednesday. The assassination of an Arafat signals that Gaza is ready to wage
war against the PA, and to make the new state of Palestine a terrorist state,
something that President Bush is counting on Prime Minister Abbas to prevent.
The events of this week should highlight to President Bush that forcing Israel
to relinquish land is nothing but an invitation for more terrorism, and that it
will require the judgment of God on those nations that compel Israel to appease
the haters of Israel. Gaza is seen as a proving ground for Palestinian
statehood, and the failure of the PA under Abbas to secure Gaza is evidence that
statehood in the West Bank only serves the interests of the
Teheran-Damascus-Gaza terror axis. Arafat, a major-general and cousin of late
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, was a Gaza strongman who had retained an
advisory role to current Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas after being fired as
head of military intelligence in April. Gunmen with rifles and anti-tank
grenades battled guards at the 64-year-old Arafat’s house for more than half an
hour before storming in and pulling him outside, and shooting him in the head.
Blood spattered the street outside the house, just next door to Palestinian
security force headquarters in Gaza City. A plethora of militant terrorist
factions and armed groups all hope for a slice of power in Gaza, the first
entire territory Palestinians will have had to rule without an Israeli presence.
