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U.S. May Leave Missile Defense Systems in Israel
Oct 6th, 2009
Daily NewsYaakov Katz , THE JERUSALEM POST
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel;War

Israel and the US are in talks regarding the possibility that America will leave several Patriot 3 missile defense systems behind, following a joint missile defense exercise that will begin next week, defense officials said Monday.

The Juniper Cobra exercise will begin next week in southern Israel, where US and Israeli forces will run simulations on various threat scenarios involving missile attacks against Israel.

Ahead of the exercise, some 15 US Navy ships have arrived in Israel, in addition to about a dozen transport planes that brought equipment to air force bases in the Negev.

This year's drill is being described as the largest joint exercise ever held by the countries. During it they will jointly test four ballistic missile defense systems - the Israeli Arrow 2, the ship-based Aegis, the high-altitude THAAD and the Patriot (PAC) 3 systems. This is the first time that all of these systems are deployed here.

Israeli defense officials said that there were ongoing talks between the sides regarding the possibility that the US would leave several of the PAC3 systems behind following the drills.

"There are talks about this possibility and the Americans will likely decide to leave the PAC3 systems here after the exercise," one official said.

Juniper Cobra, senior defense officials said this week, is aimed at creating infrastructure in case Israel is attacked and the US decides to send the Aegis or THAAD to bolster the Arrow. The exercise spans several days and involves hundreds of Israeli and American soldiers, mostly from the air force.

The primary focus of the Juniper Cobra exercise held in 2007, for example, was integrating the lower-altitude US Patriot missile systems with the higher-altitude Arrow 2. This year, the integration will focus on improving the interoperability between the Arrow, THAAD and Aegis.

Ahead of the 1991 Gulf War, the first Bush administration sent Patriot missile batteries to help defend the country against Saddam Hussein's Scud missile attacks, and last October, the second Bush administration gave Israel a farewell gift in the form of the X-Band radar, which is deployed in the Negev and is capable of detecting targets thousands of miles away, providing five to seven minutes of warning before an Iranian missile strikes.

Tony Blair Eyed As Euro President
Oct 6th, 2009
Daily NewsASSOCIATED PRESS - Gregory Katz
Categories: Today's Headlines;Revived Roman Empire

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/Susan Walsh, file)

LONDON - President Tony Blair? Don't laugh, it could happen.

The former British prime minister may be coming back, this time in a presidential role. Two years after leaving Downing Street, Blair has emerged as a strong candidate for the soon-to-be-created post of European president.

The role - in effect, the president of the European Union - will be appointed by the heads of state of the 27-nation bloc after a new EU reform treaty is signed and ratified. That process received a major boost this weekend with approval from Irish voters

The powers of the new position remain unspecified and to a large extent it will be defined by the first person in the role. A key question is whether that will be a largely unknown bureaucrat or a luminary like Blair.

There are already signs that Blair, 56, is receiving strong consideration, and he has the formal support of British leaders despite the long-standing rivalry between Blair and his taciturn successor, Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Robert Worcester, chairman of the Ipsos MORI polling firm in England, said Blair's unannounced candidacy will be helped by his popularity in the United States and in continental Europe even though his standing at home is low.

"He's very, very popular in the United States and very popular in Europe, but not at home," said Worcester. "At home, he hasn't been forgiven for his support of the war in Iraq, for his saying there were weapons of mass destruction."

The position could be created as early as this month, although EU officials have given no firm date.

Temple Mount Again Closed to Jews, Arabs Allowed in
Oct 6th, 2009
Daily NewsArutz Sheva - Hana Levi Julian
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

 
The Temple Mount was closed to Jews Monday morning for the second day in a row during this holiday week of Sukkot, following an incident in which a group of some 50 Chassidim attempted to reach the Mount of Olives and were attacked by a mob of Arabs.

Male Arab worshipers above the age of 50, women of all ages and children are being allowed to continue to enter the site.

"They were lucky to escape with their lives," Israel Police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld told Israel National News, adding that police would reassess the situation "in a few hours, once the Birkat HaKohanim (blessing of the priestly class on the People of Israel) is completed at the Kotel." He noted that the Temple Mount had been closed to Jews as a precaution "due to the security risks involved."

When asked why Jews were being blocked from the area, when it was the Arabs who had attacked, Rosenfeld had no comment, other than to repeat the information that the decision would be reviewed in a few hours' time. "The situation is changing rapidly," he added.

Tens of thousands of Jewish worshipers streamed to the Western Wall early Monday morning to be present for the traditional ceremony, a blessing performed during each Jewish festival. The ritual is one that hearkens back to a similar practice during the time of the Holy Temple.

The incident follows one on Sunday in which Fatah-linked Islamic clerics called on Arab worshipers to "come protect the Mount."  Israel Police quickly moved into place, cordoning off the area and blocking access to the site. Nonetheless, Arab violence followed, with some 250 Arabs hurling rocks and bottles at police near the Lion's Gate. At least one police officer was injured and several people were arrested.

The violence continued into the night, with Arabs in the northern part of the capital burning tires and flinging rocks at passing vehicles. One police officer was wounded and two of the attackers were arrested.

Palestinian leaders accuse Jews of spending billions of dollars to Judaize the city of Jerusalem
Oct 6th, 2009
News UpdateJimmy DeYoung
Categories: Jimmy DeYoung News

Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas is claiming that Israel and world Zionism are acting everyday to Judaize the city of Jerusalem by spending billions of dollars on behalf of the holy city as the Jews are buying more and more land in this controversial city.

The Palestinian leader also said that the Arab world must spend more to protect the city of Jerusalem as a Moslem city that will be the capital of a Palestinian state and Mahmoud Abbas said the Moslem world must do more militarily for Jerusalem.

The recent riots in Jerusalem over access to the Temple Mount by Moslems and Jews seem to have been a preplanned event and comes with calls by the PA to have Palestinians continue clashes on the Temple Mount in order to protect al Aqsa, the Temple Mount, and to prevent the Judaizing of Jerusalem.

Jimmy's Prophetic Prospective on the News

Violent clashes between Jews and Palestinians in Jerusalem over the Temple Mount are evidence that Bible prophecy is moving closer to fulfillment.

Recent clashes between Jews and Palestinians in the city of Jerusalem with a focus on the Temple Mount as the center of the conflict have drawn attention of the world to the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Jews say these purchases of land in their historic homeland is a part of the endtime return to the land by the Jewish people as foretold by the ancient Jewish prophets.

Ezekiel, Malachi, Jeremiah and Obadiah, all Jewish prophets, wrote thousands of years ago that this scenario I have just reported would be the case before the Messiah returns to the earth. Malachi says that the Palestinians, Biblical Edomites, descendants of Esau, would return to rebuild in Israel, Malachi 1.

Ezekiel revealed that the Edomites, modern day Palestinians, would kill the Jews and take their land, Ezekiel 36. The prophets Jeremiah and Obadiah said the Lord would defeat the Palestinians and they would be as if they had never been, Jeremiah 49:18 and Obadiah 15-18.

The ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict today is indeed evidence that Bible prophecy will be fulfilled.

Mubarak to Israel: Resume Peace Talks
Oct 6th, 2009
Daily NewsAssociated Press , THE JERUSALEM POST
Categories: Today's Headlines;Peace Process

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak urged Israel to resume peace talks with the Palestinians where they broke off more than a year ago, warning that the peace process "can't take another failure."

Israeli-Palestinian negotiations tapered off last year and haven't resumed since Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip, and the election of Binaymin Netanyahu as prime minister. Since then, the two sides have yet to establish a framework to renew talks. The Palestinians want to pick up where negotiations left off, while Netanyahu says he is not bound by any concessions his predecessor made.

However, in an interview published Sunday, Mubarak called on Israel to respond positively to the renewed push for peace and resume talks where they left off.

"It is unreasonable and unacceptable to start from zero," Mubarak told the Armed Forces newspaper. "I told [Israel] that ... settlements are eating away Palestinian land and must stop immediately."

Mubarak's comments were part of a wide ranging interview published days ahead of the 36th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War that opened the way for the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty six years later.

US President Barack Obama has spearheaded renewed efforts to bring the Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiating table, but key sticking points remain. The Palestinians say talks should resume where they left off, and want a complete freeze of Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank.

Israel has agreed to slow settlement building, but has rejected a total halt to construction. Israel had pledged to stop settlement building in a 2003 US-backed peace plan, but has not done so, claiming that the Palestinians have not carried out their obligations.

Mubarak said he was optimistic that US efforts would bring the two sides back to the table and would usher in wider regional talks to settle the Arab-Israeli conflict.

"The region is rife with crises, conflicts and tension," Mubarak said. "The Middle East will remain a region of instability in the absence of a peaceful and just settlement to the Palestinian issue. The situation is critical, and the peace process ... can't take another failure."

Mubarak urged Israel to "reconsider" the way it deals with the Palestinians and Arabs to ensure a return to "normal" relations in the region.

"Israel must take a big step like the total halt to settlement and achieving tangible results in peace negotiations before talking of any Arab gestures, initiatives or step toward it," he said.

Jewish Purchases in Jerusalem Have Pa Concerned
Oct 6th, 2009
Daily NewsArutz Sheva - Hillel Fendel
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

 
Jewish efforts and successes in spurring on the historic process of the national return to Jerusalem have the Palestinian Authority concerned.

Speaking on Yemenite Television this week, Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas said that while Israel and “world Zionism” act every day to “Judaize” the city, Arab efforts to make the city Arab are “paltry.” Long known by his nom de guerre Abu Mazen, Abbas provided financing for the terrorist attack that killed 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany.

Though he compared the current Arab efforts with the “billions” that Jews are spending on behalf of the Holy City, Abbas also hinted that Arabs are not doing enough militarily for Jerusalem. 

“The Palestinians are working and are getting killed,” he said. “The second intifada erupted because of [former Prime Minister Arie Sharon’s visit to [the Temple Moun and the desecration of the mosque, and it lasted seven years. This time, therefore, the matter of Jerusalem requires a much greater effort, something much more practical. It’s not enough to talk about Jerusalem in books, nor to give sermons in mosques; there is a need to work for her.”

In fact, Jews from throughout the world are taking part in keeping Jerusalem safe for the Jewish People and Israel. The Ohr Sameach yeshiva, for instance, is planning a new campus in Nachalat Shimon, a newly renewed Jewish neighborhood just northeast of the famous Me’ah She’arim quarter. Efforts – usually expensive ones - are constantly underway not only to develop, renovate, and zone properties in the neighborhood, but mainly to eject illegal Arab squatters who live there.

Slightly to the south, in Musrara (Morashah), just outside Damascus Gate, similar efforts are underway. Four Jewish families currently live there, and if the efforts are successful, more will soon be on their way.

The Jerusalem Capital Development Foundation, actively and financially dedicated to reclaiming and strengthening the Jewish presence in historic Jerusalem, is among the organizations that, inter alia, conducts tours around eastern Jerusalem. The tours feature the various Jewish projects in the area, as well as explanations of the issues at hand – with an emphasis on the dangers of another division of Jerusalem.  

Yeshivat Beit Orot, Jerusalem’s first hesder yeshiva, also conducts tours of the in-the-news areas of the Holy City. Beit Orot, located in a critically strategic area between Mt. of Olives and Mt. Scopus, is also at the forefront of the pioneering development efforts in historic Jerusalem.

The Ateret Cohanim Association, which already owns 20 properties in what is known as the Moslem Quarter of the Old City, has operative plans to purchase six more. Some 900 Jews currently live in the Old City – not including the Jewish Quarter – and the purchase of these properties will increase the number to 1,000.

Jerusalem Police Fed Up With 'ungrateful Arabs'
Oct 6th, 2009
Daily NewsArutz Sheva - Tzvi Ben Gadalyhu
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel;Anti-Israel

 
Police Chief Aharon Franco let off steam at “ungrateful” Arab Muslims Monday, who he said responded to police preservation of the peace during last month's Ramadan prayers by throwing rocks at Jews praying in the Hebrew month of Tishrei.



 He made his remarks to the media the day after Arabs Muslims hurled rocks at hareidi-religious Jews at the Mount of Olives and at police.

Arab Knesset Member Ahmed Tibi demanded that “the villain” Franco resign for his remarks, which Tibi said were an attack on freedom of religion. “Even the Almighty would not impose sanctions like these,” Tibi charged. “Not every Jew is so smart.”

Warnings of trouble came as early as last week, when Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu canceled a reception for his staff near the Western Wall after rumors spread among the Arab community that the event was part of an alleged plot to weaken the Al-Aqsa Mosque by tunneling underneath.

Muslims have circulated the charge repeatedly in the past several years, and it is widely believed throughout the Arab world. The latest incitement came from the Islamic Movement this week, with its leader Sheikh Raad Salah calling on Muslims to “defend” the Temple Mount in anticipation of tens of thousands of Jews attending the traditional Priestly Blessing at the Western Wall (Kotel). Muslims clerics told their followers that the Jews were planning to take over the holy site.

Police deployed thousands of officers Monday morning to protect more than 30,000 people, including tourists, during the ceremony. No riots were reported, but several Arabs were arrested in eastern Jerusalem for throwing rocks at Jews and police officers.

Police also took the precaution of preventing Jews from ascending the Temple Mount, and restricted Arab entry into the Temple Mount area to Arab men over the age of 50, women and children, all of whom were required to hold a blue Israeli identity card.

Sheikh Kamel Khatib, deputy leader of the Islamic Movement, told Voice of Israel government radio Monday morning that the Al-Aqsa mosque area includes the Western Wall, and is therefore Muslim property. On Sunday, police arrested Khatib, who is in charge of Jerusalem for the PA's ruling Fatah party, for suspicion of incitement to violence.

Israel Fears New Palestinian 'intifada' As Jerusalem Clashes Continue
Oct 6th, 2009
Daily NewsIsrael Today
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel;Warning

The Palestinian Authority and local Muslim leaders are urging Arab residents of Jerusalem to continue and escalate clashes with Israelis and Israeli security forces, leaving the Jewish state fearful that another Palestinian terrorist uprising, or "intifada," is on the horizon.

Pointing to a visit by a small group of Jews to the Temple Mount during Yom Kippur last week, the office of Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad on Monday accused Israel of trying to conquer the Temple Mount and "Judaize Jerusalem." Fayyad, who is hailed in the West as a moderate and true peace partner, called for even more violence, and insisted that the international community also get involved by assaulting Israel diplomatically.

At around the same time, the the muezzins of Jerusalem's mosques were declaring a state of emergency, claiming that the Jews were trying to "break into" the Temple Mount (the holiest site in Judaism) and urging all able bodied Muslims to physically defend the mosques that currency occupy the contested compound.

The violence on Monday manifested itself primarily in the Shuafat neighborhood on the outskirts of Jerusalem, where one Israeli soldier was stabbed in the neck and another suffered light injuries when a group of masked Arabs hurled stones at him. Several other Arabs were arrested elsewhere for attacking Jewish worshippers en route to take part in the annual Priestly Blessing at the Western Wall.

On Tuesday, police were on high alert and out in force to protect the annual Jerusalem March, which passes several Arab areas on its way to the Old City.

Right-wing Israeli lawmaker Moshe Matalon of the Israel Beiteinu party urged the government to swiftly and decisively deal with the rioters before another explosion of widespread violence happens.

"The government of Israel must use a heavy and uncompromising hand against inciters and rioters in Jerusalem," said Matalon, who also recommended sending those Israeli Arabs who are inciting the violence to live in the Gaza Strip.

Islamic Groups Shut Down Worship of Church in Indonesia
Oct 6th, 2009
Daily NewsCompass Direct News
Categories: Today's Headlines;Persecution

JAKARTA, Indonesia, October 5  – Several Islamic organizations have pressed officials in a sub-district near Indonesia’s capital city to forbid Jakarta Christian Baptist Church to worship in a house, resulting in an order to cease worship. The Islamic Defenders Front, the Betawi Forum Group, and political party Hizbut Tahrir have told officials in Sepatan sub-district, Tangerang district, near Jakarta that worship activities cannot be conducted in a residence. The house belongs to the Rev. Bedali Hulu. Both District Officer Ismet Iskandar and a sub-district officer support the closure and have ordered Hulu to use his home only as a residence, the pastor said. The sub-district officer, who goes by the single name of Rusdy, has sent a notice ordering an end to all worship at the house. “But they have not put forth a solution,” Hulu said. “For a long time we have suggested that we build a place of worship, but there has been no response from the local government.” Church members feel terrorized by mobs that have stopped services, the pastor said.

Ein Gedi: Spring of the Goats, Oasis of Lush Beauty
Oct 6th, 2009
The Beauty of IsraelShmuel Browns - Arutz Sheva
Categories: The Nation Of Israel

Ein Gedi (literally the Spring of the Goats, referring to Nubian Ibex that come to the spring to drink) is an oasis of lush beauty in the Judean Desert along the shores of the Dead Sea.


Waterfalls and pools in the Ein Gedi nature reserve

Israel news photo: Shmuel Browns

It is one of only two sites along the western shore of the Dead Sea in an area called the Judean desert with a natural source of fresh water (the other is Ein Feshka 30 km to the north). For this reason, secular historians say that Ein Gedi was settled as early as the Chalcolithic period, about 6,000 years ago; archaeologists point to the remains of an outline of a cultic temple as proof.

Ein Gedi is mentioned in the Bible, in the Song of Songs 1:14 and in Samuel I 24:1, where the story is told how David fled to Ein Gedi while he was escaping from King Saul.

Information gleaned from excavations at Tel Goren that were led by Benjamin Mazar of the Hebrew University in the 1960s indicates that the main period of settlement near Ein Gedi was the end of the First Temple period. The site at that time apparently functioned as a royal estate of the Kings of Judea for the cultivation of dates, specifically those of the extinct Judean palm Phoenix dactylifera, which is considered uniquely medicinal.

One such palm tree has in fact been resurrected from a 2,000-year-old seed found atop the wind-swept Judean Desert fortress of Masada and is being grown at the Arava Institute, located on Kibbutz Ketura. The date palm, now more than three feet tall, has been named "Methusaleh." 



A date palm in all its glory, full of new dates not yet ripe for picking... (Israel news photo: Michelle Baruch)
The fronds of the Judean palm were also used at the time for the lulav that is part of the arba minim, or four species, over which a special blessing is made on Sukkot. Balsam was grown for the production of perfume, (in Hebrew, afarsimon, a plant that is now extinct). Ein Gedi was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE, but resettled by Jews on their return to Zion.

During the Second Temple period the area was settled by a Jewish ascetic sect called the Essenes, described by the Roman historian Pliny the Elder. Archaeological evidence gathered by Yizhar Hirschfeld shows that the Essenes lived higher up, nearer to the spring where he found more than 20 tiny stone cells and two pools, one for irrigation and one a mikve or ritual bath. Archaeologists have dated pottery shards found there to the first century BCE (secular calendar), during the Second Temple Period. There was another phase of occupation during the late Byzantine period.

The Romans, too, were interested in the production of balsam perfume; Mark Anthony confiscated the groves from Herod and gave them to Cleopatra. After their deaths, Herod was able to lease them back. During the Great Revolt against Rome, the Jews tried to uproot the groves so they would not fall into the hands of the Romans, a move the Romans fought to prevent.

During the Second Jewish War (132-135 CE) against the Romans, Bar Kokhba, the famed leader of the Jewish rebels holed up in caves near Ein Gedi, sent the inhabitants of the town a reproach for failing to take part in a battle: "From Shimeon bar Kosiba to the men of Ein Gedi, to Masabala and Yehonathan bar Beayan, Shalom. In comfort you sit, eat and drink from the property of the House of Israel, and care nothing for your brothers."  In another letter, the rebel leader makes specific requests in order to celebrate the holiday of Sukkot: "pack and send to the camp, towards you, palm branches and citrons. And you, from your place, send others who will bring you myrtles and willows. See that they are tithed". The rebellion, however, was crushed by the Romans and Jewish Ein Gedi was destroyed.



Nahal David, overlooking the Dead Sea

Israel news photo: Shmuel Browns

Jews came back in the third century and built a small village, including a synagogue featuring a beautiful mosaic floor. Written in Hebrew and Aramaic, the inscription lists the signs of the zodaic and months of the year (later also seen in mosaic floors in synagogues in Bet Alpha and Tiberius) and the expression "Peace unto Israel (also found in the ancient synagogue in Jericho). A dire warning was included at the end: "Whoever reveals the secret of the town to the Gentiles - He whose eyes range through the whole earth and who sees hiddens things, He will set his face on that man and on his seed and will uproot him from under the heavens." The secret seems to be the production process for balsam perfume.

The availability of water year round also attracts animals -- the reserve closes early so that the ibex will be able to come to drink before dark. This is the best time to see ibex close up, just before closing time.



Ibex are coming to drink toward the end of the day

Israel news photo: Shmuel Browns

You may also see tristram grackles, a small black bird with an orange stripe on the outer wing and a unique cry, particularly noticeable in flight. These friendly, inquisitive birds can be observed grooming ibex for parasites. They were discovered by Henry Baker Tristram, an English clergyman, traveller, Bible scholar and ornithologist who visited the area in 1881.

As you leave the park at dusk, the setting sun paints the blue-green water of the Dead Sea with varying shades of pink and purple. The colors and patterns of shoreline and water create an abstract composition that is a rare treat to behold.

The other animal you can see is a small, furry, rodent-like animal called a hyrax, or shafan (the Hebrew term). Shafan was the name of the scribe of King Josiah mentioned in Jeremiah. A bulla (clay seal) with the incription Gemariah ben Shafan was found recently in the City of David.

Hyraxes spend most of their time huddled together or basking alone  in the sun. These behaviors help the hyrax to regulate its body temperature because although they are mammals their body temperature fluctuates with the ambient temperature, like reptiles. They have large, soft pads on their feet which are kept moist by sweat-like secretions that help them climb on the rocky terrain.



A hyrax crouches in the cleft of a rock

Israel news photo: Shmuel Browns

Across from Ein Gedi, east of the main highway is an area of sinkholes, a chain of holes that is unfortunately being created as the Dead Sea recedes at the alarming rate of one meter a year.



A sinkhole chain

Israel news photo: Shmuel Browns

Nonetheless, with a depth of 330 meters, the Dead Sea is still the deepest hypersaline lake in the world; it is the world’s second saltiest body of water, 8.6 times saltier than the ocean. Sink holes are created when fresh water dissolves the salt in newly uncovered salt-laden earth, forming an empty cavern and causing the top crust of earth to collapse.



Sinkhole across from Ein Gedi

Israel news photo: Shmuel Browns

"Ein Gedi" also refers to the kibbutz, with a botanical garden and an industry that bottles spring water, as well as the nature reserve with hiking trails, pools and waterfalls and archaeological sites; across the road is access to the Dead Sea and spa facilities. There is a modest fee to enter the nature reserve and the spa. Appreciate the contrasts, water and desert, rock and vegetation, the broad horizontal expanse of the Dead Sea and the cliffs and mountains that rise vertically above it; the contrast between serene nature and human industry.

Shmuel Browns lives in Jerusalem, and is a licensed tour guide who loves to show visitors the unique archaeological and nature sites of Israel.

Dollar Falls on Oil Plan Report
Oct 6th, 2009
Daily NewsBBC News
Categories: Today's Headlines

The dollar has fallen following a report that Gulf states are in secret talks to replace the greenback as the main currency for the trading of oil.

Nations including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were speaking to Russia, China, Japan and France, said the UK's Independent newspaper.

However, Saudi Arabia subsequently said the report was "absolutely inaccurate".

It caused the euro to rise 0.4% against the dollar to $1.47040. The pound also rose, by 0.4%, before falling back.

The pound reached $1.5991 before dropping back to $1.58920.

Christians Flock to Israel for Feast of Tabernacles, Join Jerusalem March
Oct 6th, 2009
Daily NewsIsrael Today
Categories: Today's Headlines

It's that time of year again, and Jerusalem is overflowing with thousands of Christian pilgrims who have come to the Holy Land to mark the biblical Feast of Tabernacles, or Succot, as it is known in Hebrew.

The bulk of the visitors are attending the Feast of Tabernacles event put on by the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, while hundreds more are taking part in smaller events hosted by ICEJ founder Jan Willem van der Hoeven and local Messianic leader Barry and Batya Segal.

On Tuesday, nearly all of the Christian visitors took part in the annual Jerusalem March, joining tens of thousands of Israelis as they proceeded through the capital's main thoroughfares in a declaration of Jewish sovereignty over the city.

Some 20,000 police officers were deployed to protect the marchers as they passed near Arab neighborhoods on their way to the Old City.

Christian Arrested for Distributing Tracts in Egypt
Oct 6th, 2009
Daily NewsCompass Direct News
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Church;Persecution

ISTANBUL, October 6 – An Egyptian Christian arrested in Cairo for handing out gospel leaflets and held in prison illegally for four days has been released, the freed Protestant Copt told Compass. Abdel Kamel, 61, was arrested on Sept. 23 in downtown Cairo for handing out copies of a Christian leaflet. As they arrested him, police told Kamel it was “unlawful” to hand out religious information on public roads. When Kamel countered that Muslims commonly hand out Islamic literature, police told him it was “more unlawful” for Christians. Kamel also didn’t have his identification card. Attorney Nabil Ghobreyal said there is no law in Egypt forbidding the distribution of religious material. While in police custody, Kamel said, he remained in handcuffs for hours, was thrown to the ground, spit upon and threatened with violence. Kamel said he wasn’t tortured, but when asked to describe his ordeal, he wept uncontrollably. “Why, when we are [sharing our faith], are we not even allowed to put our view across?” he said. “Why aren’t we treated the same?”

'gay' Sex Morally Good, Says Obama Pick
Oct 6th, 2009
Daily NewsWND
Categories: Today's Headlines;Moral Decline

Tapped to head Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

"Gay" sex is morally good and is as "wonderful" as heterosexual relations, according to Chai Feldblum, President Obama's nominee to become commissioner for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

"Gay sex is morally good," she said. "Now you may think that might be a little crazy to go out there and say gay sex is good. But think a second. Society definitely believes that heterosexual sex is good. Right. Heterosexual sex within a certain framework – marriage – I mean, you can't get more dewy-eyed and romantic in this society about how wonderful that is."

Continued Feldblum: "If you're not being cynical for the moment, I think that does reflect a correct understanding that sex is often a basic building block for intimacy and that intimacy and connections within couples and within families are integral building blocks for a healthy society."

Feldblum is an outspoken homosexual rights activist and Georgetown law professor. She offered her sex remarks at a UCLA symposium on homosexuality available on YouTube.

Obama two weeks ago announced his intent to nominate Feldblum for commissioner of the EEOC. Feldblum previously served as legislative counsel to the AIDS Project of the American Civil Liberties Union and clerked for Supreme Court Justice Harry A. Blackmun, who famously authored the controversial Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion.

Feldblum is not shy about her ideas for "revolutionizing" America's workplace and the country's social mores.

She is co-director of Workplace Flexibility 2010, which she described at the UCLA symposium as a homosexual rights group that aimed to change "the American workplace and revolutionize social mores."

"This is a war that needs to be fought, and it's not a war overseas where we are killing people in the name of liberating them. It is a war right here at home where we need to convince people that morality demands full equality for gay people," she said at the symposium.