Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

Top Official: Iran Threat Greater Than Ever
May 2nd, 2013
Daily NewsINN - David Lev
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

A top security source told Channel Ten that despite appearances to the contrary, Israel's military option on Iran was very much alive, and that Iran was reaching the point where construction of a nuclear weapon was within reach.

The official, whose identity was kept under wraps, is considered a highly placed, highly reliable source. The official said that Iran has in recent months “dramatically” increased its uranium enrichment capabilities, the result of the installation of new centrifuges. With the new equipment, Iran should be able to soon enrich as much as 200 kilos of uranium. With that amount, the source said, Iran would be able to easily equip a nuclear arsenal.

The decision on whether Iran will go in this direction is in the hands of Iran's spiritual leader, Ali Khamenei. Israel has excellent intelligence on what is going on in Iran and is aware of the danger of the current situation, the source said. “If we see they are moving towards the 'red line' of nuclear capability, all options are on the table – even before they reach this point.”

The official made the comments in light of the analysis by former IDF Intelligence chief Amos Yadlin last weekend, who said that in his estimation Iran had already passed that 'red line.' According to the official, Iran “has not yet crossed the line, but is getting closer to it methodically.” The official also commented on the speech made by Ehud Olmert last weekend in New York, in which the former prime minister minimized the Iranian threat. Olmert said that “I, too, know how to evaluate the dangers. The threat has been greatly exaggerated in statements by the government, and large sums of money have been spent on strange missions that should not have taken place.”

The official slammed Olmert for his comments. “How does he dare to minimize the Iranian threat, and to do in abroad? He is hurting Israel's ability to recruit others around the world against the Iranian threat,” the official added.

PM: Referendum Before Any Deal With the PA
May 2nd, 2013
Daily NewsINN - David Lev
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

At a meeting Thursday with Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said that if a peace deal was worked out with the Palestinian Authority, Israelis would have a chance to voice their opinions of it in a referendum. “In Hebrew there is a saying, that 'Israel is not Switzerland.'” Netanyahu told his guest. “The point is that we live in very different neighborhoods. Your neighborhood is more calm and less challenging, but I don't know one Israeli who would change his country for any other.”

With that, Netanyahu told Burkhalter, “there are a number of things we could learn from you, and one of them is the referendum.” Unlike Switzerland, however, Israel would conduct a referendum on just one issue – a potential agreement with the PA that would entail Israel surrendering a portion of Judea and Samaria to a PA state.

In response, Burkhalter said that he was happy to be in Israel, and that if Netanyahu visited Switzerland, “to which you are invited, we will be happy to present to you our referendum system, which we have been conducting for many years. It doesn't matter when you come, there will be a referendum going on.”

Pentagon Moves to Punish Christian Evangelism in Military
May 2nd, 2013
Daily NewsWND
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues;Persecution

Mikey Weinstein has been on a crusade for more than a decade against Christians in the military who speak about their faith with others, but now top brass apparently are listening to him.

After a private meeting between Weinstein and Pentagon officials April 23, a Pentagon spokesman declared, “Religious proselytization is not permitted within the Department of Defense.”

The spokesman, Lt. Cmdr. Nate Christensen, added that “court martials and non-judicial punishments are decided on a case-by-case basis, and it would be inappropriate to speculate on the outcome in specific cases.”

Weinstein, according to Fox News’ Todd Starnes, told officials at the meeting that U.S. troops who evangelize are guilty of sedition and treason and should be punished, by the hundreds if necessary.

Weinstein recently declared: “We face incredibly well-funded gangs of fundamentalist Christian monsters who terrorize their fellow Americans by forcing their weaponized and twisted version of Christianity upon their helpless subordinates in our nation’s armed forces.”

In an interview with Fox News, Weinstein said the military needs to begin prosecuting Christians who share their faith.

“Someone needs to be punished for this,” he said. “Until the Air Force or Army or Navy or Marine Corps punishes a member of the military for unconstitutional religious proselytizing and oppression, we will never have the ability to stop this horrible, horrendous, dehumanizing behavior.”

Moshe Zar: What the Borovsky Murder Says About U.S.
May 2nd, 2013
Daily NewsINN - David Lev
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

Speaking to Arutz Sheva, Moshe Zar, one of the first pioneers to build his home in Samaria, said that the murder of Evyatar Borovsky required that Israel take stock of its policy and attitude towards Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria. The murder was a direct result of Israel's policy of “preferring not to make waves,” and to keeping the lid on tension. But the result, he said, was a lack of security for Jews in Judea and Samaria, and in the rest of Israel, he said.

“To our sorrow and shame the the system is based on the policies advocated by Peace Now,” said Zar, who was among the first to purchase large plots of land in central Samaria. “They remove roadblocks and give the Arabs weapons. Is this the way a strong, proud state operates?”

The proper response to the attack on Borovksy was not individual “price tag” acts, in which individuals protest the poor security situation, but proper action by the government. “Burning down a field in response is not an answer. The government must take action. They must stop this insane policy. How is it possible that no one checked this terrorist? This is what happens when you remove roadblocks.”

Referring to his own personal tragedy in which his son Gilad was killed in a terrorist attack, Zar said “I cried at Evyatar's funeral, as I am a father who is still mourning for his son. I feel terrible for these orphans who lost lost their father in a moment. Is this the way a proud country acts? Instead of taking the terrorist to the hospital after he was shot, they should have ripped him to 1,000 pieces. He will get better, then go to prison where he will live better than ever,” Zar said.

Let the Headlines Speak
May 2nd, 2013
Daily NewsFrom the Internet
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Mission never quite ‘accomplished’: Iraq haunted by violence 10 years after Bush speech
Ten years after the US declared its victory over Saddam Hussein, Iraq is still mired in violence, with each day adding up to death toll among its population. Washington is meanwhile considering another mission in the region.

Israel: Conflict over recognition, not territory
Israel's prime minister gave a cool reception Wednesday to a new Arab Mideast peace initiative, saying the conflict with the Palestinians isn't about territory, but rather the Palestinians' refusal to recognize Israel as the Jewish homeland.

Greg Laurie to Gay Activists: 'I Won't Back Down'
If people want to make it all about that I'm not going to back down. In the immortal words of the great theologian Tom Petty, 'I won't back down,' I won't. I'm not going to apologize." Laurie paralleled the efforts of gay rights activists to that of the palace officials who sought to stop Daniel (in the Old Testament) from praying and passed a law that resulted in him being thrown into the Lion's Den.

Pentagon ban raises specter of court martial for soldiers sharing faith
The Defense Department said this week that proselytizing — trying to get someone to change faiths — is banned. Its statement does not define proselytizing or address the role of military chaplains. It also does not rule out court martial for those whose share their faith too aggressively.

Third earthquake in fortnight jolts Tricity
An earthquake, measuring 5.9 on the Richter scale, struck the city on Wednesday afternoon. The epicentre was Jammu-Himachal Pradesh border and tremors were felt across north India and in parts of Pakistan. Tricity residents rushed out of their homes and offices as it was felt for a few seconds around 12.30 pm. No loss of life or property was reported. - See more at: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/third-earthquake-in-fortnight-jolts-tricity/1110381/#sthash.JIXtDq7i.dpuf

Earthquake tremors jolt India, Pakistan
A shallow earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.7 struck in northern India on Wednesday, the US Geological Survey said. Tremors were also felt in some areas of Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkwa in Pakistan. The quake was only 10 kilometres deep and struck at 6:57 GMT about 140km northeast of Sialkot, said the USGS.

Stain on America
Brig. Gen. Itai Brun, that Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime had used lethal chemical weapons, apparently sarin gas, against the rebels on a number of occasions. The US government’s response was denial. Israel's intelligence community was shocked and livid, since it appeared that Israel and the US were in agreement regarding the intelligence that had been gathered on Syria's use of chemical weapons.

Vatican astronomers are searching for alien life, say authors
"The records in the Vatican go back centuries," said Putnam, who is a theologian. "I read two chapters of history concerning the Vatican's interest in extra-terrestrials."

Young desire wealth 'but don’t want to earn it’
Young people have a "fantasy gap" between their desire for wealth and their willingness to work hard to achieve it, psychologists have found. Researchers in the United States compared the materialism and work ethic of three generations of high school seniors.

Pentagon May Court Martial Soldiers Who Share Christian Faith
The Pentagon has released a statement confirming that soldiers could be prosecuted for promoting their faith: "Religious proselytization is not permitted within the Department of Defense...Court martials and non-judicial punishments are decided on a case-by-case basis...”. ...Being convicted in a court martial means that a soldier has committed a crime under federal military law.

Gov. Brown OKs funds to confiscate guns from criminals, mentally ill
Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday signed legislation aimed at taking handguns and assault rifles away from 20,000 Californians who acquired them legally but have since been disqualified from ownership because of a criminal conviction or serious mental illness. The measure, the first of several gun-related bills to reach the governor, allocates $24 million in surplus funds to hire dozens of additional special agents to tackle a backlog of 40,000 weapons in the hands of people not allowed to possess firearms.

Saudi Arabia Sars-like virus 'kills five'
Five people in Saudi Arabia have died from a Sars-like virus and two more are seriously ill, officials say. The seven cases were all from al-Ahsa governorate in the east of the country, the Saudi news agency SPA said citing health officials. The novel coronavirus (NCoV) causes pneumonia and sometimes kidney failure.

ECB interest rates expected to fall to new low
The European Central Bank (ECB) is widely expected to cut interest rates later, as it seeks to boost growth amid ongoing fears for the eurozone economy. A cut would be the first in 10 months, and reduce its key interest rate to a new record low from the current 0.75%. Concerns are growing about the health of eurozone economies, reflected on Thursday in data showing that German manufacturing shrank in April.

Somalia famine 'killed 260,000 people'
Nearly 260,000 people died during the famine that hit Somalia from 2010 to 2012, a study shows. Half of them were children under the age of five, says the report by the UN food agency and the US-funded Famine Early Warning Systems Network. The number of deaths was higher than the estimated 220,000 people who died during the 1992 famine.

Exclusive: Kerry’s Plans Double Peace Track: Israel Vs Palestinians and Vs Arab League
May 2nd, 2013
Daily Newsdebkafile
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel;Peace Process

US Secretary of State John Kerry has gained the consent of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas for his novel plan to run peace negotiations on two tracks – Israel versus Palestinians plus Israel, for the first time in its history, directly facing the Arab League.
This is reported exclusively by debkafile.
The two tracks will run simultaneously. Kerry says more work needs to be done before a starting date can be scheduled but he hopes the talks can begin this summer.
This formula was designed to address the fundamental objections he ran into in the spring at the start of his initiative for re-launching Middle East peace talks.

Netanyahu said that while the withdrawal of the 2002 Saudi Peace plan, which gained Arab League endorsement as the Arab Peace Initiative, was not an Israeli pre-condition for attending peace negotiations, the talks would quickly run into a stalemate if the demand for a total Israel withdrawal to pre-1967 lines in return for peace and normal relations with the Arab world remained on the table.

Abbas, for his part, told the Secretary of State that comprehensive Arab backing was imperative for him to consent to reenter peace talks with Israel after two years of stalling.

Kerry accordingly invited a group of prominent Arab foreign ministers, heads of the Arab Peace Initiative follow-up committee, to visit Blair House, the official guest house of the US government, for a thorough threshing-out of the issues standing in the way of an Arab peace with Israel. Among those present were Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim, chair of the Arab Peace Initiative follow-up committee, Arab League Chairman Nabil al-Arabi and Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki.

After putting before them the Israeli prime minister’s objections to the Saudi peace plan, Kerry was able to
persuade the Arab ministers to accept President Barack Obama's formulation, which provides for an Israeli return to the 1967 boundaries with "comparable and mutual agreed minor swaps of the land.”

Obama added this rider to accommodate “the burgeoning communities in the area.”

Netanyahu had told Kerry that if he could convince the Arab League ministers to adopt this rider, he would have taken a big step towards getting negotiations moving between Israel and the Arab League for a comprehensive peace.
As Kerry prepared to inform the PA leader that he had obtained “Arab endorsement” for the simultaneous two-track talks, the Palestinians were sending out mixed signals: Wednesday night, May 1, Abbas said the “minor swaps” locution was acceptable, followed by Riyad al-Maliki who insisted that the Arab Peace Initiative must be accepted as it stood, unless the full Arab League endorsed amendments.

Nevertheless, there is much optimism in Washington that a breakthrough in the stalled Middle East peace process is at hand. Vice President Joe Biden seconded Kerry's description of "a very positive, very constructive discussion," at Blair House this week.
According to senior sources in Washington and Jerusalem, the Secretary of State is running his initiative virtually single handed without recourse to the usual bevy of Middle East experts. He accepts that there is plenty of work ahead before he can declare the two negotiating tracks ready to go.

Another Jesus 7 of 7
May 2nd, 2013
CommentaryRoger Oakland
Categories: One World Church;Prophecy