Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

The EU's Broken Mideast Compass
Jul 19th, 2013
Daily NewsIsrael Today - Noah Beck
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel;Revived Roman Empire

The European Union recently sent out a directive barring its 28 members from cooperating with Israeli entities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The boycott includes “all funding, cooperation, and the granting of scholarships, research grants and prizes” to Israeli entities in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

If this is how the EU chooses to spend its limited diplomatic and political resources "to help" the Middle East, then its moral compass is badly broken. The EU still hasn't even mustered the clarity or courage to join the USA, Canada, and six Gulf states (led by Bahrain) in designating Hezbollah a terrorist organization, even though Hezbollah has committed terrorist acts on EU soil that killed an EU citizen, and has supported Basher Assad's butchery in Syria. The EU has also failed to take any decisive action to address the urgent crises in Lebanon, Syria, and Iran (which marches ever closer to nukes and imports ore -- for armor and missile production -- from Germany and France). And where is the EU's boycott of Mideast governments that persecute women, execute homosexuals, and condone the slaughter of Christians?

If the EU wants to wield its economic clout to impose peace on disputing parties, why not boycott China for its brutal occupation of Tibet? Clearly that occupation doesn't matter because the EU is China's largest trading partner. And why isn't the EU boycotting Northern Cyprus, which is under foreign military occupation by Turkey (against the wishes of the EU)?

The hypocrisy is even more flagrant because some EU states are themselves occupying disputed territories on various continents. One of the most notorious examples is the Falkland Islands. What exactly is the UK's burning security interest in occupying a Latin American island nearly 8,000 miles away? Maybe the EU should boycott the UK as well.

In the end, an EU boycott of Israel is just a cheap way to score political points with the oil-producing Arab states and the growing Muslim population on European soil. Indeed, the EU's anti-Israel directive resembles Stephen Hawking's ill-fated attempt to inject himself into the Israeli-Palestinian controversy. Just as he absurdly chose to boycott the country largely responsible for the technology that enables him to communicate, the EU shamelessly targets the only country in the Middle East that actually shares the EU's democratic values, respect for human rights, pluralism, and the rule of law (not to mention shared interests like curbing Iranian nukes, developing natural gas resources in the Mediterranean Sea, and seeing moderates prevail in the volatile Middle East).

Putting aside the EU's abundant hypocrisy, trying to strong-arm Israel into unilateral concessions has already proven to be an abysmal failure when it comes to promoting peace. Just ask President Obama, who in 2009 pressured Israel into a 10-month settlement freeze in the West Bank without requiring any reciprocal gestures from the Palestinians. They quickly realized that they need not negotiate with Israel because Obama was doing that for them. One can hardly blame Palestinians for trying to maximize their negotiating posture, even if it lacks good faith. Thus, peace talks have remain stalled for Obama's entire presidency, even though Secretary of State John Kerry will soon make his sixth peace-pushing trip (in as many months) to the region.

It's also worth noting that the real obstacle to peace -- Palestinian rejectionism and terrorism -- existed before any of Israel's settlement-building. Palestinian terrorism and rejectionism from Gaza also continued despite the removal of Israeli settlements (from Gaza in 2005). So Israeli settlements did not create Palestinian extremism and their removal doesn't necessarily end it.

History has also demonstrated that Israeli settlement building has not prevented Israel from making painful territorial compromises for peace: Menachem Begin evacuated the Sinai, Ehud Barak ended Israel's presence in Southern Lebanon, Ariel Sharon left Gaza, and Benjamin Netanyahu handed over West Bank territories under the Wye Accords.

Moreover, the EU seems to have forgotten that Jews have a historical and legal right to be in the West Bank. The "Mandate for Palestine" confirmed by the League of Nations recognized the "historical connection of the Jewish people with Palestine" and "the grounds for reconstituting their National Home in that country." Under Article 6, the Mandate encouraged "close settlement by Jews, on the land, including State lands and waste lands not required for public purposes." The EU's boycott falsely implies that Jews have no right to live in the West Bank, and is thus disturbingly reminiscent of the "Judenrein" policies of Nazi Germany, which banned Jews from certain spheres of life only because they were Jews.

Lastly, the EU (and US) position on Israeli West Bank construction lacks balance because Palestinian construction is never limited. As Eli Hertz notes: "The Oslo Accords do not forbid Israeli or Arab settlement activity. Charging that further Jewish settlement activity preempts final negotiations by establishing realities, requires reciprocity. If Jews were forcibly expelled from the West Bank in 1948 during a war of aggression aimed at them [but then recaptured the West Bank in the defensive war of 1967], then these Territories must be considered disputed Territories, at the least...According to David Bar-Ilan, a former policy planning official, the tempo of Arab construction is “more than 10 times the number of buildings under construction [in the Territory] than those approved [by the Israeli government] for the [Jewish] settlers.”

If the EU wants to ignore international law and history, the many more pressing Mideast issues, and its own hypocrisy, all for the sake of promoting Israeli-Palestinian peace, then it should at least recognize that unilateral pressure on Israel has only reinforced Palestinian inflexibility. Indeed, it is only the Palestinians who have refused to negotiate peace without preconditions. The EU has pressured the wrong party because its Mideast compass is badly broken.

Peace Talks Still Stalled As Palestinians Present New Preconditions
Jul 19th, 2013
Daily NewsIsrael Today - Tommy Mueller
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel;Peace Process

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday presented a whole new list of demands before he will resume peace talks with Israel, once again putting the success of US Secretary of State John Kerry's Middle East mission in jeopardy.

First off, the Palestinian leader wants to build an airport in Ramallah that will be totally under Palestinian control, meaning the Palestinian Authority will control the airspace over at least central Samaria and parts of neighboring Jerusalem.

Second, Israel must withdraw from parts of the Dead Sea, where the Palestinians want to establish their own hotel and resort facilities.

Third, the territorial waters of Gaza must be extended to allow the Palestinian Authority to tap some of the natural gas reserves still being discovered off the Mediterranean coast.

And lastly, demonstrating that a Palestinian state will in fact not be a viable independent entity, Abbas demands a significant increase in the number of work permits granted to Palestinian Arabs to work inside Israel proper.

Abbas presented these demands during a meeting with Kerry in the Jordanian capital Amman. Israeli media suggest that the Netanyahu government will reject most of the demands, which were never part of the original interim agreements.

However, as a gesture of goodwill demonstrating that Israel does want to see the resumption of negotiations, the Israeli army on Thursday announced the dismantling of checkpoints across the so-called "West Bank." The decision will provide greater freedom of movement to local Palestinians, at the cost of deteriorated security for the Jews living in the area.

Netanyahu Denies Agreeing to Peace Talks Based on ’67 Lines
Jul 19th, 2013
Daily NewsJpost
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel;Peace Process

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu denied on Tuesday an official’s remarks that Israel had agreed to resume peace talks based on the borders of a Palestinian state being drawn along lines from before a 1967 Middle East war, and agreed land swaps.

Mark Regev, a spokesman for Netanyahu, said “the report is untrue,” calling Reuters with the statement after initially declining to comment on what the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The official had said that, were the Palestinians to accept the formula, it would be announced byUS Secretary of State John Kerry now in Jordan, who would also describe the future Palestine as existing alongside a “Jewish state” of Israel.

Asked about Reuters’ initial report that Israel had agreed to the 1967 formula, a US official cautioned that “there is a great deal of inaccurate information out there right now and our focus is continuing to work through details with both parties”.

Speculation has been rife that Kerry, now in the region for his sixth time since March in an effort to revive peace talks that deadlocked in 2010, may be close to a breakthrough.

Israel has previously balked at agreeing to the 1967 borders as a basis for talks with Palestinians. But the latest proposal addresses a longstanding central demand made by Netanyahu that the Palestinians explicitly recognize Israel as a Jewish state.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was conferring with Palestinian leaders on Thursday to decide whether to accept Kerry’s proposals for renewing talks with Israel.

Kerry said on Wednesday after talks with Abbas in neighboring Jordan that gaps between the sides had “very significantly” narrowed. An Arab League committee endorsed Kerry’s proposals for resuming peace talks, saying they “provide the ground and a suitable environment to start negotiations”.

Kerry is reportedly set to officially announce the resumption of the peace process before leaving Amman on Friday morning, London-based Al-Hayat reported.

Let the Headlines Speak
Jul 19th, 2013
Daily NewsFrom the Internet
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

IRS officials in Washington ordered special scrutiny: congressional investigation finds
IRS employees have told congressional investigators that they were ordered by the agency’s Washington office to give extra scrutiny to tea party groups’ applications for tax-exempt status, according to excerpts from interviews with the employees that were released by House committee chairmen Wednesday.  

Palestinians undecided on Kerry peace talks plan
Palestinian leaders have ended a meeting to discuss a possible revival in peace talks with Israel without reaching a decision. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had briefed them on the latest US proposal to restart talks. Reports suggest many present felt the plan did not do enough to ensure talks about borders would be based on pre-1967 ceasefire lines.  

EU officially publishes settlement guidelines despite Israeli objections
The European Union on Friday published new guidelines restricting interaction with Israeli entities beyond the pre-1967 lines despite Israeli efforts to freeze the publication of the directives. The guidelines significantly restrict Israeli institutions from taking part in various EU programs and being eligible for EU grants, prizes and financial instruments if they have activities beyond the Green Line.  

Egyptian Christians happy Mursi is gone but remain wary
The evening Egypt's army ousted Islamist President Mohamed Mursi, Christian lawyer Peter Naggar celebrated on Tahrir Square with even greater joy than when autocrat Hosni Mubarak fell from power two years ago.  

Rebels: Assad Transferred Chemical Weapons to Hizbullah
Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad recently transferred two shipments of chemical weapons to Lebanon-based Hizbullah, the Syrian rebels are claiming. Fahad al Masri, a spokesman for the Western-backed Free Syrian Army, told the Lebanese news website El Nashra on Thursday that "the Syrian regime managed to deliver shipments of chemical weapons to Hizbullah.”  

Earth had fifth-hottest June on record: report
Earth experienced its fifth-hottest June on record, according to a report released on Thursday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The average global temperatures last month of 61.05 F (16.14 C) tied with 2006, and was 1.15 F (0.64 C) above the 20th century average of 59.9 F (15.5 C), the report said. Monthly records were broken over much of northern Canada, western Russia, southern Japan, the Philippines, part of southwestern China, and central southern Africa during June. The United States had its 15th-warmest June on record.  

Obama Urges Netanyahu to Resume Peace Talks
U.S. President Barack Obama on Thursday urged Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to resume negotiations with the Palestinian Authority "as soon as possible," the White House said in a statement quoted by AFP. The two leaders spoke by telephone as Secretary of State John Kerry made his latest trip to the region as part of marathon efforts to re-launch the stalled peace talks.  

Boston accused Dzhokhar Tsarnaev 'manhunt photos' emerge
Disturbing images of the Boston Marathon bombing suspect have emerged the day after Rolling Stone magazine revealed the accused on its next cover. Police Sgt Sean Murphy released photos of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev taken when he was captured in Watertown, Massachusetts. The images, given to Boston magazine, show him with the red dot of a laser sight of a sniper rifle on his face.  

Palestinians: Israel must agree on borders
A stormy, high-level meeting of senior Palestinian leaders called to discuss U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's latest peace proposal ended with a decision early Friday to demand guarantees that Israel agree on the general border of a future Palestinian state, officials said.  

Syria's Assad may cling on, Britain will not arm rebels: sources
Britain has abandoned plans to arm Syrian rebels fighting to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad and believes he might survive in office for years, sources familiar with government thinking say. The sources also told Reuters that a peace conference to try to end the conflict - now in its third year - might not happen until next year if at all. 

Detroit files for largest municipal bankruptcy in US history
Detroit filed for the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history Thursday after steep population and tax base declines sent it tumbling toward insolvency. The filing by a state-appointed emergency manager means that if the bankruptcy filing is approved, city assets could be liquidated to satisfy demands for payment. Kevin Orr, a bankruptcy expert, was hired by the state in March to lead Detroit out of a fiscal free-fall, and made the filing Thursday in federal bankruptcy court.  

Muslim Brotherhood threatens civil war in Egypt
The Muslim Brotherhood has made repeated public statements that on July 19th it will begin attacks against Egypt’s military compounds, military personnel, government buildings, and soft targets (houses, stores, and churches) in order to recover and secure their power over Egypt — then reinstate Mohammed Morsi as President.  

Archeologists Dig Up King David’s Palace
Jul 19th, 2013
Daily NewsJpost
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

A joint excavation led by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Israel Antiquities Authorities discovered two of the largest structures ever uncovered from the Kingdom of Judea, the Israel Antiquities Authorities announced on Thursday.

Researchers Prof. Yossi Garfinkel and Saar Ganor identified one of the structures as a palace of King David, while the other as a large storage structure for the kingdom.

The excavation, which lasted seven years, gives evidence to state building and administrative organization during the time of King David.

According to Garfinkel and Ganor, “The ruins are the best example to date of the uncovered fortress city of King David,” giving researchers a step up in understanding the origins of the kingdom of Judah.

“This is indisputable proof of the existence of a central authority in Judah during the time of King David,” the archaeologists said.

Until now, no palaces were clearly attributable to the early tenth century BC. According to the archeologists, the site, named ‘Khirbet Qeiyafa’, was probably destroyed in a battle against the Philistines in 980 BC.

Recent excavations at Khirbet Qeiyafa, the first early Judean city to be dated by 14C, clearly indicate a well planned fortified city in Judah as early as the late 11th-early 10th centuries BC. This new data has far reaching implication for archaeology, history and biblical studies.