Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

What is Faith?
Jul 5th, 2014
Commentarycreationmoments.com
Categories: Inspirational;Exhortation

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1).

What is faith? Is faith something we believe despite the facts, as many would tell us? Is faith a blind leap into the dark?

Hebrews 11:1 says, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Our Christian faith is not a blind leap into the dark. God has given us minds, and He honors that gift by giving us reason to believe that Jesus Christ is the promised Savior. Consider: God gave us hundreds of prophecies about this Savior, saw to it that each one was fulfilled in the life of Christ, and then made sure that people actually saw that the prophecies were fulfilled. That is indeed powerful evidence - more than reasonable cause for us to believe his Word.

Our argument from Old Testament prophecy also shows that God does not expect faith to be a belief in something despite the facts. The world that the Bible talks about - the one God made as recorded in Scripture and the one science studies - is the real, material world in which we live. Because we know that the Word of God is true, we have every right to expect the facts about this world as related in Scripture to agree with facts established by experience.

Faith, as the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen, is better grounded in God's Word and the world we know than is the so called science of evolution - which is truly a faith in things unseen.

Six Emerging Terror States Encircle Israel, Jordan and Saudi Arabia
Jul 5th, 2014
Daily Newsdebkafile
Categories: Prophecy;Contemporary Issues

Al Qaeda and its affiliates are swiftly rubbing out the Middle East’s national borders as relics of the past and radically remaking the military-strategic landscape enclosing Israel. While no nation-state currently poses a direct threat to the Jewish state and its military might, DEBKA Weekly’s counterterrorism sources say it is imperiled by at least six military entities loosely defined as “terror states.”
These borderless states have no formal government, although some have fashioned the rudiments of a governing infrastructure and run aggressive military forces. But they all share five common objectives: territorial expansion; the foundation of Islamic caliphates and the institution of Sharia law; the overthrow of the “old guard” regimes in the Middle East and Persian Gulf; new military and economic systems; and Israel’s destruction.
A prime example of this phenomenon is Libya, whose central government is in meltdown, supplanted by a hodge-podge of armed militias, including radical Islamists linked to Al Qaeda.
To maintain any hold on the country, the Libyan central government is obliged to negotiate and reach terms with these militias.
Acting Prime Minister Abdula al-Thinni admitted as much, when he announced July 2 that his government had made a deal with the rebel leader in control of oil ports, for him to relinquish control over two oil terminals and so end a blockade that had crippled the OPEC member’s petroleum industry.
According to sources familiar with the deal, the militias were promised in return a share in oil exporting revenues.

Oil grab for powering jihad – outside international law

For the leaders of “terror states,” oil is a glittering draw as a source of regular income and energy for powering their jihad. In Libya, Sinai, Syria and Iraq, militia chiefs and warlords hold out for a slice of the oil profits deriving from territory which they control or threaten. Petroleum is their favorite currency, given the ease with which it is traded on the black market. Thanks to Iran, which has created new black market pathways for eluding international sanctions, peddling illegal oil is a cinch.
Some “terror states” are turning themselves into oil states. Libya is one and in Syria, the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) controls most of the national oil resources. Iraq is well on its way to this achievement since the same Sunni Islamist organization has also seized control of the country’s oil refineries and large sections of its pipelines.
Operating outside international law, these new states do not defer to its institutions, bow to the political leverage of the six major world powers – the US, Russia, China, France, Britain, and Germany – or fear their military might.
Those powers are pretty helpless against terrorist aggression, which can be managed without resorting to heavy arms or advanced military technology. A bunch of suicide-bound terrorists can easily exploit the cracks – and there are plenty – in the West’s counterterrorism systems.

Israel alone directly threatened by at least five terror entities

Within the Middle East, Israel is the only state that faces a direct threat from as many as five of the six emerging terror states:
Egypt – Sinai Peninsula: The Al Qaeda-affiliated Ansar Beit al-Maqdis terror syndicate lords it over the central Sinai Peninsula, defying all Egyptian efforts to uproot it. This week, several Sinai-based armed militias swore allegiance to IS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. They were rewarded with the arrival of several dozen of his fighters to set up shop in this rugged wasteland.
Gaza: Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and 10 other terrorist organizations, some of which also operate in Sinai, control the Gaza government. The last two weeks have proved disastrous for US, European and Palestinian Authority attempts to lend Hamas legitimacy by means of a reconciliation pact between the rival Fatah and Hamas. This plan never took off. The extremist Islamist groups now see the Gaza Strip as highly fertile soil for planting their own full-scale terror state.
Lebanon: It is the heavily armed Shiite Hizballah terror state that rules this country, overarching the weak government in Beirut.
Syria: Large swatches of eastern, northern and western Syria are dominated by two terror states, the indigenous Al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front and the Iraqi IS, which has declared its pretensions to ruling an Islamic caliphate straddling Syria and Iraq.

ISIS has the cash for mercenaries to fire its advanced missiles

Iraq: Despite Western attempts to present the IS as feebler than it looks, this jihadist organization continues to stride unstoppably through Syria and Iraq, pulling numbers of adherents as it advances. This dynamic Sunni Islamist organization is on its way to posing an eventual military threat to Israel, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
Western efforts to offset the IS steamroller, such as they were, have been tossed aside. On July 1, IS staged a military parade in the northern Syrian town of Raqqa, displaying brand new American-made tanks and artillery and Russian-made Scud D surface-to-surface missiles captured in Iraq.
American military analysts hastened to point out that the missiles were not operational, arguing that IS lacks the infrastructure and trained manpower to use them.
But with petrodollars and other cash flowing in to its war chest, ISIS shouldn’t have much trouble hiring mercenaries to use or instruct them in the use of these missiles. Israel, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, who are all within range, are wholly unprepared for this eventuality.
Yemen: Much of Yemen has fallen into the hands of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which this week allied itself with al-Baghdadi and his Iraqi organization.
In the new Middle East, nothing is certain. The “Arab Spring” may have washed away some of the region’s old regimes, but the onslaught of the terror states has proved more successful in altering the face of the region and taking it into dangerous uncharted waters.

Scholars Trying to Redefine Inerrancy
Jul 5th, 2014
Daily Newsdefendinginerrancy.com
Categories: Exhortation;Commentary

Inerrancy is foundational to all other essential Christian doctrines. It is granted that some other doctrines (like the atoning death and bodily resurrection of Christ) are more essential to salvation. However, all soteriological (salvation-related) doctrines derive their divine authority from the divinely authoritative Word of God. So, epistemologically (in a knowledge-related sense), the doctrine of the divine authority and inerrancy of Scripture is the fundamental of all the fundamentals. And if the fundamental of fundamentals is not fundamental, then what is  fundamental?  Fundamentally nothing! Thus, while one can be saved without believing in inerrancy, the doctrine of salvation has no divine authority apart from the infallibility and inerrancy of Scripture.

The International Council on Biblical Inerrancy (ICBI) was founded in 1977 specifically over concerns about the erosion of inerrancy. Christian leaders, theologians and pastors assembled together three times over the course of a decade to address the issue. At the first meeting, a doctrinal statement was jointly created entitled "The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy." This document has been described as "a landmark church document" created "by the then largest, broadest, group of evangelical protestant scholars that ever came together to create a common, theological document in the 20th century. It is probably the first systematically comprehensive, broadly based, scholarly, creed-like statement on the inspiration and authority of Scripture in the history of the church." 

Despite this modern safeguard, in 2010, Dr. Mike Licona, an evangelical professor, wrote a book entitled The Resurrection of Jesus: A New Historiographical Approach. In this book, he suggested that the account of the resurrected saints walking through the city might be "apocalyptic imagery" (Mat. 27:51-53). In other words, he suggested that the events did not actually happen, but that it was lore or legend. Subsequently, Licona resigned from his position with the Southern Baptists and at Southern Evangelical Seminary. What followed is rather alarming. Incredibly, some notable evangelical scholars began to express their support for Licona's view, considering  it consistent with a belief in inerrancy.

Of course, in order to defend Licona's view they had to redefine inerrancy to include what were previously considered to be errors.  Some did this by misinterpreting inerrancy as expressed by the ICBI framers.

Since 2011, more alarming statements from Licona have surfaced, including: (1) A denial of the historicity of the mob falling backward at Jesus' claim "I am he" in John 18:4-6 (RJ, 306, note 114); (2) A denial of the historicity of the angels at the tomb recorded in all four Gospels (Mat. 28:2-7; Mark 16:5-7; Luke 24:4-7; John 20:11-14) (RJ, 185-186); (3) A denial of the accuracy of the Gospel of John by claiming it says Jesus was crucified on the wrong day (debate with Bart Ehrman at Southern Evangelical Seminary, Spring, 2009); (4) A claim that the Gospel genre is Greco-Roman biography which he says is a "flexible genre" in which "it is often difficult to determine where history ends and legend begins" (RJ, 34). Amazingly, these views continue to gain support among the evangelical community.

These are the professors of some of the finest evangelical schools in the nation, who are responsible for training the pastors of today and future generations, and they are saying that they are comfortable with these verses not being factual. This is an outright departure from the historic definition of inerrancy.

Minister Calls to Cut Aid to Gaza, Target Hamas Leaders
Jul 5th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Yisrael Katz

Flash90

Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz (Likud) sharply criticized Israeli government policy on Saturday, insisting that it is responsible for the current salvo of rocket fire from Gaza. 

"The policy of all governments since Hamas took power in Gaza is the wrong policy," Katz began. "The security system has also become too conservative, and [neither] has come and taken revolutionary steps [to combat Hamas]."

"This has been driving the political leadership over the years, this is what has been driving state policy over the years, and this government is not doing what it needs to," he added. 

Katz called to break all of Israel's humanitarian aid to Gaza, including the electricity and water it supplies. 

"We need to break away from the population in Gaza," he said. "We need to set boundaries and say goodbye to Gaza until their is peace - no fuel, no electricity, no water, no food."

"It makes no sense for Israel to give the enemy these things," he continued. "We are responsible for an area which has no authority."

The Transportation Minister added that the next step is breaking Hamas down at the fundamental level. 

"Israel should set a clear goal: to dismantle Hamas of its missile stockpile," he said. "We should criminalize the Hamas leadership, which is responsible for abduction and murder [of Israelis]."

"[Ismail] Haniyeh and others should be the ones living in shelters," he continued, adding that Israel should also return to targeted assassinations. "We must say to the world, to countries in the region and to Egypt: we are not willing to put up with anymore." 

Katz concluded by saying that he would fight for his views to be heard in the government. 

"It cannot be that we let missiles fall on civilian communities," he said. "It cannot be that Israel does not provide strong protection and create deterrence to prevent this rocket fire." 

Katz's remarks surface after Hamas rocket fire on Israel has increased dramatically, with at least fifteen rockets fired on Israel in a 12-hour period on Saturday. 

Hamas has been ignoring the IDF's ultimatum, which on Thursday called to stop the rocket fire within 48 hours or face war.

Let the Headlines Speak
Jul 5th, 2014
Daily NewsFrom the internet
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Beijing, Seoul agree to direct trade in national currencies
China's central bank has authorised the Bank of Communications, the country's fifth largest lender, to undertake yuan clearing business in the South Korean capital, the People's Bank of China (PBoC) said in a statement. The announcement came as Chinese President Xi Jinping wrapped up a state visit to South Korea on Friday.  

Rising red tide: China’s Navy in frenzy to build new nuclear-powered attack subs
China's military is investing heavily in advanced submarines, including both ballistic and cruise missile firing vessels and attack subs. Recently, Beijing showed off what appears to be a mock-up of its next-generation nuclear-powered attack submarine, according to veteran military analyst Rick Fisher.  

Taliban launch rocket attack on Kabul oil tankers
The Taliban in Afghanistan say that they have carried out a rocket attack on hundreds of oil tankers outside the capital, Kabul. It was unclear whether there had been any casualties in the incident which happened late on Friday. Firefighters spent all night tackling the blaze, but fires were still burning on Saturday morning.  

Egypt life terms for Badie and 36 Brotherhood figures
An Egyptian court has sentenced Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohammed Badie and 36 other Islamists to life in jail. They were accused of inciting violence and blocking a road near Cairo during protests over the military-led removal of President Mohammed Morsi last July. New President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has pledged to eliminate the Brotherhood.  

Rocket fire into Israel continues as ceasefire remains elusive
A slew of rocket fire from Gaza continued on Saturday, with Palestinian terrorists launching six rockets toward Israel since midnight. A soldier was lightly wounded from shrapnel after a mort

Pro-Amnesty Crowd Burns American Flag At Murrieta On 4th Of July
An American flag has reportedly been burned by pro-amnesty protesters near the Murrieta Border Patrol station on America’s Independence Day.  

Russian MPs back law on internet data storage
Russia's lower house of parliament has passed a law requiring internet companies to store Russian citizens' personal data inside the country. The Kremlin says the move is for data protection but critics fear it is aimed at muzzling social networks like Twitter and Facebook. The Russian government is thought to be seeking greater access to user data.  

Germany spying: US envoy summoned after arrest
The German authorities have summoned the US ambassador in Berlin after a man was arrested on suspicion of spying. The US diplomat "was asked to help in the swift clarification" of the case, the foreign ministry said.  

Iraqi forces reclaim Saddam’s birthplace
The Iraqi army retook Saddam Hussein’s home village overnight, a symbolic victory in its struggle to seize back swathes of the country from Sunni insurgents. Backed by helicopter gunships and helped by Shia volunteers, the army recaptured the village of Awja in an hour-long battle on Thursday night, according to state media, police and local inhabitants.  

Fears of undetectable bombs implanted in terrorists’ FLESH prompt heightened security at European airports
Passengers on U.S.-bound flights from Europe endured lengthy security checks Friday amid new fears terrorists could sneak high-tech bombs aboard in cell phones, shoes or even implanted in their flesh. In Paris and London passengers encountered additional screenings that caused delays of 30 minutes to an hour.  

Suicide bomber kills 15 in attack on Iraq forces
A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-rigged vehicle at a security forces position north of Baghdad on Friday, killing 15 people, police and a doctor said.  

Ukraine: Rebels attack from both sides of border
Russia is letting separatist rebels use its territory to attack Ukrainian border posts, a top security official charged Friday as clashes in southeastern Ukraine killed nine more government troops.  

Putin tells Obama he wants better ties, equal treatment
President Vladimir Putin called for an improvement in ties between Russia and the United States on Friday in an Independence Day message to Barack Obama, urging Washington to treat Moscow as an equal partner.  

Kurdistan is Programmed for Full Independence, Encouraged By U.S., Turkey and Israel
Jul 5th, 2014
Daily Newsdebkafile
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

The partition of Iraq inched ever-closer as the president of the country’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region, Masoud Barzani, announced plans to schedule a referendum on independence.
Public opinion polls and previous votes indicate that this measure will pass with ease, paving the way for an independent Kurdistan in northwestern Iraq.
“From now on, we won’t hide that that’s our goal,” Barzani, president of the 40,000 sq. km. Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), said to the BBC on July 1, talking about his aspiration for independence. “Iraq is effectively partitioned now. Are we supposed to stay locked in the tragic situation in which the country is living? It's not me who will decide on independence. It's the people."
Barzani said the vote will come in "a matter of months," adding that the KRG will first lay the groundwork by establishing an independent electoral authority.
"We hope that this state will have the best of relations with all of its neighbors, and we will not be a threat to anyone at all, I'm sure," he added.

An enlarged army and air force

While Barzani's comments were the first overt avowal of the Iraqi Kurds’ move toward partition, DEBKA Weekly's military sources report they have been taking often discreet military steps to support their plans:
1. The Kurdish Peshmerga army has kicked off a massive recruitment drive, announcing that all men aged 20-35 in the KRG’s 8 million-strong population will be drafted into operational military service. This is tantamount to full mobilization.
2. They are building a large Kurdish air force, which will be run out of a command center at Kirkuk Air Base, which was known as "Krabtown" during the Americans' stay in Iraq. This facility and Kirkuk’s oil fields were grabbed by the Kurds when the Iraq army fled from the advancing Sunni Islamists. The KRG’s capital, Irbil, will also become a major air base, with part of the city's international airport commandeered for military use.
Kurdish hopes were bolstered by a comment by US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey on June 2 that Washington had lost confidence in Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and the Iraqi army, and was sniffing out other potential proxies.
Dempsey said a key role of the 1,000 American troops in Iraq was "assessing whether the country's security forces can hold together and whether its leaders are confident they can do their jobs.”

The only acceptable negotiating partner for Sunnis

Although the general didn’t come out and say it, the only army in Iraq that fits this bill is the Peshmerga.
Our Washington sources relay that during his visit to Irbil in late April, US Secretary of State John Kerry had a sit-down with Barzani.
The Kurdish leader convinced Kerry that the Kurds are the only group in Iraq able to deal directly with the Sunnis and negotiate local military and political arrangements that will distance them from ISIS, which this week shortened its acronym to IS, the Islamic State.
Barzani assured the American diplomat that if he can smooth things out with local Sunni leaders, the Peshmerga will be well on its way to capturing the Niveneh Province in northern Iraq from the Islamists, including Iraq's second city, Mosul.
> From there, Barzani mapped out an advance toward Tikrit, where the Iraqi Army this week fell flat in its attempt to retake the Sunni city. The Peshmerga then plans to move in on Diyala Province, in the east. All in all, the Kurdish leader envisaged his army eventually wiping out the Al Qaeda branch’s dramatic gains.
Barzani also had an optimistic prediction for Syria. He told Kerry that he had enough influence on the Syrian Kurdish minority to resolve their internal factional disputes and stabilize a region that abuts on Turkey in the north and ISIS-controlled territory around Aleppo – an appealing prospect indeed.

Close Kurdish-Israeli-Turkish collaboration

DEBKA Weekly's military and intelligence sources caution that Barzani may be wearing rose-tinted spectacles for the Peshmerga's strength; he may also be overly optimistic about his chances of achieving full Kurdish independence. Boasting may be a good ploy to win US support for promoting the Kurdish cause, but it is likely to fall on hard ground in Iraq when he tries to bring them to reality.
At this point, the Kurdish leader does have some friends in high places. Our intelligence sources say Turkey and Israel are sharing intelligence with the Kurds, and Israel is providing military aid and backup. Barzani's right-hand man, KRG Director of Intelligence and Security Masrour Barjani, Turkish intelligence (MIT) chief Hakan Fidan and Mossad director Tamir Pardo have been holding regular meetings.
The three men are also behind another top-secret scheme to draw money into the future independent Kurdistan by doubling Kirkuk's oil production from 200,000 to 400,000 barrels per day. The oil is exported from Iraq through Turkey and then transported to Israel, where it makes its way onto the international oil market.

Israeli PM Pays for Restraint Against Hamas With Credibility At Home
Jul 5th, 2014
Daily Newsdebkafile
Categories: The Nation Of Israel;Contemporary Issues

The discovery on June 20 of the bodies of three Israeli teenagers, 18 days after they were kidnapped near Hebron, sent Israel tumbling head first into its next crisis mode. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu swiftly convened an emergency meeting of his security cabinet. But as this issue went to print on July 3, the cabinet had met four times and issued no public statements.
With no strong line from the government, tensions have escalated further.
Since the June 12 abduction of Eyal Yifrach, Gil-Ad Shaer and Naftali Frenkel, rockets from Gaza have been slamming into Israel day by day. Their numbers have swelled exponentially, with a barrage of more than 50 rockets sailing into Israel between Wednesday July 2 and Thursday afternoon, including some guided warheads with enhanced accuracy.
Then, on July 2, the charred body of a murdered Palestinian teenager was found in the Jerusalem Forest, setting off fierce rioting in the northeastern neighborhoods of Jerusalem. Palestinians blamed Israeli “settlers” for the murder, saying they kidnapped 17-year old Muhammad Abu Khdeir from his home in Shuafat, Jerusalem, and killed him in revenge for the three murdered Israeli boys.
The cycle of blood and fire between Israel and the Palestinians has been sparked once again, and tensions are running high.

Egyptian, Jordanian, Qatari leaders lean hard on Netanyahu

As rocks, Molotov cocktails, firecrackers, pipe bombs and tear gas ripped through Jerusalem streets, Netanyahu remained firm in his inaction. Despite bumper stickers and signs demanding “Netanyahu, Wake Up!” and “How long?” popping up across Israel, he is standing fast thus far against the IDF opening a new military front against Hamas in its Gaza stronghold.
According to DEBKA Weekly’s military and diplomatic sources, various Arab leaders have been leaning hard on Netanyahu to defer any major action until they have the chance to negotiate a ceasefire with Hamas.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El Sisi, Jordan’s King Abdullah and Qatari ruler Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani have each sent him a series of messages to this effect.
Sisi and King Abdullah upped the pressure in phone calls between Jerusalem, Cairo and Amman, advising Israel not engage directly with Gaza while the war with Al Qaeda rages in Syria and Iraq.
They were not averse to Israel’s crackdown on Hamas’s West Bank infrastructure, but pressed hard for the IDF to lay off the Gaza Strip.
But the Arab leaders and Netanyahu, who is backed solidly by Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz, have not taken into account key psychological and tactical aspects of the present crisis.

As Netanyahu holds back, Hamas steps up rocket fire

1. The Arab leaders were concerned solely with the issue of Hamas’s rocket fire against Israel. They failed to grasp the profound damage wrought the Israeli psyche by the nerve-wracking 18-day hunt for the three teenagers still believed alive, and the traumatic impact of the discovery of their bodies. This experience left all segments of Israeli society, especially young soldiers, in an agony of fury.
By deferring to the Arab leaders’ demand to treat the diabolical Hamas with “restraint,” Netanyahu incurred grave damage to his credibility at home, where just retribution was desperately sought. Calls for a final reckoning with Hamas were redoubled after more than a decade of rocket fire.
2. To defend his decision to the rest of the security cabinet, Netanyahu relayed the Arab leaders’ pledge of every possible effort to defuse the explosive situation in Gaza. He voiced his belief in an eventual respite from the intolerable rocket blitz.
No sooner had he spoken, than the rocket barrage redoubled, with an ever-widening range and choice of soft Israeli civilian targets. Guided missiles slammed into homes and vehicles in Sderot with shocking accuracy. Casualties were avoided only by disciplined inhabitants inured by long experience to dashing at top speed for cover.

Troop reinforcements: Window dressing or precursor of Gaza operation?

On the afternoon of July 3, senior IDF officers let it be known that troop reinforcements had been sent to the Gaza border. The Home Front Command raised the national alert level over concerns that the rockets would reach further north into central Israel.
But the same military communiqué informed Hamas that “Quiet would be greeted with quiet.” Heavily masked Hamas activists responded in a televised statement warning scornfully that Israel would be amazed by the extent of its “new bank of targets.”
Thursday evening, as tanks encircled the Gaza Strip, Israel finally issued the Palestinian extremists with a 48-hour ultimatum to desist from rocket fire or else…
Or else what?
If past experience of the Netanyahu government’s reflexes is any guide to its next actions, most of the IDF’s apparent preparations are simply window dressing or “warning signals,” rather than real action to cut Hamas down to size for egregious acts of terrorism, exceptional even in the long history of Palestinian violence.
Netanyahu’s disinclination for a wide offensive in the Gaza Strip is partly due to the deterioration of security around Israel’s borders, our military sources say. The IDF is already engaged in complex activity along its northern borders with Lebanon and Syria, as well as in the war against Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria. IDF Special Forces are operating in Jordan to prevent Al Qaeda and its Iraqi branch from establishing pockets of influence in the kingdom, as it has done in Syria. It is also clear that a major Israeli incursion of the Gaza Strip, in order to bring security to the streets of the homeland, would be costly in casualties and last for at least a month.
This dilemma will grow more acute as time goes by.

ISIS Declares Caliphate, Calls on All Muslims to Join
Jul 5th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Clarion Project
Categories: Contemporary Issues;Commentary

On Sunday the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) declared itself a caliphate. It dropped 'Iraq and Syria from its name and now wishes to be known as the Islamic State. The announcement was made to coincide with the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. They have also changed their flag.

The last caliphate was abolished by the Turks in 1924, bringing an end to the Ottoman Empire, the last of the great empires which ruled the Muslim world. The caliphate that ISIS seeks to recreate, however, is based on the original caliphates of the successors to the Muslim Prophet Muhammad, rather than what they would regard as the weak and corrupted caliphates of later times. The ruler, a caliph, is a religious, political and military position akin to a divinely sanctioned monarchy.

A caliphate is regarded by Sunni Islamic extremists as the only legitimate form of government. Re-establishing it has consistently remained a key goal of groups ranging from the Muslim Brotherhood to Al Qaeda. 

Abu Bakr Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State (formerly ISIS, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) as the caliph and "the leader of Muslims everywhere." In declaring himself thus, Baghdadi is attempting to seize legitimacy as the leader of the jihadi movement in particular and the Muslim world in general. He was capitalizing on recent sweeping gains made by the group in its capture of Mosul. He will now take on the name and title "Caliph Ibrahim."

One of the primary duties of the caliph is to wage jihad against the kuffar (infidel). In Islamic terms, only a caliph has the authority to declare jihad, immediately marking the Islamic State, in its own eyes, as the only legitimate jihadi organization.

This puts the new caliphate directly at war with Al Qaeda and potentially at war with other jihadi organizations should they refuse to accept the authority of the new caliphate. Professor Peter Neumann of the International Centre for the Study of Radicalization regards the announcement as a "declaration of war against the West and al Qaida."

Charles Lister, an analyst from the Brookings Institute emphasized the importance of this declaration in forcing the issue of caliphate onto the jihadi movement:

"The impact of this announcement will be global as al-Qaida affiliates and independent jihadist groups must now definitively choose to support and join the Islamic State or to oppose it. The Islamic State’s announcement made it clear that it would perceive any group that failed to pledge allegiance an enemy of Islam. Already, this new Islamic State has received statements of support and opposition from jihadist factions in Syria – this period of judgment is extremely important and will likely continue for some time to come."

In order to make the announcement, three videos were released one after the other. The first celebrated the destruction of the border between Syria and Iraq, and celebrated recent Islamic State (formerly ISIS) gains.

The second video, "An End to Sykes-Picot" featured an Islamic State fighter at an abandoned Iraqi army checkpoint on the Syrian border explaining the end of the old Middle Eastern framework and the beginning of a new Islamic era. Sykes-Picot refers to the secret deal between the British and the French at the end of World War I in which the current borders of the Middle East were drawn up, in order to serve European imperial interest. Iraq was created to be in the British sphere of influence, and Syria in the French sphere.

The third video, "This is the Promise of Allah" is a 34-minute declaration of intent to establish an Islamic caliphate. It is written in flowery language and delivered in Arabic. It promises victory to Muslims and includes many exhortations to martyrdom.

Celebrations have been held by Islamic State supporters. Affiliated accounts have been sharing  #CaliphateRestored on Twitter. In Holland a group of young jihadis posted a video in support. In Raqqa, the Islamic State's Syrian stronghold, a military parade was held to celebrate the announcement.

The group has been displaying its characteristically brutal style of rule. A few days ago posters in Mosul called for unmarried girls to present themselves to the fighters for "sex-jihad." The new state also crucified eight opponents over the weekend for belonging to more moderate rebel groups. Their bodies were displayed in the town square of Deir Hafer, eastern Aleppo.  A ninth man was crucified for eight hours in another town under Islamic State control, but he survived.

Meanwhile, the nascent Islamic State has set its sights on further growth. Based on official statements and threats they have made on social media, they plan to target Jordan and Saudi Arabia, where they have some popular support. The southern town of Ma'an in Jordan has become increasingly radicalized with young men being drawn to the successes of the Islamic State.

A recruitment drive was also launched recently in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. They have also vowed to conquer Jerusalem and have a foothold in Gaza. Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (North Africa), or AQIM, has also expressed support for the ISIS, although they have not yet made any clear declaration of support for the caliphate.

None of this has happened in isolation. The neighboring countries of the new Islamic State are taking steps to protect themselves.

The Syrian air force has been bombing Islamic State targets both in Iraq and in Raqqa, Syria. The Iraqi army, bolstered by Shiite militias such as the Mahdiarmy has launched a counteroffensive.

Heavy fighting is taking place around the city of Tikrit, the hometown of Saddam Hussein. The Iraqi army has been trying to retake the city since last week but has so far been unable to do so. Yesterday it sent in tanks and helicopter gunships. Russia has sent five SU-25 aircraft to bolster the Iraqi air force, with more expected to arrive soon. They have also provided technical experts to assist in training.

Sectarian killings have also started again in Baghdad. Shiite militias called up to assist the government have been murdering Sunnis.

Jordan's army is regarded as strong enough to defend the Hashemite Kingdom. Failing that, Israel has indicated that it might be willing to offer military assistance.

Only last week, senior Department of Homeland Security advisor Mohammed Elibiary tweeted that the recreation of an Islamic caliphate was inevitable and that the U.S. should support such an endeavor, comparing it to the European Union.

Hard - Line Fatah Leader in Running to Succeed Mahmoud Abbas
Jul 5th, 2014
Daily NewsAl-Monitor
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

The case of the kidnapped and murdered Israeli teens in Hebron is still at the forefront of the Palestinian situation. The Palestinian leadership has been convening since the bodies of the kidnapped were found on July 1, for fear of major reactions. Al-Monitor learned that President Mahmoud Abbas has during the past days made contacts with Washington and European countries to prevent Israel from carrying out a retaliatory military operation.

While Abbas has kept a more conciliatory and empathetic tone when addressing Israel since the beginning of the crisis, as he denounced the kidnapping, Maj. Gen. Jibril Rajoub, the deputy secretary of Fatah Central Committee, has been quite harsh in his comments on the situation.

In a statement issued on July 2, he warned against any Israeli escalation of the situation, while things were taking a serious turn, threatening to go back to chaotic violence, especially after the negotiations reached a stalemate. Rajoub insinuated that the Palestinian Authority (PA) would take other measures to protect its people from the “organized state terrorism” practiced by Israel against unarmed Palestinians in cities, rural areas and refugee camps, without commenting on the killing of the settlers.

It was surprising that Rajoub, 62, took a different position from that of the PA in denouncing the abduction and killing of the three settlers. Rajoub stated, “Kidnapping is the only language understood by Israel, thus it is the only way to free our prisoners that Israel refused to release. The kidnapping of Israeli soldiers is the only solution to make Israel release the Palestinian prisoners detained in its prisons and who are increasing on a daily basis.”

Al-Monitor spoke by phone with a member of the Fatah Revolutionary Council, who considered that the reason behind this disparity in stances between Rajoub and Abbas regarding the Hebron operation was the negative effect Abbas’ statements had on Fatah’s image in the Palestinian street. This has pushed Rajoub to take a more popular stance that was welcomed among Palestinians, especially with the approach of Fatah’s seventh conference next month.

“Rajoub’s stance prompted some high-up leaders in Fatah to follow suit, as Maj. Gen. Tawfik al-Tirawi, former head of the general intelligence apparatus and a member of Fatah’s Central Committee, has unprecedentedly demanded that Netanyahu and his government be held accountable as war criminals and terrorists,” the Fatah source said.

However, the Palestinian SHFA News Agency, which is close to Mohammed Dahlan, who was dismissed from Fatah, published a report on July 3 saying that a fierce debate broke out between Abbas and three other members from Fatah’s Central Committee — whom the agency did not name — because of his silence on the latest Israeli violations. They demanded that he break his silence. One of them reportedly shouted at him: “Because of your failed policies we have become traitors in the eyes of the people! You have to rectify your path, otherwise resign and let us put the cause back on its right track!”

These statements coincided with leaks of the minutes of a meeting between Rajoub and the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, which was held during Rajoub’s visit to Doha on May 29. The minutes indicated that Rajoub might be in line to become the next president of the PA following Mahmoud Abbas.

The minutes obtained by Al-Monitor included the following statements, “The emir pointed out Abu Mazen’s [Abbas'] desire to be relieved of his duties; consultations are underway with the Americans who expressed a desire to make the change; Qatar agrees on the appointment of Rajoub as president of the National Authority; and Hamas shall take power over the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and maintain good relations with Rajoub.”

Fatah did not comment on the leaked minutes and Al-Monitor tried to contact some members of the Central Committee to no avail, given the sensitivity of the subject and since they fear any response from their part might anger either the current president, Abbas, or the next president, Rajoub.

However, the member of the Fatah Revolutionary Council who spoke to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, said, “The minutes will prepare the Palestinian street for the ousting, resignation or death of Abbas. If you take a quick look at the current leaders in Fatah, Rajoub seems to be the front-runner, as he is a high-caliber security man and has close relationships with Palestinian politicians of all factions. Despite the fact that he left his official position as the head of the Preventive Security Service in 2002, he continues to have considerable influence on most of the security apparatus officers. He is preparing to take up a high-up position in the Fatah movement during the seventh conference, which is scheduled to take place next month.”

Speaking to Al-Monitor by phone from Ramallah, the source added, “It is known that Rajoub has strong personal relations with the Hamas leadership at home and abroad. His brother, Sheikh Nayef al-Rajoub, the former minister of awqaf in Ismail Haniyeh’s 10th government, has visited Doha on several occasions, visited Gaza in early 2013 and finally went on a historic visit to Tehran to renew the relationships with Hamas’ ally.”

It is important to note that Rajoub’s position in supporting the kidnapping of the Hebron settlers was not the first time his position departed from Abbas’ policies. He visited Gaza in early 2013 and met with a Hamas leader closely linked to Abdul Salam Haniyeh, a member of the Olympic Committee and the eldest son of Haniyeh, deputy head of Hamas’ political bureau.

Rajoub also delivered a speech on the occasion of Nakba Day in Qatar on May 28, which showed a clear rapprochement toward Khaled Meshaal, the Hamas leader, who attended the celebration. The friendly relationship between the two appeared through their mutual compliments.

The biggest loser of the so-called arrangement between Rajoub, Qatar and Hamas on Rajoub’s presidency is Dahlan. It is worth mentioning that Majid Abu Shamala, a leader close to Rajoub who was recently dismissed from Fatah by Abbas, was reported as saying, “I read the minutes just like thousands of Fatah cadres. I am not sure if it is true or not, but in all cases, I reject any interference in Fatah’s affairs by any party whatsoever.”

However, a Fatah leader affiliated with Dahlan’s movement residing in Egypt said in a phone interview with Al-Monitor, “We were not surprised by the leaked minutes, but we link it to the regional polarization and Qatar's desire to prevent Egypt from unilaterally handling the Palestinian issue, in light of Qatar’s awareness of the strong relationship between Dahlan and [Egyptian] President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and the latter's desire to bring Dahlan back to the Palestinian scene.” The Fatah source believed that “Dahlan’s reluctance to comment on the minutes was due to the fact that he contented himself with the Egyptian veto on any intervention by Qatar and Hamas on the issue of Abbas’ succession, since this is an internal affair of Fatah.”

On the other hand, news websites close to Dahlan started a harsh campaign against Rajoub and Qatar. The editor of the news website Fatah Voice confirmed that “the minutes reveals a US-Zionist conspiracy woven in secret under the auspices of Qatar, which is part of Rajoub’s efforts with Qatar and Hamas to consolidate his illusory aspirations of becoming president. However, the latter was mistaken when he informed Qatar that Dahlan’s presence in Fatah had ended.”

On the other hand, in an interview with the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, Vice President of the Legislative Council Hassan Khreisheh ruled out the possibility of anyone occupying the presidential seat except by way of an election. “Rajoub failed in the 2006 parliamentary elections, so how can he become president?” he said. Khreisheh pointed out that Rajoub’s name being mentioned in the minutes implied that he had no chances of winning later and that this was an attempt to impose him as president, which would deprive him of the popular and official cover and lead him into a confrontation with the Palestinian people.

Hamas ignored the subject altogether and did not comment on it. Al-Monitor contacted one of Hamas’ officials residing abroad who neither confirmed nor denied the leaked minutes. He said, “Rajoub is one of the basic choices in Fatah for the post-Abbas period, since his name is not associated with the years of division. He consistently tried to build bridges with Hamas and may not be blamed for having his best interest at heart.”

The official concluded by saying, “Hamas does not interfere in the internal regulatory affairs of Fatah; they know best who their next presidential candidate is. As a Palestinian national movement, we want Fatah to be in a state of recovery and strong cohesion, away from attempts to cause regional polarization and Israeli interventions aimed to impose a candidate at the expense of another. However, Hamas will consider contesting the presidential elections by nominating one of its leaders or supporting another candidate.”

This was hinted at by Mousa Abu Marzouk, deputy chairman of Hamas’ political bureau, to Al-Monitor in an exclusive interview in May.

The Hamas official with whom Al-Monitor spoke did not rule out supporting Rajoub in future presidential elections. “The Palestinian situation is like quicksand. Every day, there is a new development, so let us wait; we must not rule out or anticipate anything.”

Former Intelligence Chief Predicts Gaza Operation
Jul 5th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Amos Yadlin

Flash 90

Former military intelligence chief  Amos Yadlin rejected criticism over a lack of deterrence against Hamas on Saturday, insisting that the only reason rockets have not reached Be'er Sheva and Tel Aviv is due to the threat of IAF retaliation. 

"It is not true that there is no deterrence," Yadlin stated. "Hamas can fire hundreds of rockets at Tel Aviv and Beersheba, and does not actually do so." 

Despite this, Yadlin admitted that another operation in Gaza is likely on the horizon. 

"I have no doubt we are looking at another round with Hamas," admitted Yadlin. "It will be very difficult."

"Hamas will be battered but Israel will pay the price," he predicted, adding that Israel is likely to suffer economic damage and several casualties. 

"We will go into action when Hamas crosses the line, and the next round will be significant and will combine air and ground campaigns," he added. 

Yadlin also stated that while a conflict with Hamas is likely imminent, retaking Gaza - formerly known as Gush Katif, from which Israel withdrew in 2005 - is not advisable. 

"I'm not one of those who think that we need to retake Gaza [for rocket fire to stop]," he said, adding that an operation "will take about two weeks and have Hamas begging for a ceasefire from the beginning."

Rockets indeed reached Be'er Sheva hours later Saturday, with one being shot down by the Iron Dome and another landing in an empty field.

Meanwhile, there is no information on a possible ceasefire set to be brokered between Israel and Hamas, via Cairo, as a 48-hour ultimatum to stop the rockets comes to a close.

For Want of Iranian or U.S. Backup, Iraqs Maliki Starts Retreating South
Jul 5th, 2014
Daily Newsdebkafile
Categories: Contemporary Issues

Left high and dry by his former allies and much of his army, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has changed tack in his desperate fight against the Sunni Islamists trouncing through his country. The 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 12th Divisions of the Iraqi Army are virtually kaput and the Iraqi Parliament proved not only unable to provide political cures for the crisis, but incapable of an orderly debate before breaking up after less than an hour in session.
On July 2, the Iraqi Shiite prime minister ordered his tattered army to pull out of the country’s southwestern desert on the border with Saudi Arabia, as his disappointments kept on piling up.
Maliki had hoped Iran would prop up his Baghdad regime. But Tehran decided not to jeopardize the edge it had gained for the next round of nuclear talks that were due to start July 3, by sending large numbers of troops to Iraq and antagonizing Washington.
The Americans have also left Baghdad to manage on its own, turning instead to the Kurds to do their bidding in the region. (See a separate item on the Kurdish issue).
The Iraqi army’s retreat against the surging Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) - now known by its self-declared title, the Islamic State (IS) - against little resistance, will have immediate effect on the next stages of the Iraq crisis, DEBKA Weekly’s analysts predict:

Maliki hopes Islamist threat to Saudis will pull in US troops

1. With Iraqi troops out of the way, IS Chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi will be able to redirect his forces from the western Iraqi cities of Al Qaim and Ar Rutbah to the southwest and the Ar Ar crossing to Saudi Arabia. A successful grab of this strategic terminal will round off IS control of all Iraq’s border crossings with Syria and Jordan, posing a direct threat to those countries and their capitals.
2. Once in position on the Iraqi-Saudi border, the Sunni Islamists pose a direct threat to Jordan. The Jordanian army’s positions on the Iraqi border will be weakened by the exposure of its northern and southern flanks.
3. Maliki is clinging to the hope that the advancing IS menace to Saudi Arabia will force the Obama administration to change its tactics. Although the Americans have managed to stay out of military involvement in the frays in Syria and Iraq, the Iraqi prime minister calculates they will eventually have to send troops over to defend Saudi Arabia and its oil fields. The prime minister’s scenario moves forward in three stages:
4. When American boots touch Saudi soil, he anticipates Iran stepping in to stir up an insurgency against Riyadh in the oil-rich Shiite Eastern Provinces of Saudi Arabia. This will open up a second front.

A Shiite Iraqi state based on Basra oil

5. The sparse Iraqi forces remaining loyal to Maliki will then withdraw to the southern Shiite cities of Najaf and Karbala and Iraq’s main oil town and only port of Basra on the Shatt al-Arab River. There, he will establish an Iraqi Shiite state, having relinquished Baghdad but kept control of the southern oil fields.
6. Like many Western and Middle East agencies, Maliki is painfully short of intelligence on IS, its numbers, movements and weaponry.
For his scenario to pan out, he is hedging his bets on the Sunni jihadis turning their attention away from the Iraqi army and fixing their sights on access to the Iraqi-Saudi border and the more valuable prizes of the crowned heads of the oil kingdom and Jordan.
Some Western circles have sought to minimize the danger posed by IS’s victorious march from the taking of Mosul in mid-June, by estimating its size as no more than a puny 3,000 to 5,000 fighters.
But DEBKA Weekly’s counterterrorism sources caution that this estimate is wide of the real numbers and cannot account for the jihadist movement’s immense territorial and strategic gains in less than a month.

Rolling in funds, Al Baghdadi steals the light from Zawahiri

IS has expanded at the same rate as Syria’s Islamist Al Nusra Front has shrunk, stunted by lack of funds and weapons for attracting recruits. IS has in contrast has enjoyed the support of the larger Al Qaeda organization, which has provided access to a vast reserve of funds, including around a billion dollars the jihadis withdrew early May from American banks in Mosul.
With this cash in hand, the Iraqi jihadist organization is pulling in new fighters all the time without making the effort of a recruitment campaign. Thousands of volunteers from around the world are flocking to the black flag, willing to take up arms for holy war with an assured pay check.
With the swelling of this intake, self-anointed Caliph al-Baghdadi issued a call on July 2 to all the world’s Muslims to come and fight for his new realm and wage holy war against the US and Iran.
IS successes in Iraq and Syria have also boosted its kudos within the Al Qaeda movement at large. Its ability to tap into a variety of funding sources and its alliances with Iraq’s Sunni tribal chiefs have made al-Baghdadi top dog in Al Qaeda, bumping off leader Ayman al-Zawahiri and the influence of Al Qaeda Central.
Further detracting from Zawahiri’s standing and a shot in the arm for IS, Al Qaeda affiliates have come forward to swear oaths of allegiance to al-Baghdadi. In the past few days, the powerful Yemen-based Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) joined the ranks of al-Baghdadi’s loyal foot soldiers.

A U.S. Air/missile Strike May be Impending Against Iraq
Jul 5th, 2014
Daily Newsdebkafile
Categories: Contemporary Issues

US President Barack Obama is close to ordering an air strike on Al Qaeda in Iraq and Syria, DEBKA Weekly’s military sources report from Washington, after White House and Pentagon officials meeting on July 2 gave this serious thought.
The Islamic State (IS, formerly known as ISIS) is the probable mark, although those sources say “it is possible there could be a US air strike on other targets that will stabilize the situation in Iraq.”
Under consideration are US missiles fired from ships or bases in the Middle East or even from America.
Washington’s most advanced surveillance systems, including military satellites and intelligence drones, are already scanning the area to secure direct hits on as many targets as possible.
A US strike in Iraq or Syria would mark a radical shift in Obama’s Middle East policy, which until now has rejected any direct military intervention in both war-torn countries.
According to our military sources, the US air assault contemplated would not be a short in-and-out operation, but take days or even weeks for a thorough cleanup. It would consume time because, unlike an organized army with fixed command centers and bases, IS consists of loose bands on the move who can scatter to hideouts at speed before they can be pinned down.

Sunnis allied with Al Qaeda will be targeted for US strikes

Our military experts see the Americans listing attainable targets with an eye to disrupting Al Qaeda’s objectives:
1. The Al Qaeda affiliates massing at or advancing on Iraq’s borders with Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. By lopping off these jihadist tentacles, the US campaign would avert the spillover of Iraq’s war to its neighbors.
2. The elimination of IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and his operational headquarters would put the brakes on IS momentum.
3. The Iraqi Sunnis who have thrown in their lot with Al Qaeda. Here, caution is required to avoid harming the Sunni groups trained by US forces and seen as potential partners in the efforts of the semi-autonomous Kurdish entity’s leaders to stabilize northern and western Iraq (See a separate item in this issue on Kurdish independence).
However, the US will drive hard against the Naqshbandi Sunnis, a Sufi religious order associated with dervish mystics, whose ritual includes deep trances. Naqshbandi soldiers and officers served the late Saddam Hussein’s army. Populating hundreds of village across Iraq’s Sunni heartland, they are a major element in the IS drive and believed to be still loyal to Saddam’s former deputy, Izzat Ibrahim al-Duri.

Targeting oil fields and transport links in Syria

4. Possible targets in north and southeast Syria, where Al Qaeda controls most of Syria’s oilfields, and major transportation links and bridges, that Al Qaeda uses to shuttle fighters and equipment between Iraq and Syria.
5. Stores of American weapons captured as booty by IS in the past few weeks are marked for destruction. US intelligence sources believe the militant organization has plundered enough new arms to furnish at least four full military divisions.
6. Washington may also go for Iraqi locations to help smooth the Kurds’ path to independence and the acquisition of more territory.
DEBKA Weekly’s military sources say US forces under CENTCOM and the armies of Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Israel are all in a state of high alert in readiness for likely repercussions from possible US air strikes