Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

U.S. Estimates 7,000 Foreign Fighters in Syria
Jul 9th, 2014
Daily NewsDebkafile
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Senior IDF Official: Long - Range Rocket Fire May Continue
Jul 9th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

A senior IDF official related to recent events at the start of the second day of Operation Protective Shield. “The expansive attacks including the targeting of signs of Hamas’ rule in Gaza will continue today.  By this evening Nahal Brigade units will arrive to the region as part of the preparation for land activity.”

The source indicated that the IDF expected Hamas to attempt a “surprise attack” like they did on Tuesday in Zikim. The source added that long-range rocket fire such as that directed at Hadera and Jerusalem last night may continue. “We are readying ourselves by making changes to the range of the Iron Dome.”

Operation Protective Edge to Ensure 'Zero Rockets on Israel'
Jul 9th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

IAF strike on target in Rafah, Gaza, 8th June 2014

Reuters

Economics Minister and Jewish Home Chairman Naftali Bennett stated Wednesday that Operation Protective Edge would continue for as long as necessary - until the IDF has ensured a definitive end to rockets on the State of Israel. 

"The IDF has been gearing up in recent days," Bennett said. "The Israeli Air Force, led by the Security Cabinet, has dealt a painful blow to Hamas - its tunnels, its headquarters, its ammunition depots, its terrorists and its commanders." 

The Jewish Home Chairman mentioned the elimination of Hamas leaders Ahmed Yassin, Abdel-Aziz Rantisi, and Ahmed Jabari, adding "I declare to the [remaining] Hamas terrorist commanders - we'll get to you as well." 

According to Bennett, the Israeli public has found an inner well of resilience, as rockets fall from Be'er Sheva to Tel Aviv, Hadera to Jerusalem.

"The public has told political leaders, 'we are strong and willing to take it, you get the job done," he said. "The goal we set for ourselves: zero missiles fired at Israel." 

Bennett praised the operators of the Iron Dome missile defense system across the country, which has displayed "extraordinary results" in repelling missiles fired at Israel.

"However, I should say this clearly," he qualified. "Defense does not win wars. We have defined our goal as having zero rockets fired on Israel and we will act to actualize it."

Bennett's remarks echo an assessment from Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon on Wednesday, in which he praised the success of the operation so far and stated that IDF efforts are set to expand. 

"We continue with strikes that draw a very heavy price from Hamas," Ya'alon stated. "We are destroying weapons, terror infrastructures, command and control systems, Hamas institutions, regime buildings, the houses of terrorists, and killing terrorists of various ranks of command." 

The minister stressed that the operational activities will continue and expand, and called on Israeli citizens to stay patient as the IAF conducts more airstrikes.  

"We will continue to hit Hamas and other terror groups in the (Gaza) Strip with heavy blows from the air, from the sea and from the ground so as to ensure the security of Israeli citizens," Ya'alon declared. "The campaign against Hamas will expand in the coming days, and the price the organization will pay will be very heavy."

Minister Demands Israel Liquidate Hamas Leadership
Jul 9th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

IAF airstrike on Gaza

Flash 90

Ministers and MKs on Wednesday called for the IDF to widen the scope of Operation Protective Edge, and attack Gaza in such a way that the terrorist group Hamas will be unable to launch future attacks on Israel.

Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz (Likud) told Walla! that "after last night and this morning things are clear - we must give the IDF the order to crush the snake's head. The IDF knows very well how to do it."

Over 40 rockets reportedly were fired by Gaza terrorists at Israeli population centers on Wednesday morning as of 10 a.m. At least five rockets were shot down over Tel Aviv by the Iron Dome anti-missile defense system.

"Hamas's leadership also has responsibility and shouldn't be given a free pass, it must know that we will act against it by all means. We must eliminate the Hamas leaders. There's no national leadership there - there's terror leadership," stated Katz.

Several Hamas leaders, and a senior Islamic Jihad leader have been taken out in the IDF operation; Katz apparently called for Hamas's "diplomatic" leaders who run the terror organization to be targeted as well.

Katz also commented that Israel must consider cutting off electricity to Gaza, a suggestion also made Wednesday by Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon (Likud), who said "you cannot fight Hamas on the one hand and provide electricity and fuel to transport the missiles fired at us on the other."

Also speaking to Walla! on Wednesday was MK Eli Yishai (Shas), Chairman of the Homefront Preparedness Committee, who stated that Israel "must do all it can to ensure the security of its citizens."

"The technological abilities of the terrorists' weapons, the precision and distances of firing, have gotten more advanced in every round of fighting, and therefore we must push activities that will send Gaza back 40 years in everything connected to infrastructure and technology," declared Yishai.

The MK added "the state has the ability to do that, and the reality demands it."

Roughly 120 rockets were fired at Israel by Gaza terrorists over Tuesday, including a late night salvo that hit Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and as far as Hadera, located 45 kilometers (28 miles) north of Tel Aviv.

Let the Headlines Speak
Jul 9th, 2014
Daily NewsFrom the internet
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Minor earthquake rattles Arizona-New Mexico border
The U.S. Geological Survey says the magnitude-3.6 quake struck about 1:15 a.m. PDT Wednesday in southeastern Arizona, about 26 miles northwest of Lordsburg, New Mexico. There was no immediate word of damage from the quake.  

Did the New York Times Just Stumble Across an IRS Motive for Targeting the Tea Party?
So according to the New York Times, the targeting of the Tea Party, which the IRS admitted was wrong and for which it faux-apologized, is a direct result of “the broad Tea Party-driven spending cuts of 2010.” The Tea Party forced cuts to the IRS budget, and the IRS retaliated by shutting down the Tea Party.  

Katla volcano update: increased earthquake activity, uncertainty level declared
Earthquakes have been more frequent recently under the volcano recently. Most of them were small (below mag. 3) and shallow events. It is unknown whether these relate to magmatic movements inside the volcano, increased hydrothermal activity or are adjustments of the ice cap due to increased melting.  

Someone at a Denver Bar Just Asked Obama If He ‘Wanted a Hit of Pot’ — and That Might Not Have Even Been the Most Bizarre Part of His Evening
President Barack Obama was asked by an unknown individual if he wanted a “hit of pot” Tuesday night, while visiting a Denver, Colorado bar. The incident, captured on video, shows the president laughing off the suggestion.  

Exclusive: Status Quo Changed at David's Tomb
In a Knesset Interior Committee meeting on Monday chaired by MK Miri Regev (Likud), it was revealed that Christians received permission to hold fixed prayers in the David's Tomb Compound, in a breach of the status quo that threatens Jewish prayer rights.  

East Coast wakes up to power cuts after storms kill five
One of the hardest hit spots was the Syracuse-area community of Smithfield, New York, where four of the deaths were reported and at least four homes destroyed on Tuesday, Madison County Undersheriff John Ball said in a statement.  

Shale boom confounds forecasts as U.S. set to pass Russia, Saudi Arabia
Four years into the shale revolution, the U.S. is on track to pass Russia and Saudi Arabia as the world's largest producer of crude oil, most analysts agree.  

Global Mosque Report: June 2014
his is the latest in a series of monthly reports by our British correspondent JP on the progress of worldwide Islamization, as represented by the building of mosques, and activities associated with mosques.  

SOLAR FLARE ERUPTS FROM UNEXPECTED SOURCE
X-ray and UV radiation from the flare sent waves of ionization coursing through Earth's upper atmosphere. This briefly disturbed the propagation of shortwave radio transmissions around the dayside of our planet, especially over Europe and North America. Conditions have since returned to normal.  

Surprise! Red and blue districts often agree on government policy
A new study suggests that Americans in both red or blue areas mostly agree about what government should do – even on issues like immigration and Social Security. 'Gridlock in Congress is not driven by the people,'....

5.4 magnitude quake jolts various parts of country
The magnitude of the quake was recorded as 5.4 on the Richter scale and its epicenter was at a depth of 10 kilometres in north western Kashmir region.

Pakistani terror group swears allegiance to Islamic State
A Pakistani terror group has become the first in the region to break ranks and declare allegiance to the Islamic State that has seized power across Iraq and Syria. It represents a breakthrough for Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as he tries to win support for his caliphate, potentially extending his influence into South Asia and bolstering his challenge to al-Qaeda for leadership of the global jihadist movement.  

How Putin outmaneuvered the US in resupplying the Iraqi military
Little noticed...changing of the guard...As the crisis has deepened, U.S. contractors, U.S. Embassy personnel and most of the U.S. service members from the embassy’s Office of Security Cooperation have abandoned the threatened capital. The exodus has coincided with Russian contractors and support personnel pouring into BIAP to help launch the 25 Russian SU-25 warplanes that Moscow is rushing to Iraq in its hour of need.  

Iraq confirms rebels seized Muthanna chemical arms site
Isis-led Sunni rebels are in control of a disused chemical weapons factory, Iraqi officials have confirmed. In a letter to the UN, Iraq said it would be unable to keep to obligations to destroy its chemical weapons. The Muthanna complex northwest of Baghdad houses remnants of rockets filled with sarin and other deadly nerve agents.  

Xi says US-China confrontation would be 'disaster'
Confrontation with the US would be a "disaster", Chinese President Xi Jinping has said as he called for mutual respect between the two nations. Mr Xi's comments came at an annual China-US dialogue held in Beijing. Diplomats are expected to discuss China's currency, North Korea and tensions in the South China Sea.  

Ebola outbreak: 25 more deaths confirmed in West Africa
Health officials in West Africa say 25 more people have died from Ebola since 3 July, taking the total number of deaths to 518. The World Health Organization (WHO) said 50 new cases of the deadly disease had also been reported. A WHO spokesman said health workers were struggling to contain the outbreak in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.  

Obama requests $3.7bn to fix border crisis
President Barack Obama has asked Congress for $3.7bn (£2.2bn) in extra funding to tackle an immigration crisis at the southern border. More than 50,000 unaccompanied children - most from Central America - have been caught trying to cross illegally between October and 15 June. The move comes amid Congressional gridlock over a wide-reaching bill to overhaul the immigration system.  

Juncker: Economics commissioner will be a Socialist
Future EU commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker on Tuesday (8 July) promised that the economic affairs commissioner post will go to a Socialist, as part of a grand coalition-type bargain between the centre-right and centre-left. He made the committment before MEPs from the centre-left S&D group, whose support he needs to secure his appointment as head of the EU executive in a parliament vote next week.  

Ya'alon says IDF campaign against Hamas to expand, vows 'will exact huge price'
Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said on Wednesday... “We are continuing to carry out attacks that are exacting a heavy price from Hamas,” Ya’alon said as Operation Protective Edge entered its second day. “We are destroying [Hamas’] arms, terrorist infrastructure, command and control systems, institutions, government buildings, terrorists’ homes, and we are killing terrorists in the organizational high command.”  

Stunned by Israel's fierce response, Hamas sends distress signals
Despite fiery statements issued by Hamas spokesmen over the past 48 hours, it was obvious Tuesday night that the Islamist movement was searching for ways to rid itself of the current escalation. Hamas feels that it has been forced into a confrontation with Israel – one that it did not want at this stage because of its increased isolation and financial crisis.  

Iraq crisis: Fifty bodies found south of Baghdad
Iraqi security forces have found the bodies of 53 men shot recently near a town south of Baghdad, police say. The men, who were still bound and had gunshot wounds to the head or chest, were found in Hamza al-Gharbi, 30km (18 miles) south-east of the city of Hilla.  

Greek public sector workers start 24-hour strike

Public sector workers in Greece have begun a twenty-four hour strike in protest at continuing cuts in government spending. Hospitals, tax offices, prisons and archaeological sites are expected to be disrupted by the action. The workers are protesting against austerity measures, including a 40% reduction to salaries and pensions.  

Vatican bank chief to step down amid restructure
The president and four non-executive members of the governing board of the Vatican bank is due to step down, the BBC has learned. Their move is be announced on Wednesday as part of a restructuring plan for the Catholic Church's central government. Pope Francis has sought to stamp out corruption and other abuses at the bank, which handles the Church's funds.  

Syria troops converge as rebels ready for Aleppo showdown
Elite government forces backed by Hezbollah converged Tuesday on the north Syrian city of Aleppo as rebels bolstered their own fighters in readiness for a major showdown, a monitor said.  

Sarah Palin joins 'impeach Obama' chorus
Sarah Palin called for President Barack Obama's impeachment Tuesday over his handling of a growing immigration crisis, becoming the most prominent right-wing US politician to make the provocative demand.  

Water levels at Nevada's Lake Mead drop to new low
Drought in the southwestern U.S. will deplete the vast Lake Mead this week to levels not seen since Hoover Dam was completed and the reservoir on the Colorado River was filled in the 1930s, federal water managers said Tuesday

Israel: IDF Acts to Dismantle Hamas Military Machine
Jul 9th, 2014
Daily NewsDebkafile
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Israel Bombards Gaza After Surge in Rocket Fire, 40,000 Reservists call for Possible Ground Invasion
Jul 9th, 2014
Daily NewsABC News
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

At least a dozen people have been killed by airstrikes on the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, Palestinian officials said, as Israel threatened a lengthy offensive against militants whose rocket fire reached as far as Tel Aviv.

The Israeli airstrikes were heavy - 150 targets were hit on Tuesday - and the Jewish state is threatening a ground invasion, with the cabinet authorising the call-up of 40,000 reservists.

Meanwhile, Israelis ran for cover as sirens sounded in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv as militants launched their deepest attack from Gaza since hostilities flared three weeks ago.

The Israeli military said its Iron Dome anti-missile system shot the Tel Aviv rocket out of the sky.

Israel said a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip was possible, but not imminent, and it urged citizens within 40 kilometres of the enclave to stay close to bomb shelters.

"We are preparing for a battle against Hamas which will not end within a few days," said defence minister Moshe Yaalon.

"We will not tolerate missiles being fired at Israeli towns and we are prepared to extend the operations with all means at our disposal in order to keep hitting Hamas."

Gaza Strip bombarded by Israeli air strikes

Explosions echoed across the densely populated Gaza Strip, shaking buildings and sending plumes of smoke into the air.

In residential areas, the crying of children could be heard as ambulance sirens wailed.

At least eight civilians were among the dead, Palestinian government and medical officials said.

On the Israeli side, rocket impacts wounded at least two people, medics said.

In the Israeli port city of Ashdod, motorists scrambled from their cars and raced for the relative safety of apartment block entrances as a siren sounded, a scene repeated in other Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip.

Live television showed a double-burst of smoke in the clear skies above Tel Aviv as a rocket was intercepted.

In a bold infiltration, four Palestinian gunmen from Gaza landed ashore near Zikim, where a kibbutz and an army base are located, just across the border from the enclave.

The Israeli military said its troops shot them dead.

Aggression triggered by teens' murders

The surge in violence along the Gaza border - the worst since an eight-day war in 2012 when Tel Aviv was also targeted - followed a chain of events that were triggered by the abduction of three Israeli youths in the occupied West Bank on June 12.

The Israeli youths were found dead, as was a Palestinian teen abducted in East Jerusalem last Wednesday in a suspected revenge murder for which six Israelis have been arrested.

Life in the West Bank

Sarah Malik writes she's never had more machine guns in her face or passport checks than when she was in the West Bank.

Israeli police say three of those people have confessed to the murder.

Hamas, which has neither confirmed nor denied any role in the kidnapping of the Israeli youths, has threatened an "earthquake" against Israel.

The Jewish state says Hamas has launched 200 rockets, but a Palestinian source close to the militant group said it was ready to restore calm if Israel met conditions, including a prisoner release.

Setting out terms for a ceasefire, the source said Israel had to "stop all forms of aggression", recommit to a 2012 Egyptian-brokered truce and free prisoners it detained in the West Bank last month.

Washington has backed Israel's actions, while France, Germany and the United Nations urged restraint on both sides.

"We strongly condemn the continuing rocket fire inside of Israel and the deliberate targeting of civilians by terrorist organisations in Gaza," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said.

"No country can accept rocket fire aimed at civilians and we support Israel's right to defend itself against these vicious attacks."

IDF Exposes Hamas's Use of Human Shields
Jul 9th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

The IDF has published photographic evidence of the use of human shields by Hamas.

An IDF bird's eye video shows civilians gathering on a roof of a terrorist's house after the IDF fired a warning shot to indicate it was about to bomb it. Hamas achieved its aim in this case, because the IDF decided not to bomb the home.

IDF Chief of Staff Approves Ground Offensive Plans
Jul 9th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Merkava Mark IV tank by Gaza

Flash 90

IDF Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz, has approved all of the plans for an IDF ground offensive into Gaza, IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Moti Almoz said Wednesday evening. He added that the pressure on Gaza will grow in the coming hours and the IAF attacks will become even more intense. 

According to statistics released by the IDF Wednesday, about 300 rockets have been fired at Israel since Operation Protective Edge began two days ago. Seventy-two rockets hit Israel in the course of Wednesday, by about 8:00 p.m.

Two of the rockets were fired at Holon and Bat Yam, just south of Tel Aviv. One of them was intercepted by Iron Dome and the other struck an empty area. Islamic Jihad took responsibility for the rocket fire on the Tel Aviv area. Three other rockets were fired at Dimona, where Israel operates a nuclear plant. One was intercepted and the other two struck empty spaces. 

One rocket scored a direct hit on a home in a “kibbutz” community in the Shaar Hanegev region. There was no one in the home at the time, and no one was hurt.

Hamas is "extremely frustrated" by the success of the Iron Dome system in intercepting most of the rockets that could have caused death and destruction in Israel, according to Channel 2's veteran Arab affairs expert, Ehud Yaari.

Sirens sounded Wednesday in Binyamina, Habonim, Zihron Yaakov, Bat Shlomo and Or Akiva, near the Mediterranean coast south of Haifa. Two rockets fell in that vicinity – the northernmost point that Hamas has succeeded in hitting since the current operation began.

The IDF has attacked over 160 targets in Gaza since the morning. Over 580 targets have been struck since the operation began. Wednesday saw 31 terror tunnels attacked, as well as 60 buried launchers, and other targets including a weapons storage site. Eleven homes of senior Hamas officers that served as command centers were also hit. 

Videos released by the IDF Wednesday show hits on Hamas officers' homes, weapons cahes and other installations. 

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu held security consultations at IDF Southern Command headquarters in Be'er Sheva Wednesday, along with Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, IDF Chief-of-Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz and GOC Southern Command Maj.-Gen. Sammy Turgeman.

Following the consultations, Prime Minister Netanyahu said, "We have decided to further increase the assault on Hamas and the terrorist organizations in Gaza. The IDF is prepared for all possibilities. Hamas will pay a heavy price for firing at Israel's citizens. The security of Israel's citizens is our primary consideration. Our military is strong, the home front is steadfast and our people are united. This combination is our response to the terrorist organizations that want to attack us.

“We are all united in the mission to strike at the terrorist organizations and restore quiet. The operation will be expanded and will continue until the firing at our communities stops and quiet is restored."

The IDF is purposely targeting the homes of top Hamas officials, experts said Wednesday. According to commentary on Israeli media, the water supply at the “refugee camp” neighborhood of Shati in Gaza has been cut off by the Israeli attacks. This is seen as personally targeting Hamas “Prime Minister” Ismail Haniya, who lives in Shati.

Evangelicals are Changing Their Minds on Gay Marriage
Jul 9th, 2014
Daily NewsPolitico Magazine
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Amy Tincher is an evangelical Christian who plays bass in the band at her suburban Ohio church, where she and her fellow congregants firmly believe the “words we adhere to” are those in the Bible. But last summer, without telling her husband and two kids exactly what she was doing, she boarded a plane for a conference in Kansas whose purpose many evangelicals would plainly consider heretical.

Tincher was one of 50 people flown from around the country and the world—Canada, China, Nigeria and South Korea—to a four-day Bible boot camp dedicated to discussing, and embracing, gay relationships. The gathering was organized by Matthew Vines, who by then was enjoying modest fame for a 2012 YouTube video in which Vines, looking even younger than his 21 years, delivers an hour-long lecture arguing that the Bible does not, in fact, condemn all same-sex relationships. The video has gone viral, racking up more than 730,000 views to date, landing Vines on the cover of the New York Times Sunday Styles section and helping him raise $100,000 for the conference, where he launched The Reformation Project, a nationwide network of pro-gay evangelicals committed to ending their church’s longstanding hostility toward gay people.

Tincher told me she had once “tried on” an anti-gay attitude to fit in with her conservative community in Liberty Township, outside Cincinnati, but like many evangelicals, she struggled to see how homophobia could accord with an all-loving Christian God. So when her pastor sent her a link to Vines’ video, she recalls, “I remember sitting in my kitchen and just crying. I knew it in my heart, but I had never been told that from the pulpit.”

It’s no secret that attitudes toward same-sex relations have changed in this country: Gay marriage is legal in 19 states plus the District of Columbia, and all major public opinion surveys now show a majority of Americans are in favor of it. But Matthew Vines and Amy Tincher are no longer outliers either: Increasingly, even evangelical Christians, long known for doctrinally condemning homosexuality, are embracing gay people, too.

Over the past decade, evangelical support for gay marriage has more than doubled, according to polling by the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute. About a quarter of evangelicals now support same-sex unions, the institute has found, with an equal number occupying what researchers at Baylor University last year called the “messy middle” of those who oppose gay marriage on moral grounds but no longer support efforts to outlaw it. The shift is especially visible among young evangelicals under age 35, a near majority of whom now support same-sex marriage. And gay student organizations have recently formed at Christian colleges across the country, including flagship evangelical campuses such as Wheaton College in Illinois and Baylor in Texas.

Even some of the most prominent evangelicals—megachurch pastors, seminary professors and bestselling authors—have publicly announced their support for gay marriage in recent months. Other leaders who remain opposed to gay unions have lowered their profiles on the issue. After endorsing a gay marriage ban passed in California in 2008, Rev. Rick Warren, pastor of one of the country’s biggest megachurches, said in 2009 that he had apologized to all “all my gay friends” and that fighting gay marriage was “very low” on his list of priorities. Just last month, the Presbyterian Church, a Protestant denomination with a significant, though declining, minority of evangelicals, voted to allow ministers to perform same-sex weddings in states where they are legal.

How Christians See Gay Marriage

Support for same-sex marriage remains lowest among evangelical Christians, but they are beginning to catch up: Between 2001 and 2014, evangelicals saw the largest percent increase in support for gay marriage, compared to other religious groupings surveyed by Pew Research.

The change has taken conservative political leaders by surprise, fractured the coalition against gay marriage and begun to dry up funding for some of the traditional-marriage movement’s most prominent organizations. Just a decade ago, conservative Christians powered an electoral surge that outlawed gay unions in 11 states and, in the view of many political analysts, helped to ensure President George W. Bush’s 2004 reelection. Barely one in 10 evangelicals supported gay marriage, and church leaders like Warren urged their followers to vote against same-sex unions. Evangelicals “could not stand idly by while the radical gay agenda was forced down their throats,” James Dobson, then the chairman of the conservative Christian advocacy group Focus on the Family, said at the time. At its extreme, evangelical denunciation of gay people turned hateful and violent. Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart drew widespread condemnation in 2004 when he told an audience, “I’ve never seen a man in my life I wanted to marry. And I’m gonna be blunt and plain: If one ever looks at me like that, I’m gonna kill him and tell God he died.”

Now, Christian political groups, including Focus on the Family and the National Association of Evangelicals, have virtually stopped campaigning on the issue, shifting their focus to legal efforts to shield religious business owners from having to cater to gay weddings. Republican politicians, who historically have relied on evangelical support, are backing away, too. In Ohio, where in 2004 evangelical activists were among the first in the nation to campaign for a successful ballot measure outlawing gay unions, both Rob Portman, the state’s Republican senator, and Jim Petro, former Republican attorney general, now support overturning the ban.

Chinese Newspaper Posts Map of A - Bombed Japan
Jul 9th, 2014
Daily NewsJapan Today
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a press conference in Tokyo. AFP

A Chinese newspaper published a map of Japan with mushroom clouds rising above Hiroshima and Nagasaki, provoking outrage Tuesday from Tokyo’s foreign minister, who is from the first of the cities to be obliterated.

Tensions between the Asian powers are high due to a series of issues ranging from a territorial dispute over islands in the East China Sea to recent moves by Tokyo to reinterpret its pacifist constitution.

The Chongqing Youth Daily, a newspaper linked to the Communist Youth League in the southwestern megacity, last week carried the map in a full-page advertisement under the title “Japan wants a war again”, according to a posting on its official account on Sina Weibo, a Chinese equivalent of Twitter.

Japan’s full-scale invasion of China in 1937 left 20 million Chinese dead, according to Beijing’s estimates. It ended with Tokyo’s World War II defeat in 1945 following the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

It was not clear who placed the advertisement, which can no longer be found on the newspaper’s official website.

But the stunt infuriated Tokyo, with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida calling it “very, very ignorant”.

“As the foreign minister of the only country that has suffered an atomic bomb attack, and being a politician from Hiroshima, I cannot tolerate this,” Kishida was quoted as saying.

Kishida said he has instructed the Japanese consulate-general in Chongqing to lodge a formal protest if the publication was confirmed, Jiji Press news agency said.

“Prime Minister (Shinzo) Abe has clearly said it would be absolutely impossible for Japan to wage war again. There is no shift in the path of Japan as a pacifist country,” Kishida said.

China’s ruling Communist Party uses nationalism as part of its claim to a right to rule. President Xi Jinping joined hundreds of soldiers, veterans and schoolchildren Monday in an unusually high-profile ceremony marking the 77th anniversary of the start of war with Japan.

In an indirect jab at Abe he condemned those who “ignore the iron facts of history”.

Tokyo has said the Chinese commemoration did “nothing to contribute to peace and cooperation in the region”.

In a recent commentary the Chongqing Youth Daily lashed out at Japan’s re-interpretation of its constitution last week to proclaim the right to send soldiers into battle even when the country is not under direct attack.

“Unfettering the right to collective self-defense is equivalent to handing over a sword back to the hands of murderer,” it said, adding China had been “too tolerant” of Japan for more than 40 years.

Arab Envoys Urge Security Council to Discuss Gaza
Jul 9th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

UN Security Council

Reuters

Arab envoys to the United Nations requested an urgent Security Council session on the situation in Gaza during a meeting Wednesday with the peace and security body's president, AFP reported.

Kuwaiti ambassador Mansour al-Otaibi urged the council to "stop the Israeli aggression and collective punishment of the Palestinian people," amid the IDF’s Operation Protective Edge in Gaza and the continued rocket barrage on Israel.

"I think it is about time the Council issue a statement or resolution" on this issue, he told reporters, speaking on behalf of the Arab bloc.

Rwandan envoy Eugene-Richard Gasana, who holds the council's rotating presidency for July, "promised to convey this, and we expect a meeting in the near future," al-Otaibi said.

Saudi ambassador Abdullah Al-Muallimi said that the IDF’s "disproportionate use of force is unjustifiable" and urged the council to "intervene immediately and take measures to protect the population."

Palestinian Authority envoy Riyad Mansour accused the council of "dragging its feet while aggression and collective punishment are taking place."

The Arab envoys did not call out Hamas for its endless rocket attacks against Israeli citizens nor its use of civilians as human shields.

Responding to the Arab envoys, Israeli ambassador Ron Prosor said that "Hamas started this and has left us no choice," emphasizing that the Israeli army "uses precision strikes to avoid killing civilians."

The council could meet before the end of the week with the goal of adopting a declaration condemning the rocket attacks while also "asking restraint on both sides," a Western diplomat told AFP.

He said it was "difficult, but not impossible," to get an agreement on such a proposal among the body's 15 members.

Abbas's Fatah Declares It Shares 'One Goal' With Hamas
Jul 9th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Fatah's Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade terrorists

Flash 90

Despite outgoing President Shimon Peres's protestations Tuesday that Fatah wants peace and Hamas wants terror, Fatah seems to disagree;

On Wednesday the faction of Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas declared it and Hamas share "one goal."

A post on the official Facebook page of Abbas's Fatah faction on Wednesday showed a picture of terrorists in the military wings of Fatah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, featuring the words "brothers-in-arms: one G-d, one homeland, one enemy, one goal."

Fatah recently signed a unity agreement with Hamas, and the statement shows Fatah's full support for Hamas and Islamic Jihad's ongoing rocket barrage on Israeli civilian centers, after roughly 120 rockets were fired from Gaza on Tuesday, hitting Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

"Brothers-in-arms" Palestinian Media Watch

The picture shows terrorists from Fatah's Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, Hamas's Izz A-Din Al-Qassam and Islamic Jihad's Al-Quds Brigades.

While Peres and others have attempted to draw a moral distinction between Hamas and Fatah, the post indicates that Hamas's charter calling for the genocide of Jews and destruction of Israel is "one goal" shared by Fatah.

Indeed, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) charter of 1968 calls for "armed struggle" or "armed revolution," declaring "armed struggle is the only way to liberate Palestine," and calling on local Arabs to "be prepared for the armed struggle." Following the charter, the PLO and Fatah were defined internationally as terror organizations, a status which was removed during the 1993 Oslo Accords process.

Abbas on December 31, 2009 clearly stated "there is no disagreement between us (Fatah and Hamas): About belief? None! About policy? None! About resistance? None!"

Fatah has at times been at odds with Hamas over its willingness to hold peace talks with Israel, although senior Fatah officials have revealed such talks are part of a scheme to destroy Israel "in stages."

In recent weeks, Abbas's Fatah has called for violent "revolution" against Israel, and threatened the Jewish state by telling it to "prepare the body bags."