Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

What Hamas Really Means By Cease Fire
Aug 5th, 2014
Daily NewsProphecy New Watch
Categories: Today's Headlines;Commentary

Cease-fire! 

It’s a great idea…if it is a mutually defined term. 

In its simplest form, ceasefire merely means, “a cessation of hostilities; truce,” and it is usually implemented to achieve progress in a conflict. For example, ceasefire provides an opportunity to render humanitarian aid and or to give pause for diplomatic efforts intended to bring about conflict resolution.

However, regarding the current conflict between Hamas and Israel in what is known as Operation Defensive Edge, it appears that Hamas’ version of ceasefire has a bit of a different meaning and though the world does not seem to understand the difference, the nation of Israel is intimately familiar with the tactic of “hudna,” the Islamic version of so-called “ceasefire.”

Walid Shoebat, an ex-Palestinian terrorist, understands the underlying premise of hudna and is quoted as saying that this type of ceasefire is called for for one of two reasons: “to gain concessions and/or to deceive the enemy and destroy them.”

Denis MacEoin expounds this concept specific to Israel’s current conflict with Hamas, “The international pressure from all sides for a cease-fire is widening and intensifying. Of course, what a ceasefire amounts to, as it has before, is to give Hamas a second chance. And a third and a fourth –whatever is needed for them to achieve their clearly stated goals of wiping Israel from the map, and then Jews.”

“Hamas has broken or refused to extend ceasefires before this conflict. On this occasion, Israel worked with Egypt to bring about a truce, but Hamas rejected all Egypt’s’ demands and began firing rockets again within hours of the agreement. As a result, Israel was forced to resume air strikes on Gaza.”

Further, MacEoin notes, “Israel has accepted ceasefire agreements many times in the past. And every time, its enemies have used the interval that followed to regroup and rearm their military…”

Shoebat and MacEoin are correct in their assessment. What they have describes is exactly what has transpired over the span of three very recent ceasefires which began on Saturday July 26, 2014 and ended on Friday, August 1, 2014. 

On August 1, 2014, CNN reported, “The announced 72-hour humanitarian cease-fire between Israel and Hamas didn’t even last two hours, by some accounts. The pause appears to have eroded after about 90 minutes in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza, with the attack on Israeli soldiers. The soldiers were working to destroy a tunnel built by militants to breach Israel’s border when a militant emerged from it and detonated a suicide bomb, Israeli military Lt. Col. Peter Lerner told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.”

In other words, Hamas used hudna to call for a reprieve from military action-against them, to seize an opportunity to kill or kidnap more Jews!

Ynet news’ headline: “IDF: Hamas used ceasefire to kidnap soldier, Ceasefire Over,” sums it up. According to the article, there were “two killed in the incident in which Second Lieutenant Hadar Goldin was kidnapped; IDF source: suicide bomber attacks forces working to clear tunnels; Hamas: attack took place before ceasefire…” Lieutenant Hadar was later to have been declared dead in the attack.

Arlene Kushner reflects on the point generally missed on hudna: “Hudna is routinely translated as “truce…”

But, “historically, “hudna” is associated with the Truce of al-Hudaybiyya in the seventh century. Mohammad and his followers had abandoned Mecca to non-Muslims because they did not have sufficient strength to hold it. At Hudaybiyya, a truce was negotiated that was to permit the Muslims to return unarmed to Mecca annually for the next ten years for purposes of religious pilgrimage. Two years later, however, using an infraction of the agreement as a pretext, Muhammad and his followers, who then had sufficient strength, moved in and took Mecca; its residents, believing they had a truce with Muhammad, were unprepared to do battle.

“This is the model: When weak, strike a temporary truce, utilize the time to regroup and garner additional strength, and then move in.”

Considering the history of hudna, Hamas’ Charter of 1988 citing the goal of Jewish elimination and the methods which have been in employed, to date, in order to achieve that goal, it is evident that Hamas’ repeated calls for “ceasefire” are really not meant for serious negotiations with Israel:

So, if Hamas is not, indeed, seeking peace with calls for ceasefire, what might they be intending to do with that time-out? 

Israel’s experience with Hamas’ has proven they have been busy preparing for their “windows of opportunity” provided by hudna moments. 

Ben Barrack recently posted Pajamas Media’s “The Grid, which details 14 ways Hamas Weaponized Women, Children, and Animals, against Israel:

14 Ways Hamas Weaponize

1. Weaponize women as Suicide Bombers and Terrorists

2. Weaponize children: Use children’s TV to brainwash young Palestinians to commit atrocities against Jews

3. Weaponize children: Glorify suicide bombers/martyrdom and terrorism

4. Weaponize children: Use Palestinian youth in stone attacks…

5. Weaponize young children to perform suicide missions

6. Weaponize animals

7. Weaponize ambulances with terrorists, explosives; use Arab children as shields

8. Weaponize Palestinian Mosques

9. Weaponoize Palestinian homes

10. Use women and children as human shields

11. Weaponize Palestinian schools

12. Weaponize Palestinian hospitals

13. Weaponize traditional news media with fake stories leveraging Palestinian deaths and suffering 

14. Weaponize social media against Israel

The Hamas Charter of 1988—Defines the Hamas Mission against Israel and Jews

Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it.

Our struggle against the Jews is very great and very serious. It needs all sincere efforts. It is a step that inevitable should be followed by other steps. The Movement is but one squadron that should be supported by more and more squadrons from this vast Arab and Islamic world, until the enemy is vanquished and Allah’s victory is realized.

The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him salvation, has said:

“The Day of Judgment will not come about until Moslems fight the Jews (killing the Jews), when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees. The stones and trees will say O Moslems, O Abdulla, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him. Only the Gharkad tree, (evidently a certain kind of tree) would not do that because it is one of the trees of the Jews.” (Related by al-Bukhari and Moslem).

In conclusion, it must be understood that Israel’s current conflagration in Gaza, and by extension, ongoing peace talks with Hamas (including their Palestinian counterpart) are not exercises in negotiation, by rule of law, but rather futile attempts at achieving real peace.

MacEoin extracts the essence of the bigger picture for Israel’s present plight for peace: “A future Palestinian state will thrive when the Palestinians enter a world where international law holds sway, where treaties are made and adhered to, where disarmament is not followed by re-armament, where men and women sit at long tables and thrash other terms of a peace, and where force is only used in self-defense or in defense of another. “

Washington: Burden is on Hamas to Keep Ceasefire
Aug 5th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

White House

Flash 90

The United States welcomed the declaration of a ceasefire in fighting between Israel and Hamas on Monday but warned that the onus was on Hamas to maintain the truce, AFP reports.

"This is a real opportunity. We strongly support the initiative," Deputy National Security Adviser Tony Blinken told CNN, when asked about an Egyptian proposal for a 72-hour pause in hostilities.

Separately, both Hamas and Israel have accepted the Egyptian initiative, under which both sides are supposed to halt offensive activity in and around Gaza from 8:00 am (0500 GMT) on Tuesday.

Blinken welcomed both sides' commitment, but made it clear that Washington feels the burden is on the Hamas administration in Gaza to keep the guns silent, after previous ceasefires collapsed.

"Israel has achieved its core objectives in Gaza. It's dealt with the tunnels. It's able to deal with the rockets outside Gaza if it has to," Blinken said, referring to tunnels used by Hamas terrorists to infiltrate Israel.

"The burden is on Hamas, I think, to demonstrate it will live up to the ceasefire," he stressed.

"Then there's an opportunity to get to a more durable ceasefire and deal with some of the underlying issues. It has to start with Israel's security, dealing much more definitively with the rockets, with the tunnels over time, but also with the development of Gaza, so that people can live under different conditions," said Blinken.

Hamas has taken advantage of past temporary ceasefires to continue to fire rockets at Israeli citizens.

On Friday, the group violated a 72-hour ceasefire shortly after it went into effect, killing two IDF soldiers and kidnapping a third, Hadar Goldin, who was declared dead by the IDF on Saturday night.

On Monday, Israel announced a seven-hour humanitarian ceasefire. Hamas took advantage of this ceasefire as well, firing rockets at southern Israel just two hours after it began.

UN's Ban Welcomes Gaza Ceasefire, Urges Talks
Aug 5th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

Reuters

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged "utmost restraint" after Israel and Hamas agreed to begin a new, 72-hour truce Tuesday in their bloody, month-old conflict.

The breakthrough came during talks in Cairo on Monday, only days after a similar three-day agreement to let the guns fall silent collapsed within hours of starting on Friday, as Hamas mounted an attack on Israel.

Ban urged both sides to "commence, as soon as possible, talks in Cairo on a durable ceasefire and the underlying issues," his office said hours after the announcement was made.

"In this regard, he welcomes the proactive engagement of the Palestinian delegation under the leadership of President Abbas."

The bloodshed, which has cost the lives of more than 1,800 Palestinians, 64 Israeli soldiers and three civilians in Israel, has sent tensions in the region soaring.

Talks between the two sides are "the only way to sustainably stop the violence, which has cost far too many lives," Ban said, promising the UN's "full support."

Envoys from all of the world body's 193 member countries are due to meet in a full UN General Assembly on Wednesday to hear top officials report on the crisis.

UN General Assembly to Discuss Gaza
Aug 5th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

United Nations General Assembly

Reuters

With criticism mounting of UN inaction in the Gaza conflict, envoys from all 193 countries of the United Nations will meet Wednesday to hear top officials report on the crisis, AFP reported on Monday.

The meeting of the UN General Assembly was requested by Arab countries who are pushing for a toughly-worded resolution to be adopted by the Security Council.

Top UN officials will brief ambassadors including Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay, who has said Israel's offensive in Gaza could amount to war crimes.

The head of the UN agency UNRWA, Pierre Krahenbuhl, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's Middle East envoy Robert Serry and the head of humanitarian relief in Gaza, Kyung-wha Kang, are also to speak to the assembly, the Ugandan presidency of the General Assembly said.

The move by Arab countries to push for a General Assembly meeting on Gaza follows growing criticism that the Security Council has failed to take a strong stand to press Israel and Hamas to stop the fighting.

Jordan has circulated a draft resolution to the UN Security Council calling for an immediate ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, but the document has yet to come up for formal discussion.

The 15-member Council adopted a statement on July 27 calling for a ceasefire and expressing support for Egypt's mediation efforts after the United States dropped its reservations that such a text would single out Israel.

Terror Havens in Syria and Iraq: Five Reasons the West Should Worry
Aug 5th, 2014
Daily NewsProphecy New Watch
Categories: Today's Headlines;Commentary

Events in Iraq and Syria have alarmed U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.

Extremists from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria control vast swaths of Iraq and Syria. Its members may be mingling with Yemeni bomb makers who have a track record of getting devices on Western planes. And thousands of Europeans have gone to Syria ready to give up their lives.

Holder has voiced "extreme concern" that the volatile mix could spread to Western shores.

"It's more frightening than anything I think I've seen as attorney general," he told ABC News.

Here are five reasons why the fight in Syria and Iraq could spill over to the West.

1. ISIS has the manpower, money and know-how to hit the West, if it decides to

The nightmare scenario is that ISIS leaders or other terrorist groups in Iraq and Syria launch attacks in the West. They are well-positioned to unleash such carnage if they choose. Many of at least 2,000 European militants who have traveled to Syria joined ISIS. That has given groups the opportunity to train them and send them back home to launch attacks. A number have crossed into Iraq.

These European fighters also could pose a threat to the United States because many Europeans do not need a visa to enter the U.S. About 100 Americans also have traveled to fight in Syria -- one carried out a suicide bombing in May.

So far, though, ISIS and its fierce rival, the Syrian al Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra, have not seen attacking the West as anything near a priority.

Their focus instead has been on fighting the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and expanding their zone of operations in the region. The political turmoil brought about by the Arab Spring has made the ultimate dream of global jihadists -- the adoption of their kind of Islamic rule across the Arab world -- seem tantalizingly close. Attacking the West, which for al Qaeda leaders was always a means to this end, has become something of a sideshow.

ISIS -- a group previously known as al Qaeda in Iraq -- has never prioritized targeting Western soil, instead preferring to focus on fighting "infidels" at home.

In the decade since the Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi created the group, it has not been directly behind any plot on Western soil. By contrast, in the decade after the September 11 terrorist attacks, al Qaeda operatives in Pakistani tribal areas provided wave after wave of Western recruits training on how to make bombs out of chemicals and components readily available in home improvement and beauty supply stores in the West.

To date, only one suspected ISIS recruit who has returned to Europe is alleged to have built such a device.

In February, French police arrested a man they identified as Ibrahim B., a 23-year-old French-Algerian, and retrieved three soda cans filled with nearly a kilogram (about 2 pounds) of the high explosive TATP from his Cannes apartment. French police suspect that in the 18 months he fought in Syria, he learned how to make TATP, an unstable and difficult-to-transport high explosive used to build detonators in multiple al Qaeda plots against the West.

It is not clear if ISIS signed off on his alleged plot. While some Western recruits are taught how to make improvised explosive devices in Syria, there is little indication yet that the group has created a training program tailored to attacking the West. The worry is that that could change. After a decade of insurgency in Iraq, no other group has more expertise in making improvised explosive devices.

If the United States launches strikes to weaken ISIS, the group could strike back at the West, financing attacks with the tens of millions of dollars in its cash reserves. Last month, its supporters launched a Twitter campaign -- #CalamityWillBefallUS -- warning of such attacks.

But, if ISIS is able to consolidate its territorial gains, it could set up training camps to rival any run by al Qaeda in Afghanistan before 9/11.

It's a Catch-22 that worries U.S. officials.

"There's going to be a diaspora out of Syria at some point, and we are determined not to let lines be drawn from Syria today to a future 9/11," FBI Director James Comey warned in May.

2. Expert Yemeni bomb makers may be mingling with like-minded Westerners in Syria

U.S. officials worry about Yemeni bomb makers who are skilled in making explosive devices that are difficult to detect at airport security. The fear is that they are sharing their knowledge with terrorist groups in Syria with significant numbers of Western passport holders in their ranks.

Holder called it a potentially "deadly combination."

Ibrahim al Asiri, the ingenious chief bomb maker for al Qaeda in the Arabia Peninsula, a Yemeni al Qaeda affiliate, is thought to have trained a cadre of apprentices. Early this year, U.S. officials became worried that some may have traveled to Syria. Hundreds of Yemenis have traveled to fight there, and officials worry that AQAP and Jabhat al-Nusra are building ties. With ISIS dominating headlines and winning the battle for new recruits, it is possible that al Qaeda affiliates may try to restore their relevance by planning a spectacular attack.

Al Asiri built the "underwear" device that a recruit partially detonated on a plane over Detroit on Christmas Day in 2009. Since then, he has built increasingly sophisticated devices and has experimented with new designs for a shoe bomb. But AQAP has recruited relatively few Westerners into its ranks, limiting -- at least until now -- its bomb makers' ability to target Western aviation.

But there is concern that al Asiri's knowledge is spreading more widely. This month, the U.S. State Department said a Norwegian convert, Anders Dale, had received extensive instruction in explosives after joining AQAP in Yemen. It was not made clear whether this training was provided personally by al Asiri. Nor was it said where the Norwegian is now thought to be.

3. Western fighters who leave Syria could lash out back home

What most keeps European counterterrorism officials awake at night is the potential threat from hundreds of extremists who have returned home after fighting with terrorist groups in Syria. While little evidence has emerged so far that ISIS or Jabhat al-Nusra has directed them to launch attacks, their urban warfare skills would make them especially dangerous.

The first terrorist attack on Western soil linked to Syria probably followed this trajectory. In May, Mehdi Nemmouche, a French-Algerian, allegedly gunned down four people at a Jewish museum in Brussels, Belgium, after spending a year in Syria. When he was arrested, police discovered a Kalashnikov in his possession wrapped in a flag with ISIS insignia. After the attack, an ISIS fighter said on social media that he had joined the group, but ISIS itself did not claim responsibility, suggesting to investigators that he planned the attack himself.

"The threat of attacks has never been greater -- not at the time of 9/11, not after the war in Iraq -- never," a European counterterrorism official told CNN last month. He envisaged a flood of small-scale but effective and chilling attacks similar to the Brussels shooting.

European counterterrorism officials are worried the gains made by ISIS in Iraq will lead to a surge of travel to the region. In identifying who has traveled, they are often playing catch-up.

"In most cases, we know within two weeks a guy has gone to Syria. But 10 to 15 percent of the time, it can be several months before we figure it out. Inevitably, there will be some we have no idea about," one official told CNN.

But even those they know about are difficult to track. Nemmouche was on a watch list when he returned to Europe. European officials tell CNN it is impossible to conduct 24-hour surveillance on all but a small fraction of people who have returned from Syria because of the prohibitive expense.

4. Would-be jihadists could become radicalized 'lone wolves'

The Boston Marathon bombings illustrated the danger posed by extremists learning bomb-making skills over the Internet without having to travel to jihadist encampments overseas. European officials say anger about events in Syria and Iraq and excitement about the gains made by ISIS have spiked radicalization to unprecedented levels across the continent. Though the animus is not directed as squarely against the West as it was during the Iraq war, ISIS's viscerally anti-Western ideology is attracting a growing following in extremist circles in Europe.

Officials worry that anger "trigger events" such as future U.S. strikes in Iraq or the arrests of fighters returning from Syria could result in lone-wolf attacks. Anger about events in Gaza could be another.

5. Foreign fighters who go home could build terror networks of their own

Around 7,000 foreign fighters have traveled to fight in Syria, many from the Arab world. This could see "blowback" across the region as fighters return to their home countries and build up jihadist terrorist groups. Like in Afghanistan two decades ago, fighters are building personal relationships in this melting pot that will form the basis of the transnational terrorist networks of the future. For example, a battalion of hardened jihadists from eastern Libya is fighting alongside ISIS in Syria while Egyptian ISIS recruits have returned to the Sinai, bolstering militant groups there.

Now that al Qaeda has largely switched its operations from the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region to the Arab world, officials fear that its various affiliates in the region will increasingly coordinate and pool resources, creating a significant long-term security threat on the doorstep of Europe.

Temple Institute to Raise Funds for the Third Temple Via Crowd Funding
Aug 5th, 2014
Daily NewsProphecy New Watch
Categories: Today's Headlines;Commentary

The campaign to rebuild the Third Jewish Temple has entered a new phase beyond the praying, preparation of vessels and training of Temple priests: the raising of additional funds for the project. This would hasten the rebuilding of the temple and in the words of The Temple Institute “usher in universal harmony.” This is a sentiment that is reportedly shared and welcomed with excitement by many Jews in Israel, and is further enhanced by the current war with Hamas and the increasing concerns around the wider perennial Arab-Israeli conflict.

A recent report in nowtheendbegins.com explains: “ As Egypt, Qatar, the US and the UN write proposals for Israel-Hamas ceasefires, one organization based in Jerusalem’s Old City hopes to compose a peace plan of a different kind: a detailed architectural blueprint for the Third Jewish Temple on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. The Temple Institute, which has recreated 60 vessels to be used in a Third Temple and which sponsors educational programs about the temple worldwide, has created a $100,000 ‘Indiegogo’ campaign to draft plans for a Third Temple.”

Plans for the section of the Temple that will house the Sanhedrin at the cost of $30,000 have also been drawn. A video with 3D architectural renderings of the Chamber can be seen in the gallery section of this campaign, alongside photographs of some of the 60 sacred vessels made for use in the Third Temple. Although the campaign target is $100,000, the full cost of completing the blueprints for the Third Temple will be $300,000.

The Indiegogo campaign statement states that the rebuilding of the Temple would “usher in a new era of universal harmony and peace” and further describes it as “a Biblical obligation to build.” The campaign is tied to the upcoming fast of Tisha b’Av, which mourns the First and Second Temples’ destruction. 

The Indiegogo statement further dismisses as mythical any assertions that the Temple “will come down miraculously from the sky”, be achieved through violence or be made open exclusively to limited Jewish groups. Rather, it states as fact that the Third Temple “will be built through human effort in the natural course of human events. As predicted by the prophets, the Holy Temple stands for the sanctity of human life and peace and will be the center of an inspiring pilgrimage for all people.”

The campaign, which captures the passion and fervor of Jewish intent and resolve towards the rebuilding of the temple, states in part: “Are you ready for the peace we all long for in the Middle East? The Third Temple in Jerusalem will be the House of Prayer for all nations. Every prophet of Israel, without exception, prophesied that the Temple would be rebuilt, ushering a new era of universal harmony and peace. The "movement" to rebuild the Holy Temple was born almost 2,000 years ago, at the moment of the Second Temple's Destruction… After millennia of yearning, only one organization is paving the way for the rebuilding of the Temple. The Temple Institute located in the Old City of Jerusalem…Now is time for one of its most ambitious projects yet: completing architectural plans for the actual construction, fusing ancient texts and modern technology…It is not enough to wait and pray for the Third Temple. It is a Biblical obligation to build it. Where will your money go? Your contribution will go towards completing this ambitious project and the continued research and development which will make the Third Temple a reality.”

For those willing but unable to contribute financially, the statement recommends: “Some people just can't contribute, but that doesn't mean you can't help. Share our video and campaign with others.” The combination of crowd funding and garnering support through social network campaigns is an interesting and somewhat novel strategy for this project, seemingly calculated to leave no stones unturned and no options unexplored. The campaign seems to favour the use of Facebook as well as YouTube videos such as the series “Tisha B'Av 2014: The Children Are Ready” to maximize publicity and support for the Temple project. 

This strategy is likely to be successful in terms of the opportunity to grow the campaign virally largely via social network groups leveraging the use of the internet, throughout Israel and the United States where Israel draws most of its moral and political support from. Typically supporters would comprise largely of evangelical Christians and religious Jews .The capacity to raise more funds will also be a natural by-product of this strategy that is not limited to physical boundaries. 

Potential contributors are additionally incentivized to contribute financially, by a wide range of prizes available, ranging from a mitzvah for contributions of at least $18 to a grand prize to contributors of at least $50,000, who will prequalify to receive an exclusive preview of the current architectural plans with Rabbi Chaim Richman, along with a tour of the Temple Mount and Temple Institute's Visitor's Center.

So far, about $10,700 or 11% of the $100,000 target has been raised, with 56 days left to the end of the campaign that begun on 27th July and is due to end on 25th September. If the current daily average donation of about $1,700 is sustained or exceeded, the campaign will be on track to at least meet the target of at least $100,000.

Christians supporting this initiative will be able to enjoy the privilege of participating in the fulfillment of a highly significant prophetic occurrence, while also catering to the long held aspirations of the Jews of whom God said through Abraham: 

“I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3).

On the other hand, the spread of this move particularly via social media as opposed to carefully selected support groups that are friends of Israel, is also likely to further attract the attention of anti-Semitic groups who may consider ways to scuttle the intended project in whatever way possible even if they cannot interfere with the crowd funding and social media promotion efforts.

Another key concern that has been expressed about the Jewish expectation that the rebuilding of the temple would usher in “world peace and harmony” is that this desired outcome is apparently not supported within Biblical scriptures in this context. Quite the opposite: nowtheendbegins.com explains (based on Daniel 9:27) that “in the last days, the temple that will be built will be the temple of Antichrist, and will offer up abominations that the God of Abraham will completely reject. Instead of bringing in ‘world peace’, the Old Testament declares that it will usher in the time of Jacob’s Trouble, and great tribulation will fill the whole earth.” This time is also referred to in Jeremiah 30:7: ““Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.”

In this context, perhaps Jewish excitement about the rebuilding of the temple is focused more on the reinstatement of their valuable Judaic heritage rather than the Biblically prophesied culmination of the Jewish anguish that will start with the Anti-Christ’s desecration of the temple. For Christians, the excitement stems mainly from the fulfillment of a Biblical prophecy that is at the centre of much of end-time prophecy, which in turn heralds the imminent return of Jesus Christ and ultimately the establishment of “ a new heaven and a new earth” (Revelation 21:1).

Similarly, in supporting this particular prophetic development, Christians may find that they are precipitating and assisting an outcome that may initially seem to bless the Jews, but will eventually hurt them because the AntiChrist will use the rebuilt temple to launch the greatest suffering and persecution that the Jews will ever face. In any case, the event is already prophesied to occur, and so it will at its appointed time regardless of whether or not anyone supports or opposes it. 

Indications are that in the meantime, based on purely natural, religious and political considerations, it will take much more than just adequate fundraising and social broadcasting to realise the actual building of the Temple: According to Rabbi Chaim Richman, the institute’s international director, the temple would stand in the present location of the Dome of the Rock, a Muslim shrine. Muslims revere the mount as the Haram al-Sharif, or Noble Sanctuary.

No wonder then that Richman did not set a target date for breaking ground for the construction project, instead reportedly stating that the temple will be built when “the world will want us to build the temple. The Jewish people have a responsibility to all of humanity, including Islam…I don’t expect it to come about through any sort of confrontation or any sort of military maneuver. The Jews have to represent good in the world, light in the world.”

The prophesied rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem will eventually take place – simply because God has stated that it will, and He is easily able to ensure it by whatever means or circumstances He chooses to allow it to happen. Meanwhile, Christians and Jews alike would do well to heed the Biblical exhortation to continually pray towards the actualization of God’s will and purposes for Jerusalem and the Jews:

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May they prosper who love you.
Peace be within your walls,
Prosperity within your palaces.”
For the sake of my brethren and companions,
I will now say, “Peace be within you.”
Because of the house of the Lord our God
I will seek your good (Psalm 122:6-9).

Or as was given to the Prophet Isaiah: 

I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem;
They shall never hold their peace day or night.
You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent,
And give Him no rest till He establishes
And till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth (Isaiah 62:6-8)

South African President Criticizes Israel Over Gaza
Aug 5th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

South African President Jacob Zuma

Reuters

South African President Jacob Zuma voiced outrage Monday over civilian deaths in Israel's campaign in Gaza but distanced himself from calls to expel the Israeli ambassador, AFP reported.

"We are outraged by the killing of civilians by Israel, some in United Nations shelters," Zuma was quoted as having told a news conference in Washington where he was attending a U.S.-Africa summit.

"We call upon all sides to lay down arms and work towards a negotiated solution that will lead to an internationally recognized and supported two-state solution," he said.

Zuma also condemned the killings of Israeli civilians by the Hamas terrorist group but also voiced skepticism over calls within his African National Congress party for the Pretoria government to kick out Israel's ambassador.

"It cannot just be a quick thing," Zuma said when asked about South Africa's response to the Gaza crisis.

Zuma, without explicitly ruling out the expulsion of the ambassador, said that South Africa needed to act in a way "that will benefit both countries of the Middle East in the long end, and as a country we do have to take a bigger picture."

South Africa has frequently been critical of Israel and has claimed that it is applying a policy of “apartheid” towards Palestinian Arabs. Last June, the former South African ambassador to Israel rejected a symbolic gift from the Israeli government, planting trees in his honor in a national park named after South Africa.

He explained that Israeli policies which, he claims, discriminate against Arabs appeared to be reminiscent of his experiences under South Africa's apartheid system.

South Africa's Foreign Minister has in the past slammed Israel's plans to build new homes in Jerusalem, saying she was “losing sleep” over the size of “Palestine”.

Most recently, Zuma’s party compared Israel’s airstrikes on Gaza to the actions of the Nazis during World War II, evoking outrage from Jewish groups in the country.

Solar Superstorm Near - Miss Spotlights EMP Threat
Aug 5th, 2014
Daily NewsWND
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Questioning Evolution With Evidence Gets Professor Fired
Aug 5th, 2014
Daily NewsProphecy New Watch
Categories: Today's Headlines;Commentary

According to California State University's mission statement, the university seeks to "advance and extend knowledge, learning, and culture..." and to "provide opportunities for individuals to develop intellectually, personally, and professionally". Their mission statement goes on to say that, in order to achieve these and other stated goals, the university promises that it "provides and environment in which scholarship, research, creative, artistic, and professional activity are valued and supported".

However, these lofty mission goals were put to the test recently when Mark Armitage, who worked as a researcher at the university's Northridge location and supervised the university's electron microscope laboratory, discovered evidence that contradicted the university's position on evolution.

Mr. Armitage, a respected scientist and a member of several respected professional organizations, including the American Society of Parasitologists, the Southern California Academy of Sciences, and the Microscopy Society of America, was conducting research on 

Microscopy Society of America, the American Society of Parasitologists, and the Southern California Academy of Sciences, was conducting experiments on a triceratops horn, which he had discovered in 2012 in Montana. During the course of his examination of the triceratops horn, he placed it under a high-powered microscope and discovered the presence of soft tissue on the bones.

The presence of soft tissue on a dinosaur bone directly contradicts evolutionary theory because soft tissue indicates that the bone has not been fossilized. Evolutionary theory teaches that it takes millions of years for bones to become fossilized, and the commonly-held evolutionary explanation of dinosaurs is that they perished some sixty million years ago. 

Professor Armitage is not the only scientist who has discovered the presence of soft tissue on dinosaur bones. Paleontologist Mary Schweitzer discovered the presence of soft tissue on tyrannosaurus rex discoveries in 1997, 2005, and 2007. She went on to publish a scientific report on a hadrosaur in Science magazine, wherein her results were verified by a third party to offset the challenges her research was getting from the scientific community. Her research showed that, according to accepted biochemical decay rates, the soft tissue "would be dust by now", if the millions of years figure was used to date the find. In other words, the dinosaur bones she found, with the soft tissue, could not be millions of years old either.

The scientific community has always been very guarded on the subject of evolution, and has been extremely defensive against anything that goes against their established theories. There have been accounts of destruction of bones, falsification of data, and suppression of evidence that goes against evolutionary theory over the years. The peppered moth story, told in textbooks for decades, was shown to be falsified to support natural selection.

When Professor Armitage discovered the presence of soft tissue under the microscope, he initially shared his findings with his students, who were fascinated by the findings. One of these students, however, reported the findings to Professor Armitage's supervisor, who was not amused. According to Armitage, the supervisor stormed into his office and declared to Armitage that "[w]e will not tolerate your religion in this department!" While Armitage is a professing Christian, the goal of any science department should be to uncover the truth, regardless of the religious views of the scientist making the discovery. However, the exclamatory remark by the supervisor reveals that his anti-Christian bias, and his own religious following of evolutionary theory, is far more important than his own scientific curiosity.

After the outburst by his supervisor, Professor Armitage was promised by the head of the biology department that his religious views would be respected and that the supervisor's outburst was an "isolated incident", the working environment for Professor Armitage got progressively worse.

Professor Armitage published his findings concerning the presence of soft tissue in a peer-reviewed journal, Acta Histochemica. He explained that the purpose of his article was to merely present the evidence that he discovered of the soft tissue. His article did not promote creationism, or promote his Christian worldview in any way. In fact, he did not offer any conclusions in the article. He explained that: “The only conclusions I drew were that ‘This needs to be investigated further. We have a lot of work to do.’ And that was it.”

It would seem that a mere presentation of factual data and the call to investigate the matter further would not evoke a strong reaction from the scientific community, or the university which is supposedly dedicated to scientific research and "extend[ing] knowledge, learning, and culture", but he was told by the university that his article's findings were not acceptable to the university. No one has questioned the factual nature of his findings, but just that the facts he presented are not to be presented.

California State University has 447,000 students and 45,000 faculty and staff members in its 23 campuses across California. At the Northridge campus alone, almost 37,000 students attend the school. Their budget reflects an anticipated 5% increase in enrollment for the coming academic year. However, one has to question the academic credentials of any university that so guards against the dissemination of the truth to its students, and to the scientific community as a whole.

Armitage explained that two weeks after the publication of his article, he was told by the head of the department that his three-year appointment was temporary. He was told that there wasn't sufficient funding for his position and he was dismissed. At no time prior was he told that his appointment was temporary, or that funding would be an issue in continuing his position.
Professor Armitage, who has been a scientist for over thirty years, is now suing the university, with the help of the Pacific Justice Institute, because he believes that his termination was wrongfully based on his religious beliefs and the publication of his peer-reviewed article.

Brad Dacus, who is with the Pacific Justice Institute, stated that Professor Armitage's dismissal based on his religious views is "completely inappropriate and illegal". He is even more concerned, however, with the university's "attempt to silence speech at a public university". Both are subjects of concern in any publically-funded university, particularly in light of the ongoing attacks against conservative and Christian free speech at universities across the United States, as well as campuses in Europe.

PA FM in Hague: Proof Israel Committed War Crimes in Gaza
Aug 5th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

The Palestinian Authority’s Foreign Minister, Riyad al-Maliki, told the international courts in Hague that there is clear-cut proof that war crimes have been committed by Israel in Gaza during Operation Protective Edge.

At this time, Israel has not issued a formal statement in response to this accusation.

Obama Approves $225 Million in Iron Dome Funding
Aug 5th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Times of Israel
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

President Barack Obama signs "H.J. Res. 76," a bill that provides an additional $225 million in US taxpayer dollars for Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system, in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Aug. 4, 2014, in Washington. (photo credit: AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama signed a bill granting an additional $225 million in funding for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system.

The defense system has been highly effective in the current round of violence between Israel and Hamas, intercepting hundreds of rockets headed toward major population centers in Israel. Israeli officials say it has a success rate as high as 90 percent.

The US has provided hundreds of millions of dollars for Iron Dome in the past. The new package is intended to replenish Israel’s capabilities.

Congress approved the money last week before lawmakers left for their annual summer break. Obama signed the bill late Monday in the Oval Office with a handful of photographers present.

During a marathon session devoted largely to passing immigration legislation, the House of Representatives had voted late Friday night by a landslide majority to provide the funding.

“Israel is our friend and Israel’s enemies are our enemies,” House Speaker John Boeher tweeted shortly after the measure passed its final legislative hurdle by a vote of 395-8. Four Republicans and four Democrats voted against the funding, and an additional 29 did not vote.

No debate was held on the bill, which had passed the Senate earlier Friday with unanimous consent.

An Iron Dome Missile Defense battery set up near the southern Israeli town of Ashdod fires an intercepting missile on July 16, 2014 (photo credit: Miriam Alster/Flash90)

Israel requested the additional $225 million for the partially US-funded project, which is credited with saving dozens, possibly hundreds, of lives. The Iron Dome has intercepted hundreds of rockets during Operation Protective Edge, but is notable for its high operating costs which have heretofore largely been covered by the US.

After Israel requested more aid for the missile defense system, the Department of Defense approved the request.

Rep. Lois Frankel (D-FL) said shortly after the resolution’s passage that the additional funding “is crucial to the defense of Israeli citizens from Hamas terrorism” as well as “a testament to the United States’ long standing and deep friendship with Israel.”

Iron Dome intercepts over the course of Operation Protective Edge have likely cost Israel tens of millions of dollars.

For much of the past week, it seemed as though the additional funding would be tied up in partisan bickering, but on Friday, senators agreed to support a standalone bill that did not tie the funding to other budgetary allocations.

A number of organizations which had pushed Congress to approve the additional funding before it left for a month-long recess greeted the bill’s passage with enthusiasm.

The American Jewish Committee expressed “heartfelt appreciation to the United States Congress for approving additional funding for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system.”

“Iron Dome has been a genuine life-saver for Israelis enduring round-the- clock barrages of Hamas rockets and missiles from Gaza,” said AJC Executive Director David Harris in a statement late Friday evening. “Thankfully, Congress, in the spirit of its long support for the U.S.-Israel relationship, recognizes the essence of the ruthless Hamas threat to Israelis of all ages. And Israel’s experience with this system will also no doubt prove invaluable to the U.S. and other democratic countries that may face the threat of violence from both state and non-state actors.”

Shortly after the resolution’s passage, AIPAC circulated an email to supporters suggesting that they launch a letter writing campaign to thank members of Congress individually for their support of Iron Dome.

Newsweek Cover Story Highlights Second Jewish European Exodus
Aug 5th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Anti-Israel demos often feature anti-Semitism

Reuters

The severe upswing in anti-Semitism in several European countries is so significant that Newsweek has made it its cover story. The sympathetic Newsweek report is entitled, "Exodus: Why Europe's Jews are Fleeing Once Again."

The article is replete with references to the Holocaust, rendering it much more than just another hate-crimes report. It rather relays that the same sentiments that led to genocide seven decades ago are again most prevalent in modern-day Europe. The cover photo of a young Jewess with an old suitcase, the words "Once Again" in the headline, and comparisons with Holocaust events – all paint a picture of not merely fleeting anti-Semitism, but of a genuine phenomenon that could once again change the face of Europe.

Newsweek notes that the European Jewish Congress has even set up a website, www.sacc.eu, providing Jewish communities and individuals with advice and contacts in the events of an attack.

The increasing anti-Semitism is felt in the growing number of violent attacks, particularly in France, Hungary, and Sweden, as well as in the strong showings of anti-Semitic political parties in recent elections.

A survey published last November by the EU's Fundamental Rights Agency found that 29% of European Jews had considered emigrating because they do not feel safe.

Aliyah from France, widely recognized as stemming at least as much from fear as from Zionism, has spiked sharply. A full 1% of the French Jewish community, or 5,000 Jews, are expected to make Aliyah to Israel during 2014, according to Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky; some say it could reach 6,000. This comes on the heels of the Aliyah of 5,000 French Jews between 2011 and 2013.

The Newsweek cover photo of a refugee has elicited shocked reactions - according to the pictured "refugee" herself, Moriah Haddad-Rodriguez, an Israeli citizen who grew up in Belgium. "My own brother can no longer walk safely in parts of Belgium wearing a kippah or speaking Hebrew," she says. "Pro-Palestinian demonstrations are simply anti-Semitic events in disguise, and they end with cries of 'Jews to the gas chambers!'"

The article ends with this challenge issued by Sharansky: "Jewish communities in Europe… are more and more hesitant about what their future is. Europe’s leaders are working hard to convince that Europe is multicultural and post-nationalist. But if the oldest minority in Europe feels uncomfortable and is disappearing, that raises questions of education and citizenship. That is the challenge for Europe’s leaders.”

Megafon Shifts Cash to Hong Kong Dollars on Sanction Risk
Aug 5th, 2014
Daily NewsBloomberg
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

OAO MegaFon (MFON), billionaire Alisher Usmanov’s wireless operator, said it has been shifting cash holdings into Hong Kong dollars, a move people say metals producer OAO GMK Norilsk Nickel (GMKN) is also undertaking, as the U.S. and Europe ratchet up sanctions against Russia.

MegaFon decided to keep about 40 percent of its cash in Hong Kong dollars given the global markets disturbances, Chief Financial Officer Gevork Vermishyan said in a phone interview. The Moscow-based carrier has traditionally kept its foreign cash in U.S. dollars and euros, according to the company.

Norilsk Nickel, the world’s largest producer of nickel and palladium, is also keeping some of its cash in Hong Kong dollars now, two people with knowledge of situation said, asking not to be identified as information isn’t public.

The U.S. and the European Union have imposed increasingly severe measures against Russia to punish it for allegedly stoking the deadly conflict in Ukraine. The EU this week announced its most sweeping sanctions against Russia to date, barring state-owned banks from selling shares or bonds in Europe as well as restricting sales of oil-industry equipment and military technology.

“Keeping money in Hong Kong dollars is essentially equivalent to keeping it in U.S. dollars because of the currency peg,” said Vladimir Osakovskiy, chief economist of Bank of America Corp.’s Russian unit. “Still, for Russian companies it’s much safer from the standpoint of sanctions.”

Photographer: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg

Dollar Peg

The Hong Kong dollar has been linked to the U.S. dollar since 1983, and its fluctuation from the American currency hasn’t exceeded 1 percentage points since then, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The Hong Kong dollar was among 15 most traded currencies with $77 billion of average daily turnover in April 2013, according to a report by Bank for International Settlements.

MegaFon hasn’t been blacklisted by the U.S. or EU. Still, it is “well-prepared” for the consequences of sanctions against Russia, Vermishyan said. The company has refinanced short-term debt and reduced its foreign-currency exposure this year, Vermishyan said. Its remaining cash is kept in rubles, he said. MegaFon had 47 billion rubles ($1.3 billion) of cash and cash equivalents as of June 30.

“Our repayment schedule is comfortable and doesn’t require us to discuss refinancing with VTB, Bank of Moscow, Russian Agricultural Bank or any other sanctioned party any time soon,” Vermishyan said, referring to the three banks sanctioned by the U.S. this week. “Our exposure to global banks is minimal.”

Photographer: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg

Crimean Peninsula

MegaFon is focused on Russia, where it leads the mobile-data market. The company’s affiliate also works in Abkhazia, a disputed territory squeezed between Russia and Georgia. MegaFon hasn’t yet entered the Crimean peninsula, which was annexed by Russia in March and where the company’s rivals already operate.

Norilsk and its owners have also not been targeted by sanctions and the U.S. and European measures aimed at the Russian economy.

The nickel producer keeps its free cash-flow in a variety of currencies and instruments as it seeks effective and currency and liquidity risk management, spokesman Petr Likholitov said by phone. He declined to elaborate or comment on the use of Hong Kong dollars.

While Norilsk has the strongest balance sheet among Russian mining companies and is unlikely to have any problems with debt, it’s wise to diversify currency management, Kirill Chuyko, a BCS Financial Group analyst in Moscow, said by phone.

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

FIREBALL EXPLODES, SPRAYS COUNTRYSIDE
On Saturday night, August 2nd, NASA meteor cameras detected a fireball that exploded in a flash of light many times brighter than the Moon. It came not from the Perseid debris stream, but rather from the vicinity of the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.  

CDC Has a patent on ebola. Human ebola virus species and compositions and methods thereof
Application Number: CA 2741523 A1 Abstract: Compositions and methods including and related to the Ebola Bundibugyo virus (EboBun) are provided. Compositions are provided that are operable as immunogens to elicit and immune response or protection from EboBun challenge in a subject such as a primate. Inventive methods are directed to detection and treatment of EboBun infectio  

25 Critical Facts About This Ebola Outbreak That Every American Needs To Know
The top health officials in the entire world are sounding the alarm and the phrase "out of control" is constantly being thrown around by professionals with decades of experience. So should average Americans be concerned about Ebola? If so, how bad could an Ebola outbreak in the U.S. potentially become?  

Organization In Israel Launches Campaign To Draft Plans For Third Jewish Temple
Organization launches campaign to raise funds for draft plans of site, which, if built, it says, would ‘usher in universal harmony’. “The Jewish people have a responsibility to all of humanity, including Islam,” Richman said. “I don’t expect it to come about through any sort of confrontation or any sort of military maneuver. The Jews have to represent good in the world, light in the world.”  

Saudi confirms testing man suspected of contracting Ebola
It said the man, a Saudi in his 40s, was at a hospital in the Red Sea city of Jeddah after showing "symptoms of viral hemorrhagic fever", which resemble symptoms of the Ebola virus.  

Buchanan: Obama Planning to 'Transform' America with Amnesty for 'Undocumented Democrats'
Pat Buchanan said President Barack Obama is planning to use his executive action granting amnesty to potentially 5 million illegal immigrants at the end of this summer in an attempt to "transform" America by flooding it with "natural-born Democratic voters." Obama sees this as part of his transformation of America into a different country entirely."  

Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York City testing patient for Ebola
A man who recently visited West Africa was placed in isolation at a New York City hospital and was undergoing tests for the Ebola virus, officials said Monday. The man, suffering from a high fever and gastrointestinal symptoms, arrived at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Manhattan early Monday, the hospital said. He had recently travelled to a West African country where Ebola has been reported, it said.  

Another cease-fire in Gaza
A brief humanitarian cease-fire in the Gaza war began Monday morning, right after Israel finished a little business with Islamic Jihad, as reported by Fox News:  

Bertha Stirs Rough Surf Along US East Coast
While the United States will escape a direct hit from Tropical Storm Bertha, increased surf and the threat of rip currents will still develop along the East Coast this week.  

Obama approves $225 million in Iron Dome funding
President Barack Obama signed a bill granting an additional $225 million in funding for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system.  

Michigan community rebels against huge expansion, militarization of police
After acquiring some military hardware, one local Michigan police chief’s plan to also add more than 30 non-certified officers to the force has residents in Barry Township clamoring for an investigation – and, in some cases, his job. According to the Detroit Free Press, the township’s police chief Victor Pierce is under fire for what some in the area characterize as increased use of force by law enforcement, as well as for a proposal that would add more officers than are necessary to keep track of a population of 3,900.  

Iran and the bomb: The future of negotiations
Look for Iran to haggle hard over plutonium reduction but offer a “historic” compromise late in the game, accepting the world powers’ position in exchange for maintaining more centrifuges. Not long ago, the West’s position on the Iranian nuclear program was a “no risk” policy. It demanded that Iran stop enriching uranium, ship its existing uranium stocks overseas, close its Arak plutonium facility, close its long-secret underground Fordow facility, come clean on all past violations and end its detonation and missile programs that could be used for nuclear weapons.  

Iraq offers air support to Kurdish fighters
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has ordered the air force to provide support to Kurdish forces fighting Sunni militants in the north. It comes after the Islamic State (formerly known as Isis) seized two towns and two nearby oilfields from Kurdish troops over the weekend. Kurdish forces, known as the Peshmerga, say they are planning a counter-attack.  

Gaza conflict: Israel and Hamas 'agree ceasefire'
Israel and Palestinian groups including Hamas have agreed to a 72-hour humanitarian truce in Gaza, officials and Egyptian mediators say. The ceasefire will start at 08:00 local time (05:00 GMT) on Tuesday.  

Lakes formed by quake in China threaten flooding
Landslides have created barrier lakes where water levels were rising Tuesday to pose a new threat to about 800 residents and seven power stations downstream, where sudden flooding could prompt widespread power outages, Xinhua reported.  

World Bank pledges millions to Ebola fight as panic grows
The World Bank has pledged $200 million to help contain the deadly Ebola virus causing panic across West Africa, as Nigerian authorities say a doctor in Lagos has contracted the disease, the second case in the sprawling city.  

ISIS Gains First Ground in Lebanon
Militants associated with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) captured the Lebanese city of Arsal in fighting that began on Friday and continued Monday. According to The Telegraph, a Syrian rebel group set up check-points in the border city but have not yet declared the area as part of the caliphate. In addition to 40,000 residents, there are roughly 120,000 refugees living in

Italy Expels Muslim Cleric Who Called to 'Kill Jews'
Aug 5th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Italy said Tuesday it is expelling a Moroccan imam caught on video inciting violence against Jews during Israel's offensive against Hamas terrorists in Gaza, as reported by Arutz Sheva Monday.

The cleric was filmed during a Friday sermon in a mosque near Venice last month calling for Jews to be killed "one by one", according to the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), which published the video on its website.  

Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said he had ordered the expulsion of Raoudi Aldelbar "for seriously disturbing public order, being a danger to national security and for religious discrimination," after experts carried out a thorough examination of the footage.

Aldelbar, an imam in the town of San Dona di Piave in northern Italy, appeared in the video to launch into a diatribe against the Jews, in which he said: "Oh Allah, bring upon them that which will make us happy. Count them one by one, and kill them one by one."  

Alfano said the speech was "unacceptable" as it was "of clear anti-Semitic tone, containing explicit incitements to violence and religious hate".  

Italy, like many other European countries, has experienced a wave of anti-Semitic attacks and incitement in recent months. Among other incidents, vandals scrawled anti-Semitic graffiti Rome, and a prominent Italian philosopher issued an alarming call to "shoot Zionists".

Israel - Hamas Ceasefire As Troops Exit Gaza
Aug 5th, 2014
Daily NewsSky News
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

A three-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has begun and appears to be holding, despite a late exchange of fire just minutes before the deadline.

The Egyptian-brokered truce follows six previous ceasefire attempts which have all been marked by allegations from both sides of continued attacks.

Confirming the deal, Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said: "Israel will honour the ceasefire and will be watching to see if Hamas does too."

Adding a further note of caution, an official speaking on condition of anonymity said Israel would be watching the day unfold "with a certain amount of scepticism".

Minutes before the ceasefire began at 8am local time (6am UK time), Hamas militants fired a barrage of long-range rockets across the border.

The southern city of Rafah was hit by further Israeli airstrikes on Monday

Hamas claimed the rockets were launched in retaliation for Israel's "massacres". Sirens were heard in Israel as far north as Jerusalem.

In Gaza, Israeli warplanes also carried out at least five airstrikes before the ceasefire took hold and the skies fell silent.

The truce follows three days of negotiations in Cairo attended by a Palestinian delegation, but shunned by Israel.

Egypt is now expected to host indirect talks aimed at thrashing out a more lasting deal.

Hamas has demanded Israel withdraw from Gaza and end a blockade of the territory.

It has also called for its prisoners to be released and for international assistance in rebuilding Gaza.

Bassam Salhi, a member of the Palestinian delegation, admitted brokering a peace deal which satisfies both sides will prove difficult.

"It's going to be tough negotiations because Israel has demands too," he said.

More than 20 Palestinians were killed on Monday, including an eight-year-old girl who died in an Israeli airstrike on a refugee camp in Gaza City, just minutes into a seven-hour partial truce.

The Israeli military said it was targeting an "operative threat" and rocket fire in the strike.

Jerusalem, meanwhile, was rocked by two attacks which appeared to be in retaliation for violence in the Gaza Strip.

The driver of a digger was shot dead after hitting a bus, killing one person, in what Israel described as a "terrorist attack".

Several hours later a gunman shot and wounded an Israeli soldier before escaping on a motorbike.

Some Israeli ground forces have withdrawn from the Gaza Strip

Israel launched its military operation on July 8 with the stated intention of ending "persistent" Hamas rocket attacks.

It subsequently launched a ground offensive aimed at destroying cross-border Hamas tunnels, an objective Israel says it has now achieved.

Israeli army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner said the last of 32 tunnels located inside Gaza was destroyed overnight.

"Today we completed the removal of this threat," he said.

More than 1,880 Palestinians and 64 Israeli soldiers have lost their lives since the conflict began. Two Israeli civilians and a Thai labourer working in Israel have also died.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron has said the Government is also urgently looking into reports a British aid worker was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Sunday in the southern city of Rafah.

Iran Says It Gave Hamas Rocket Technology
Aug 5th, 2014
Daily NewsThe Times of Israel
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Smoke from rockets fired from near Gaza City is seen after being launched toward Israel, on July 15, 2014. (photo credit: AFP/Thomas Coex)

Indian TV Crew Exposes How Hamas Fires Rockets from Civilian Areas
Aug 5th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

An Indian TV crew has captured rare footage illustrating how Hamas fires rockets from densely-populated civilian areas - but only after its operatives are safely out of the firing zone.

India's NDTV managed to secretly film a group of terrorists planting a rocket launchpad just meters away from their hotel, "bang in the middle of what is a residential area full of hotels and apartment buildings."

It was not initially clear what the men caught on camera were doing, as they had erected a blue tent over the area in which they were working and covered up the evidence with foliage and mud before leaving. But the sharp-eyed Indian crew's suspicion was aroused - suspicion which turned out to be well-founded, when a rocket was launched from that very spot as part of a last-minute barrage before a 72-hour ceasefire with Israel went into effect. 

The missile had apparently been timed to go off automatically a day after being set, ensuring the terrorists who planted it were safe from retaliation.

Not so for local civilians. As the reporter notes, by planting rockets in heavily-populated civilian areas Hamas risks the lives of residents living in the area.

"You see that this is an area very heavily built up - a lot of residential and hotel buildings all around, and so if Hamas does fire a rocket from here it will have immediate consequences for everyone around here."

He added that it was not the first time that spot had been used to fire rockets; his hotel had been evacuated the first night his crew arrived after a rocket was fired from there. The IDF warned it might retaliate, but in the end did not - most likely because the terrorists were long-gone by then as well.

Israel has long accused Gazan terrorist groups of committing a "double war crime" by on the one hand targeting Israeli civilians, while on the other hand deliberately endangering Gazan civilians by using them as human shields, both in order to protect terrorists from retaliation, as well as to use the mounting civilian death toll for propaganda purposes.

The NDTV correspondent who covered the events noted that there could be "serious security consequences" for him doing so. Gaza's Islamist Hamas rulers forbid foreign correspondents from reporting on anything which might reflect negatively on them - including its use of human shields - and those who do stray from the official line can face threats or worse. The report was itself only filed once the NDTV crew had already left Gaza.

That, of course, raises questions over the accuracy of foreign media reports from Gaza, where official Hamas figures and "testimonies" about civilian casualties are repeated without scrutiny - with only a few rare exceptions which, even then, can only happen once journalists have left Gaza.

Hungary: Fascists Stage Mock 'Hanging' of Israeli Leaders
Aug 5th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Jobbik supporters attend party rally, May 2013

Reuters

Israel's ambassador to Hungary demanded a government inquiry on Tuesday into a public hanging of effigies of Israeli leaders staged by a town mayor linked to the far-right Jobbik party.  

Mihaly Zoltan Orosz, mayor of Erpatak, was filmed ordering the hanging of effigies of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and former president Shimon Peres in protest against the Gaza conflict on Sunday.

"Israel's leadership is in the service of the Antichrist," Orosz can be heard telling onlookers in a video available online.

"The government of Hungary must act now in order to stop these very dangerous acts," Ilan Mor, Israel's envoy to Budapest, said in a statement.  

"I am sure that an investigation into this issue will start as soon as possible," he added.  

Hungary's foreign ministry condemned the incident in a statement on Monday, accusing the mayor of using the Gaza conflict "to incite hatred".  

Although not a Jobbik member, Orosz, mayor of the town of Erpatak since 2005, is closely associated to Hungary's third largest party, which often espoused openly racist and anti-Semitic views.

The rally appears to be Jobbik's attempt to mimic the success of far-left and Islamist groups in western Europe, who have used Israel's military operation in Gaza to stoke the flames of anti-Semitism.

Haniyeh: Diplomacy will not Achieve More Than Fire
Aug 5th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Former Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, said on Tuesday evening that “Whatever the enemy did not achieved on a military front, it will not achieve on a diplomatic front.”

“We are convinced that our Egyptian and Arab brothers agree with the resistance in favor of an end to the siege on Gaza,” Haniyeh added. “The military victory of the resistance and its legendary strength will lead to the removal of the siege from the Strip.”

Hamas: Israel Must Meet Our Demands in Exchange for Security
Aug 5th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Senior Hamas official, Mushir al-Masri, told a Lebanese news agency on Tuesday that the quiet has been upheld, while indirect negotiations take place in Cairo. Al-Masri reported that the “resistance” handed in its demands to the Egyptian negotiating team and is awaiting their reply.

The official added that the minimal demands made by the Palestinian Authority include the cessation of aggression directed at the ‘Palestinian nation,’ as well as the removal of the siege.

Hamas Official Grilled on CNN for Anti - Semitic Comments
Aug 5th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Contemporary Issues;Contemporary Issues

Hamas spokesman Osama Hamdan was grilled yesterday by CNN's Wolf Blitzer, over anti-Semitic comments he made in an interview with a Lebanese TV network.

Speaking to Al Quds TV, Hamdan had repeated as "fact" the notorious anti-Semitic blood libel accusations made by the Church in the middle ages, in which Jews were falsely accused of murdering Christian children to use their blood in religious rituals. The accusations never involved any evidence, and were used by Christian religious leaders to incite deadly pogroms against European Jews, slaughtering many thousands.

"We all remember how the Jews used to slaughter Christians in order to mix their blood in their holy matzos. This is not a figment of the imagination or something taken from a film. It is a fact, acknowledged by their own books and historical evidence," Hamdan claimed.

When challenged about the comments, he claimed the clip - translated by MEMRI (Middle East Media Research Institute) - had been "cut" by "the Israelis, by MEMRI" to edit out "facts" concerning what he termed "the genocide of the Palestinian people."

In an attempt to deflect criticism, he then attacked Likud MK and Deputy Knesset Speaker Moshe Feiglin, falsely claiming Feiglin had advocated for Gazans to be placed in "concentration camps."

Feiglin certainly took a much more hard-line stance than the government on Operation Protective Edge, but has never made any such calls.

Blitzer, who remained impassive during Hamdan's tirade, was far from impressed,.

"I was hoping to get a flat denial from you that you would utter such ridiculous words... that is an awful smear," he said.

British Muslim Minister Quits Over Gaza Policy
Aug 5th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Sayeeda Warsi

Reuters

A British minister who was the first Muslim woman to sit in the Cabinet has resigned over the British government's policy on Gaza, she said Tuesday.

Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, a minister at the Foreign Office and minister for faith and communities, wrote on Twitter: "With deep regret I have this morning written to the Prime Minister & tendered my resignation. I can no longer support Govt policy on #Gaza."

Warsi's parents were Pakistani immigrants and she was made a member of the House of Lords in 2007.

She was appointed to Cameron's Cabinet when his coalition government took power in 2010 and while she initially had a high media profile, her star had dimmed in recent years.

She was shuffled out of the full Cabinet, the powerful inner circle of government ministers, in 2012.

Cameron's coalition government has drawn criticism, including from the opposition Labor party, for not taking a tougher line against Israel over operations in Gaza.

He said on Monday that the UN was "right" to condemn the shelling of a UN school in Gaza which killed 10 people on Sunday but declined to say whether he thought it breached international law.

Britain Reviewing Arms Sales to Israel
Aug 5th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Cameron and Netanyahu

Flash 90

Britain is reviewing licenses to sell arms and military goods to Israel in the light of ongoing operations in Gaza, Prime Minister David Cameron's office said Monday, according to AFP.

Britain's government has approved licenses for the sale of military goods to Israel worth at least $71 million since 2010, according to government figures obtained by the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT).

These are mostly to supply weapons control and targeting systems and components for ammunition, drones and armored vehicles.

"We are currently reviewing all export licenses to Israel to confirm that we think they are appropriate," said a Downing Street spokeswoman.

"Clearly the current situation has changed compared to when some licenses will have been granted, and we're reviewing those existing licenses against the current situation, but no decisions have been taken beyond going back again and reviewing," the spokeswoman said, according to AFP.

The decision to review the contracts was taken last week, she added.

CAAT spokesman Andrew Smith welcomed the review but called for an immediate embargo on the selling of military equipment to Israel, insisting the government "should never have agreed the licenses in the first place".

"It not only facilitates, but signals approval to the actions of the Israeli government," he claimed.

The announcement from Downing Street comes after Cameron said earlier Monday that the United Nations was "right" to condemn the shelling of a UN school in Gaza which killed 10 people but declined to say whether he thought it breached international law.

Cameron was one of several European leaders to criticize Israel over its actions in Gaza.

The opposition Labour Party in recent days has criticized Cameron for not taking a tougher line against Israel.

Meanwhile, the Spanish newspaper El Pais reported Monday night that Spain has already decided to suspend weapons sales to Israel. According to the report, a ministerial committee reached that decision last Thursday.

Spanish arms sales to Israel are limited and only made up 1% of the total Spanish exports in 2013, the newspaper noted, but the move is meant to send a political message to the Jewish state.

Artificial Intelligence Could be Worse Than Nukes, Tesla CEO Elon Musk Says
Aug 5th, 2014
Daily NewsDigital Trends
Categories: Today's Headlines;Commentary

Angry Palestinians Attack Hamas Official Over Gaza Destruction
Aug 5th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri

Reuters

Palestinian Arab sources said Tuesday that Gaza residents attacked Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri Saturday evening, near the Shifa Hospital.

Abu Zuhri had arrived at the hospital for an interview with a news outlet.

The residents blamed Hamas for the death of family members and for destruction of their homes. Armed Hamas terrorists from the Izzedine al-Kassam Brigades extricated Abu Zuri and arrested the angry residents.

Arabic website vetogate.com said that reporters in Gaza are well aware of the incident but are afraid to report it, because Hamas's security agency could go after them if they do.

A week ago, Palestinian sources reported that over 30 Palestinians were executed by Hamas, most of them in the Shejaiya neighborhood. Hamas claimed that they were collaborators with Israel.

Channel 10 said that Hamas executed 20 residents of Shejaiya who had dared demonstrate against Hamas.

Rockets were fired at Israel from next to Shifa Hospital during the fighting in Gaza, and Hamas's leadership hid under it.

After 28 Days, a 'Heavy Blow' for Hamas
Aug 5th, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Job well done: IDF soldiers leave Gaza as ceasefire begins

Reuters

Hamas has suffered a "serious blow" after nearly a month of fighting, according to the head of the IDF's Southern Command Maj. Gen. Sami Turgeman.

"The damage to Hamas was severe," he told Channel Two. "We killed hundreds of Hamas fighters and commanders, we hit the enemy's rocket infrastructure, destroyed its manufacturing infrastructure. We hit all the arsenals and and infrastructure we knew about."

IDF spokesman Peter Lerner echoed those claims, saying Israel had hit 4,800 targets and killed around 900 terrorists in total. That figure contrasts with figures claimed by Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry - usually cited unquestioningly by many media outlets - that the vast majority of Gazans killed during Operation Protective Edge were civilians.

The IDF also destroyed a total of 32 cross-border "terror tunnels" into Israel, Lerner said.

"They were part of a strategic plan of Hamas, and an investment of approximately $100 million worth of materials, and we have now removed that threat," Lerner said.

He added that according to IDF estimates, approximately two thirds of Hamas's rockets were either destroyed or expended during the operation.

"We struck just over 3,000 rockets; they launched over 3,300 rockets and we expect that they still have about 3,000 rockets left. This is a challenge we have to address," he said.

Despite the successes and the 72-hour ceasefire currently in place Maj. Gen Turgeman said forces were ready for any eventuality.

"The offensive is not over, and the IDF is prepared to continue the conflict if necessary," he said.

As the fragile calm took hold, Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz said only time would tell if it would last.  

"I am sceptical. Hamas has already violated six previous truce agreements, I hope that this time will be different but we have to wait and see," he told public radio.

Yossi Kuperwasser, director general of the strategic affairs ministry, said Israel was looking for "arrangements that assure us that this ceasefire is going to be different from previous ones, that it's going to last for a long time and that Hamas is not going to rearm itself."

25 Critical Facts About This Ebola Outbreak That Every American Needs to Know
Aug 5th, 2014
Daily NewsProphecy New Watch
Categories: Today's Headlines;Commentary

What would a global pandemic look like for a disease that has no cure and that kills more than half of the people that it infects? Let's hope that we don't get to find out, but what we do know is that more than 100 health workers that were on the front lines of fighting this disease have ended up getting it themselves. 

The top health officials in the entire world are sounding the alarm and the phrase "out of control" is constantly being thrown around by professionals with decades of experience. So should average Americans be concerned about Ebola? If so, how bad could an Ebola outbreak in the U.S. potentially become? The following are 25 critical facts about this Ebola outbreak that every American needs to know...

#1 As the chart below demonstrates, the spread of Ebola is starting to become exponential...

#2 This is already the worst Ebola outbreak in recorded history by far.

#3 The head of the World Health Organization says that this outbreak "is moving faster than our efforts to control it".

#4 The head of Doctors Without Borders says that this outbreak is "out of control".

#5 So far, more than 100 health workers that were on the front lines fighting the virus have ended up contracting Ebola themselves. This is happening despite the fact that they go to extraordinary lengths to keep from getting the disease.

#6 There is no cure for Ebola.

#7 The death rate for this current Ebola outbreak is over 50 percent, and experts say that it can kill "up to 90% of those infected".

#8 The incubation rate for Ebola ranges from two days to 21 days. Therefore, someone can be carrying it around for up to three weeks without even knowing it.

#9 For the first time ever, human Ebola patients are being brought to the United States. And as Paul Craig Roberts so aptly put it the other day, all it would take is "one cough, one sneeze, one drop of saliva, and the virus is loose".

#10 This has already potentially happened in the United Kingdom. A woman reportedly collapsed and later died on Saturday after she got off of a flight from Sierra Leone at Gatwick Airport.

#11 A study conducted in 2012 proved that Ebola could be transmitted between pigs and monkeys that were in separate cages and that never made physical contact.

#12 This is a new strain of Ebola, so what we know about other strains of Ebola may not necessarily apply to this strain of Ebola.

#13 Barack Obama has just signed an executive order that gives the federal government the power to apprehend and detain Americans that show symptoms of "diseases that are associated with fever and signs and symptoms of pneumonia or other respiratory illness, are capable of being transmitted from person to person, and that either are causing, or have the potential to cause, a pandemic, or, upon infection, are highly likely to cause mortality or serious morbidity if not properly controlled."

#14 And as I noted the other day, federal law already permits "the apprehension and examination of any individual reasonably believed to be infected with a communicable disease".

#15 According to the CDC, there are 20 quarantine centers around the country that are prepared to potentially receive Ebola patients...

#16 The CDC has set up an Ebola "quarantine station" at LAX in order to help prevent the spread of the virus.

#17 The largest health emergency drill in New York City history was conducted on Friday.

#18 The federal government will begin testing an "experimental Ebola vaccine" on humans in September.

#19 We are being told that the reason why we don't have an Ebola vaccine already is due to the hesitation of the pharmaceutical industry to invest in a disease that has "only affected people in Africa".

#20 Researchers from Tulane University have been active for several years in the very same areas where this Ebola outbreak began. One of the stated purposes of this research was to study "the future use of fever-viruses as bioweapons".

#21 According to the Ministry of Health and Sanitation in Sierra Leone, researchers from Tulane University have been asked "to stop Ebola testing during the current Ebola outbreak". What in the world does that mean?

#22 The Navy Times says that the U.S. military has been interested in studying Ebola "as a potential biological weapon" since the 1970s...

Filoviruses like Ebola have been of interest to the Pentagon since the late 1970s, mainly because Ebola and its fellow viruses have high mortality rates — in the current outbreak, roughly 60 percent to 72 percent of those who have contracted the disease have died — and its stable nature in aerosol make it attractive as a potential biological weapon.

#23 The CDC actually owns a patent on one particular strain of the Ebola virus...

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control owns a patent on a particular strain of Ebola known as "EboBun." It's patent No. CA2741523A1 and it was awarded in 2010. 

It is being reported that this is not the same strain that is currently being transmitted in Africa, but it is interesting to note nonetheless. And why would the CDC want "ownership" of a strain of the Ebola virus in the first place?

#24 The CDC has just put up a brand new webpage entitled "Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Hospitalized Patients with Known or Suspected Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever in U.S. Hospitals".

#25 The World Health Organization has launched a 100 million dollar response plan to fight this Ebola outbreak. Others don't seem so alarmed. For example, Barack Obama is getting ready to take a "16 day Martha’s Vineyard vacation".

Many are attempting to play down the threat from this virus by stating that unless you "exchange bodily fluids" with someone that you don't have anything to worry about.

If that was truly the case, then how in the world have more than 100 health workers contracted the virus so far?

Health professionals that deal with Ebola take extreme precautions to keep from being exposed to the disease.

But despite those extreme measures, they are catching it too.

So if this virus does start spreading all over the globe, what chance is the general population going to have?