Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

Tensions Snowball in Jerusalem
Nov 2nd, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

Arab rioters in Jerusalem

Hadas Parush/Flash 90

Only four days after the assassination attempt on activist Yehuda Glick, tensions in Jerusalem continue to snowball.

Saturday saw continued attempts by Arab residents of eastern Jerusalem to attack security forces in the area. A number of vehicles were also vandalized. 

The night's incidents included an improvised pipe bomb being thrown at police and border forces near a mosque in the Shuafat neighborhood, which exploded. There were no injuries in the event, but Jerusalem police are calling the attack "severe."

"The police will act by all means. Let them throw, but don't worry, we will unleash the full extent of the law on them," a police statement added.

Also on Saturday, fireworks were shot at police forces on Hagai Street in the Old City. There were no casualties or damage in that incident, either. 

At the same time, vandals smashed the windows of four vehicles on Ein Rogel Street in the mixed Jewish-Arab neighborhood of Abu Tor in eastern Jerusalem. The police are investigating.

Earlier a group of unknown assailants threw stones at the house on Naomi Street in eastern Jerusalem. There was light damage to the porch, but no casualties in the incident. The police have begun searching for suspects. 

In response to Saturday's incidents, Jerusalem police issued a statement, saying:

"All the forces operating in the city of Jerusalem - police, Border Patrol officers, SWAT team fighters and special units - will continue their activities, determined and uncompromising against violators of law and order. The combination of civil and police enforcement should increase security and return peace and quiet to residents."

Spiritual Blessings
Nov 2nd, 2014
Thought For The WeekA.W. Tozer
Categories: Commentary;Exhortation

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” Ephesians 1:3

Those spiritual blessings in heavenly places which are ours in Christ may be divided into three classes:

The first is those which come to us immediately upon our believing unto salvation, such as forgiveness, justification, regeneration, sonship to God and baptism into the Body of Christ. In Christ we possess these even before we know that they are ours!

The second class is those riches which are ours by inheritance but which we cannot enjoy in actuality until our Lord returns. These include ultimate mental and moral perfection, the glorification of our bodies, the completion of the restoration of the divine image in our redeemed personalities and the admission into the very presence of God to experience forever the Beatific Vision. These treasures are as surely ours as if we possessed them now!

The third class consists of spiritual treasures which are ours by blood atonement but which will not come to us unless we make a determined effort to possess them. These are deliverance from the sins of the flesh, victory over self, the constant flow of the Holy Spirit through our personalities, fruitfulness in Christian service, awareness of the Presence of God, growth in grace, an increasing consciousness of the union with God and an unbroken spirit of worship. These are to us what the Promised Land was to Israel, to be entered into as our faith and courage mount.

Pro - Russian Rebels Vote for Leaders in Eastern Ukraine
Nov 2nd, 2014
Daily NewsReuters
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

DONETSK Ukraine (Reuters) - Pro-Russian rebels voted in an election to set up a separatist leadership in eastern Ukraine on Sunday, taking the war-torn region closer to Russia and defying Kiev and the West, as shelling continued across the territory.

New EU Foreign Minister No Slacker, Visits Israel in First Week
Nov 2nd, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Europe's new foreign policy chief, Italy's Federica Mogherini, will visit Israel, and the PA, just a few days into her five-year term.

Federica Mogherini

Reuters

Europe's new foreign policy chief, Italy's Federica Mogherini, will visit Israel, and the Palestinian Authority (PA), just a few days into her five-year term.

Mogherini officially assumed her post as High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on Saturday, Nov. 1. The European Jewish Press reports that she will arrive in Israel on Friday, November 7, for a two-day visit during which she will also travel to Ramallah, seat of the PA government.

Mogherini was Italy's foreign minister, representing a government that is considered generally pro-Israel – as opposed to her predecessor in the EU, Catherine Ashton of Britain, not counted among Israel's closest friends. Italy is also said to be tough on Iran’s nuclear program.

Just this past July, then-Foreign Minister Mogherini visited Israel during Operation Protective Edge against Hamas. She visited, with Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, an Israeli house hit by a Hamas rocket in Ashdod.

Mogherini said, during her confirmation hearings, that her term in office would be characterized by a more prominent EU role in Middle East affairs. “In the Middle East in particular," she explained, " the EU has been an effective payer; it needs to become an effective player.” The EU recently pledged 450 million euros (over $560 million) for the reconstruction of Gaza– its share of absolving Hamas from responsibility for the catastrophe it brought upon Gaza this past summer.

Just a few weeks ago, the EU’s External Action Service, led by Ashton, said that Israel’s plan to build in Givat Hamatos and allow Jewish families to move into Shiloach (Silwan), both in Jerusalem, "represents a further highly detrimental step that undermines prospects for a two-state solution and calls into question Israel’s commitment to a peaceful negotiated settlement with the Palestinians.’’

Mogherini, for her part, said at her confirmation hearing that the EU "might" use financial "incentives and disincentives" to get the peace talks between Israel and the PA re-started.

Netanyahu: Jews Won't be Kept Out of Temple Mount
Nov 2nd, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

Binyamin Netanyahu

Flash 90

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu reiterated in Sunday's cabinet meeting his calls for calm in Jerusalem.

"I would like to send my best wishes for a full recovery to Yehuda Glick who was wounded by the bullets of a despicable would-be assassin,” he said. “I spoke with his wife and his father and I told them that along with the entire Jewish people, I am praying for Yehuda's recovery. I am certain that I speak for all ministers and very many of the Israeli people in this regard.

“I would like to express great appreciation to the ISA and the Israel Police which, within hours, solved this crime and reached its perpetrator. Israel is taking vigorous action against terrorists and those who throw stones, fire bombs and fireworks. We will also pass stronger legislation on the issue. All of this is in order to restore quiet and security throughout Jerusalem.

The prime minister added: “I have ordered that massive reinforcements be brought in and that additional means be used in order to ensure law and order in Israel's capital. It could be that we are in a lengthy struggle; however, we are determined to be successful.

“We will certainly oppose all systematic and continuing attempts by Islamic extremist elements to stir up unrest. They would like to set a religious fire in Jerusalem and thereby ignite the entire Middle East. The place they are most determined on is the Temple Mount. They are disseminating lies to the effect that we intend to destroy or harm the Al-Aqsa Mosque and that we intend to prevent Muslim from praying there. They are using verbal and physical violence in an effort to exclude Jews from going up to the Temple Mount. We will not allow this to happen; neither will we alter the worship arrangements and the access to the Temple Mount that has been customary for decades. We are committed to the status quo for Jews, Muslims and Christians.

“Since the time of our patriarch Abraham," said Netanyahu, "the Temple Mount has been the holiest site for our people. The Temple Mount is the most sensitive kilometer on earth. Alongside a strong insistence on our rights, we are determined to maintain the status quo. It is easy to start a religious fire, but much more difficult to extinguish it. These messages have been passed along as clearly as possible to [Palestinian Authority head] Abu Mazen, as well as to all elements in the area and among us.

“What is necessary now is to calm the situation and to act with responsibility and restraint. This is always the case, but it is especially so now when the entire Middle East is awash in Islamic extremism. Just as important countries around us, important Arab countries, see eye-to-eye with Israel on the danger that extremist Islam poses to all of us.

“Therefore, over the past 48 hours, I have held contacts with various elements, as well as with US Secretary of State John Kerry, in order to calm the situation. To this end, I also contacted Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein last night, and I appeal to MKs from all sides of the Knesset, and to my ministerial colleagues, these are especially sensitive times. Let us not play into the hands of our extremist enemies.

“I think that what is necessary now is to show restraint and to work together to calm the situation. I ask that you join me in the effort to maintain the existing order, let nobody harm it, certainly not our right to go up to the Temple Mount, but we will not change the arrangements. I also ask that private initiatives be avoided as well as unbridled statements. At this time we must show responsibility and restraint."

Netanyahu: It's Time That the World Condemn Abbas
Nov 2nd, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu

Hadas Parush/Flash 90

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Sunday night strongly condemned Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas, who sent a letter of support to the family of the terrorist who shot Temple Mount activist Yehuda Glick.

"When we are trying to calm the situation, Abu Mazen sends condolences over the death of one who tried to perpetrate a reprehensible murder. The time has come for the international community to condemn him for such actions," the Prime Minister said.

In the letter, Abbas condemned Israel for killing the man who shot Glick. “We received with anger the announcement about the despicable crime perpetrated by the gangs of killing and terror in the Israeli occupation army, against the son, Muataz Ibrahim Hijazi, who rose to the heavens as a martyr for the defense of the rights of the Palestinian nation and the holy places,” he wrote.

Israel's “barbaric” operation, added Abbas, “joins all of the crimes of the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian people since the Nakba and the historic injustice that accompanies it since then.”

The letter was condemned by Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman, who said, “The letter of support indicates, more than anything, that Abu Mazen is, indeed, a partner: a partner to terror, a partner to terrorists, a partner to murderers.”

"Abu Mazen's despicable letter constitutes open support for terror and encouragement for additional murders,” said the foreign minister. He called upon the international community “to vomit [or purge - ed.] and denounce this man, who is leading the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to violent, terrible places.”

Glick - who founded and heads the LIBA Initiative for Jewish Freedom on the Temple Mount - was shot in the chest on Wednesday night outside the Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem, after the shooter pulled up in a motorcycle or scooter, and confirmed Glick's identity before shooting. 

He had been speaking, minutes before being shot, at an event for Jewish rights on the Temple Mount that had hosted leading religious figures and MKs.

Netanyahu Asks MKs to 'Tone It Down' on Temple Mount
Nov 2nd, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

Binyamin Netanyahu

Marc Israel Sellem/POOL/Flash 90

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has asked his Cabinet and other Knesset Members to tone down their rhetoric regarding the Temple Mount, Channel 2 News reported on Saturday night.

According to the report, Netanyahu has conveyed a message to the MKs that they should show “responsibility and restraint” with respect to the issue of the Temple Mount, especially as tensions rise in the wake of the assassination attempt on Temple Mount activist Yehuda Glick.

Netanyahu met with Knesset Speaker MK Yuli Edelstein on Saturday night and asked him to pass on the message to the MKs. Netanyahu is reportedly trying to ease tensions, as calls grow to change the rules on the Temple Mount following the shooting of Glick.

Netanyahu recently folded to Jordanian pressure by promising to maintain the discriminatory status quo by which the Jordanian Waqf (Islamic trust) has forbidden Jewish prayer.

In the wake of Glick’s shooting, however, there have been growing calls on Netanyahu to sign regulations that would permit Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount.

Israel closed the Temple Mount to all worshipers on Thursday in response to Glick’s shooting, only to reopen the compound hours later following international pressure.

Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas declared that Israel's closure of the Temple Mount following Glick’s is tantamount to a "declaration of war."

Let the Headlines Speak
Nov 2nd, 2014
Daily NewsFrom the internet
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Qatar pares support for Islamists but careful to preserve ties
Qatar has joined the American-led coalition to fight Islamic State, yet the emirate is a haven for anti-Western groups and foreign diplomats have reported seeing cars with Islamic State logos in an affluent bay district. ...When the United States sought allies...Qatar was among the Gulf Arab states that sent its warplanes into action. But while Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates welcomed media coverage, Qatar was silent.  

Hamas: Closing of Gaza border crossings is Israeli cease-fire violation
Israel's closing of the Erez and Kerem Shalom crossings is a violation of the of the cease-fire reached at the end of August to end the 50-day war between Hamas and Israel, Hamas deputy leader Mussa Abu Marzouk said on Sunday. Abu Marzouk said the Israeli move was "childish and irresponsible" and he said the excuse that Israel gave for the closures - the rocket fired into Israel on Friday - was illegitimate, Israel Radio reported on Sunday.  

Iran nuclear talks to go into high gear
Global powers wrestling to hammer out a ground-breaking deal with Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions are moving complex talks into high gear with a “critical” three weeks left for an accord.The main players — US Secretary of State John Kerry, his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif and outgoing EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton — will crisscross the globe ahead of the November 24 deadline seeking to narrow the gaps.  

US administration to unveil peace talks proposal
The US administration is planning to present a proposal to resume the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians after the mid-term elections for Congress, slated for Tuesday, the Palestinian daily Al-Quds reported over the weekend.The report came as State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki announced on Friday that a Palestinian delegation would arrive at the US capital for high-level talks on ways to move forward with the stalled peace talks and the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.  

Mystery Of Human Skulls At Stamford Transfer Station Solved
STAMFORD — The two human skulls found Thursday at the Stamford refuse transfer station came from the Fairfield County home of a man who apparently was into the occult and who died recently, according to one of the men who cleaned out the man's house.. Two human skulls and thousands of magazines, books and videos on Satan, witchcraft and the occult were discovered Thursday afternoon at the city's refuse transfer station.  

Rohrabacher: Obama was ‘AWOL’ in efforts to free Tahmooressi
A group of politicians’ efforts to secure the release of Marine Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi from a Mexican jail paid off Friday night. California Rep. Dana Rohrabacher says President Obama was “AWOL” throughout the process.The Republican Congressman told The Washington Times on Saturday that he and California Republican Rep. Ed Royce, former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, and Arizona Republican Rep. Matt Salmon took it upon themselves to fight for Mr. Tahmooressi when President Obama did not.  

Possible ISIL leaflets found near Quantico Marine base
Officials have launched an investigation into leaflets found near Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., that "may or may not be associated with the terrorist organization known as the Islamic State."  

When Ideology collides with Ego
No people, this time Ebola isn't just about Ebola, it's really about us.When Ideology collides with ego, and the result is considered to be a policy that allows the importation of a very deadly pathogen from one continent with stronger immunities into another continent - gene pool with weaker immunities, bringing it here on humanitarian progressive ideological grounds, then the common sense electorate, will reject not only that policy but the party that implemented it, too.  

The Obama War on Pipelines
Expedite wind and solar – but block coal, oil, gas, pipelines, jobs and economic recovery.“This is not the same industry we had 15 years ago,” Natural Gas Supply Association VP Jennifer Fordham said recently. That’s an understatement. The oil, petrochemical and manufacturing industries are also far different from those of 15 years ago. Together, they’ve created hundreds of thousands of new jobs and generated countless billions of dollars in economic activity. No thanks to the Obama Administration.  

Foreign jihadists flock to IS despite air strikes
The Islamic State group is recruiting foreign jihadists on an "unprecedented scale" despite international efforts to stem the tide, according to experts and extracts of a UN report published by Britain's Guardian newspaper.  

Analysis: In Syria, no good options for West
With the U.S.-led assault on the Islamic State group, the world community is acting in Syria, but not in the Syrian civil war. When it comes to the issue that has undermined the region — the survival or fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad — there is still no plan.  

Netanyahu urges lawmakers' restraint over Jerusalem's Aqsa mosque
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday urged lawmakers to show restraint over Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque, which has been at the heart of rising tension with the Palestinians in recent weeks.  

US-backed forces in Syria suffer big setback
Mideast Syria Bad Options Analysis In this Monday, Oct. 20, 2014 file photo, thick smoke and flames from an airstrike by the U.S.-led coalition rise in Kobani, Syria, as seen from a hilltop on the outskirts of Suruc, at the Turkey-Syria border. With the Syrian civil war in its fourth ruinous year, there is no end in sight, hundreds of thousands are dead, and millions have been displaced. The U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State group, after more than a month, is limited to airstrikes and has not dislodged the radical group from a single major town it controls in Syria or Iraq. LEFTERIS PITARAKIS — AP ISTANBUL — Al Qaida-backed militants Saturday stormed the base of the most prominent civilian commander in the U.S.-backed Syrian rebel force, forcing him and his fighters to flee into hiding in the Jebal al Zawiya mountains of northern Syria.  

More to the US-Israel Spat Than Meets the Eye
In case you haven't noticed, the Obama Administration is in the midst of an on-going and very public spat with the Netanyahu government in Israel. The "tit for tat" exchanges have been noted in the press, with reporters and some analysts providing banal motives for the acrimony. Some have suggested "revenge" -- pointing to Netanyahu's support for Obama's 2012 rival, Mitt Romney.  

6.0-magnitude earthquake jolts southeastern Pacific
The 6.0-magnitude quake, which hit at 3:59 am local time (10:59 GMT), registered at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles). It did not immediately spark a tsunami warning, according to the Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.  

Jordan's King Vows to Fight Any Change to Jerusalem 'Status Quo'
Nov 2nd, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

Jordan's King Abdullah II

AFP/File

Jordan's King Abdullah II vowed on Sunday to oppose any Israeli attempt to change the "status quo" regarding holy sites in Jerusalem - referring to the ongoing controversy surrounding the Temple Mount.

"Jordan will continue to confront, through all available means, Israeli unilateral policies and measures in Jerusalem and preserve its Muslim and Christian holy sites, until peace is restored to the land of peace," the king said in a speech which notably made no mention of Jewish holy sites in the Israeli capital.

Jordan, which occupied east Jerusalem and Judea-Samaria in 1948 before Israel liberated the territories in the 1967 Six Day War, maintains control over holy sites in Arab-majority parts of the city via the Jordanian government-run Waqf Islamic trust.

Jordan's status as "custodian" on the Temple Mount, Judaism's holiest site, and elsewhere in Jerusalem is enshrined in its 1994 peace treaty with the Jewish state - a treaty some Jordanian officials have ironically been calling to revoke.

Although it is Judaism's holiest site, Jews are forbidden to pray on the Temple Mount as part of that arrangement, and Jewish visits are tightly regulated - with those deemed to be praying subjected to arrest.

Jewish activists have been campaigning against the current status quo, which they brand as a capitulation by Israel to pressure from Jordan, and threats of violence from Islamist groups and the Palestinian Authority.

In response, Muslim extremists have upped their campaign against any Jewish presence on the Mount - which houses the Al Aqsa Mosque complex - by harassing and threatening Jewish activists. That campaign reached a violent crescendo last week when prominent Jewish Temple Mount campaigner Rabbi Yehuda Glick was shot and seriously wounded in an attempted assassination.

King Abdullah's combative rhetoric notwithstanding, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has already guaranteed on numerous occasions that the status quo will remain in place on the Temple Mount.

On Saturday night and again during the cabinet meeting Sunday morning, the PM urged MKs to help "cool" the situation.

Iraqi Kurds Join Fight Against Islamic State in Kobani
Nov 2nd, 2014
Daily NewsReuters
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

BEIRUT/MURSITPINAR Turkey (Reuters) - Iraqi Kurdish fighters have joined the fight against Islamic State militants in Kobani, hoping their support for fellow Kurds backed by U.S.-led air strikes will keep the ultra-hardline group from seizing the Syrian border town.

Iran: We Could Eliminate U.S. Fleet in Gulf in Less Than a Minute
Nov 2nd, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Iran: We Aim to Destroy U.S. Navy Forces in Gulf
Nov 2nd, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

US Navy patrols Persian Gulf

US Navy

While negotiations on a compromise on Iran's nuclear projects proceed apace between Washington and Tehran, the Iranians have bellicosely declared that the US must “get out” of the Persian Gulf. The area is Iran's “strategic waters,” and the US does not belong there, Iran said.

American and international naval forces are currently conducting a huge exercise in the Gulf and Red Sea. Navies from 44 countries, consisting of 6,500 personnel and 38 warships taking part in a U.S.-led mine countermeasures exercise that has avoided Iranian territorial waters. The exercise is meant as a show of strength, said 5th Feet Commander Vice. Adm. John Miller. “The tremendous number of nations participating in this exercise sends a clear signal that threats to global commerce will not be tolerated."

However, Iran said that it would no longer tolerate American forays into the Gulf. According to Iranian Navy chief Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi, who stated that "The destruction of US naval forces is among the objectives [pursued by] the Iranian Navy.” He said that Iran was conducting its own exercises, “simulating this (mission) on a replica aircraft carrier because destroying and drowning American warships have been and will remain on our program."

“We unveiled the Hout [supercavitation] torpedo, which is a missile exclusively manufactured by Russians, during Great Prophet Maneuver I [in 2006]. This missile can travel underwater at the speed of 100 meters per second,” he said, adding that Iran would not hesitate to use it against any threat.”

The US Navy's Fifth Fleet, with about 5,000 servicemen, is based in Bahrain’s territorial waters in the Persian Gulf.

Iran Rejects Report of Narrowing Gap in Nuke Talks
Nov 2nd, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Ali Akbar Salehi

Reuters

Iran’s semi-official news agency Fars reported Sunday that “senior Iranian Foreign Ministry officials” had rejected the Washington Post’s report Saturday that claimed the Iran–P5+1 nuclear talks had narrowed the gap in centrifuge numbers, and had instead reasserted the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s red line of no less than 190,000 SWUs, or “Separative Work Units,” and that this would be limited to only 8 years.

As reported in October by Arutz Sheva, 190,000 SWUs of centrifuge capacity can enrich enough natural raw uranium to weapons-grade enriched uranium for 38 nuclear bombs per year.

Uranium is enriched from its natural raw state of a high proportion of Uranium 238, to its weapons grade enriched state with a high percentage of the lighter uranium isotope U235. U235 is the isotope of uranium that has three less neutrons in its nucleus and is the isotope necessary for the building of nuclear bombs cores.

As further reported in the Fars article, one day after the Ayatollah Khamenei tweeted his nuclear negotiating graphic with the 190,000 SWU red line, the Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Ali Akbar Salehi, lashed out at the western media's “lies and fabrications” about Iran's demands regarding the number of centrifuges, and said Iran was in need of 190,000 SWUs to fuel its power and research reactors.”

Salehi stated that "We don't define enrichment on the basis of the centrifuge machines, but on the basis of its unit, that is SWUs.”

According to the report, Salehi underlined that the number of centrifuges needed for having 190,000 SWUs depended on the type of the centrifuge machines.

He also explained why for Iran, the issue is 190,000 SWUs, and not the number of centrifuges: Iran's first generation IR1 centrifuge machines had a nominal output of over 3 SWUs, but in practice they yielded less than 2 SWUs, he said, meaning that "if we want to reach the above-mentioned 190,000 SWUs with the help of these (IR1) machines, then we would need more numbers, while if we use the (the fourth generation) IR4 centrifuge machines which yield 24 SWUs, then we would need less than 10,000 centrifuge machines.”

What Salehi is, in effect, saying, is that with the first-generation, less effective IR1 centrifuges that only produce 2 SWUs per year, Iran would likely need over 100,000 centrifuges to comfortably produce enough enriched uranium for it Bushehr nuclear power plant. But with the advanced, very effective and efficient, fourth-generation IR4 centrifuges that can enrich to 24 SWUs each year, Iran would only need 10,000 centrifuges, which nominally would produce 240,000 SWUs per year.

Salehi concluded by reaffirming that "Thus, the hue and cry about the number of centrifuges are deliberate deviations from the reality as we have defined our needs based on SWUs, and not on the basis of centrifuge machines."

Israel claims Iran would use its domestic centrifuge capacity to enrich weapons grade uranium for nuclear bombs. The Jewish state has thus demanded Iran have no domestic enrichment capability and would instead purchase already-enriched uranium like many other countries that use nuclear energy peacefully and don’t have domestic enrichment capabilities.

Hundreds Protest in Burkina Faso Capital Against Army's Power Grab
Nov 2nd, 2014
Daily NewsReuters
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) - At least a thousand people gathered in a square in the center Burkina Faso's capital on Sunday to protest against the army taking over after President Blaise Compaore's resignation.

His 27 years in charge of the landlocked West African country ended on Friday following two days of violent protests against his bid to change the constitution to extend his rule.

FM Liberman Calls on World's Nations to 'Purge' Abbas
Nov 2nd, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Avigdor Liberman

Flash 90

Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman attacked Palestinian Authority head Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday after Abbas – who is also known as Abu Mazen – sent a letter of support to the family of the terrorist who shot Temple activist Yehuda Glick.

According to Liberman, “the letter of support indicates, more than anything, that Abu Mazen is, indeed, a partner: a partner to terror, a partner to terrorists, a partner to murderers.”

"Abu Mazen's despicable letter constitutes open support for terror and encouragement for additional murders,” said the foreign minister. He called upon the international community “to vomit [or purge - ed.] and denounce this man, who is leading the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to violent, terrible places.”

Abbas condemned Israel for killing the man who shot Glick. “We received with anger the announcement about the despicable crime perpetrated by the gangs of killing and terror in the Israeli occupation army, against the son, Muataz Ibrahim Hijazi, who rose to the heavens as a martyr for the defense of the rights of the Palestinian nation and the holy places,” he wrote.

Israel's “barbaric” operation, added Abbas, “joins all of the crimes of the Israeli occupation against the Palestinian people since the Nakba and the historic injustice that accompanies it since then.”

Glick - who founded and heads the LIBA Initiative for Jewish Freedom on the Temple Mount - was shot in the chest on Wednesday night outside the Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem, after the shooter pulled up in a motorcycle or scooter, and confirmed Glick's identity before shooting. 

He had been speaking, minutes before being shot, at an event for Jewish rights on the Temple Mount that had hosted leading religious figures and MKs. 

Glick has been slowly recovering, after arriving at Shaare Tzedek hospital in Jerusalem in critical condition shortly after the attack.

Arab League Threatens 'Untold Consequences' Over Temple Mount
Nov 2nd, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;The Nation Of Israel

Jews on Temple Mount - a red line?

Flash 90

The Arab League warned Sunday that Israel has reached a "red line" after fresh clashes in Jerusalem, urging international pressure to stop what it branded "violations" in the holy city.  

Arab riots around the Temple Mount, Judaism's holiest site - which also houses the Al Aqsa mosque compound - as well as the attempted assassination of leading Jewish Temple Mount activist Yehuda Glick, prompted Israel on Thursday to close the site for a day. 

The Temple Mount has been the focus of attempts by Arab and Islamist groups to prevent Jews from visiting their holiest site, using intimidation and violence. Israeli police have responded time and again with riot control measures and arrests in an attempt to quell the violence.

Jews are forbidden to pray on the Mount, in what activists say amounts to capitulation to Muslim pressure by the Israeli government. Arab and Muslim leaders often refer to Jewish visitors as "settlers," and characterize their visits as attempts to "storm" the Al Aqsa mosque, despite the peaceful nature of the visits and the fact that Jews do not attempt to enter the mosque.

On Sunday Arab League deputy chief Ahmed Ben Hilli added his voice to recent Arab condemnations over security measures at the site, saying that "Israel has reached a red line,"  in front of an assembly of the 22-member bloc's delegates. 

He called on Arabs and the international community "to put a stop to these practices by the Israeli occupation authorities in Jerusalem".

"Touching Jerusalem will lead to results with untold consequences," he added.

Jewish campaigners have long pushed for equal prayer rights on the site, and on Sunday, Likud lawmaker Moshe Feiglin visited the compound and called for Jews to be allowed to pray there despite the heightened tensions over its status. 

He was met with protests from Muslims crying "Allahu akbar" (God is greater).

The United States on Thursday urged all sides in Jerusalem to exercise "restraint" in the holy city, and said it was working with Israelis, Palestinians and Jordanians to try to restore calm. 

However, Palestinian leaders have been accused of whipping up the recent violence, with Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas calling on Muslims to prevent Jews visiting the Temple Mount using "all means necessary."

Jordan's King Abdullah II has also sounded a combative tone, vowing to "confront" Israel to ensure Jews remain banned from praying there.

In stark contrast to the Arab response, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has repeatedly stated that he has no plans to change the status quo, and urged MKs to show "responsibility and restraint" in their statements and actions, to help calm the situation.

ADL: Swedish Recognition of Palestine 'Reward for Intransigence'
Nov 2nd, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) issued a statement Thursday calling Sweden’s recognition of a state of Palestine a "reward for intransigence," which will only encourage Palestinian refusal to engage with Israel and intensify current tensions.

Earlier on Thursday, Sweden officially recognized the Palestinian authority as the "state of Palestine" - a controversial move which the Stockholm government had announced its intentions of less than a month prior. 

"Today the government takes the decision to recognize the state of Palestine," Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom said in a statement published in the Dagens Nyheter daily. "It is an important step that confirms the Palestinians' right to self-determination," she said, adding that "we hope that this will show the way for others."

Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director, responded to the declaration:    

"We are appalled by Sweden’s reckless and woefully misguided recognition of a state of Palestine, which was unwise, untimely, unhelpful and unserious. It will do nothing to promote Israeli-Palestinian cooperation, nor bring about a real Palestinian state. The only effect will be negative, encouraging the Palestinian strategy of circumventing direct negotiations with Israel. 

The government of Israel and the vast majority of Israelis favor a mutually negotiated two-state solution, understanding that it will require hard decisions on borders, settlements and other complex and deeply emotional issues. 

More responsible governments have made clear to the Palestinian leadership that recognition will be the result of successful negotiations, which will require hard decisions on complex and deeply emotional issues."

'Sharp Messages' to Hamas After Rocket Fire
Nov 2nd, 2014
Daily NewsArutz Sheva
Categories: Today's Headlines;Contemporary Issues

Rockets fired from Gaza

Reuters

A senior security source said Sunday afternoon that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon send “sharp messages” to Hamas following the firing of a rocket at the Eshkol region Friday night.

The source added that Hamas arrested five suspects in the firing of the rocket and sent a message to Jerusalem according to which the organization is committed to the ceasefire. Israel closed the passages into Gaza and Hamas may be afraid of a military response.

Israel announced on Saturday night that the Kerem Shalom and Erez crossings into Gaza will be closed on Sunday, following Friday night’s rocket attack on the Eshkol region.

The crossings will only be opened for passage of goods and people in humanitarian cases, according to the announcement.

Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk called the closing of the passages "a childish and irresponsible act," and "collective punishment on the Gaza Strip which violates all international laws, including the terms of the ceasefire agreement." 

The rocket fired Friday night was detected by the IDF’s tracking system. It exploded in an open region, likely within Gaza and not in Israeli territory, and for this reason the “red alert” rocket siren was not heard.

There were no reports of physical injuries or damages.

Friday’s incident marks the second time since the end of last summer’s Operation Protective Edge that Gaza terrorists have attempted rocket fire towards Israel.

Last month, a mortar attack was launched by Gazan terrorists against southern Israel, in breach of a ceasefire signed in August. Hamas, which breached numerous ceasefires during the operation, denied responsibility for the attack and later announced it had arrested the perpetrators.

The sides were supposed to resume Egyptian mediated talks on a permanent ceasefire, but Egypt announced this week that the talks would be postponed until mid-November.