Reported by retired pastor/teacher James McCutchan
- "In the beginning
God created the heaven and the earth (Genesis 1:1).
To view some spectacular pictures of God's creation; with speakers
on, visit the website below:
http://www.greatdanepro.com/Blue%20Bueaty/index.htm
Rice, Olmert still envision peace deal in
2008
www.chinaview.cn 2008-08-26
Special report: Palestine-Israel Relations
- JERUSALEM, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Ehud
Olmert and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice still believe
the Israelis and the Palestinians can reach a peace deal within
2008, Olmert's office said Tuesday.
- "Prime Minister Olmert and Secretary Rice share the
belief that an agreement can be reached between Israel and the
Palestinians by the end of 2008," local news service Ynet
quoted a statement from the office as saying.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (L) meets Israel's Prime
Minister Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem Aug. 26, 2008, in this picture
released by the Israeli Government Press Office (GPO). Israeli
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice still believe the Israelis and the Palestinians can reach
a peace deal within 2008, Olmert's office said Tuesday. (Xinhua/Reuters
Photo)
- "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious
appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
(Titus 2:13).
- ----------oOo---------
-
- Aug 26, 2008 11:52 AM
"Looking for that blessed
hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour
Jesus Christ: (Titus 2:13).
-
- Rice, Livni report progress in talks
with PA
-
- Visiting US Secretary of State Rice meets with PM Olmert,
Foreign Affairs Minister Livni as part of brief diplomatic tour
in Mideast
- Roni Sofer Published: 08.26.08
- Though her tenure is at an end, US Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice remains optimistic that she will yet see an Israeli-Palestinian
peace agreement signed before she is replaced. Rice, who is on
a notably brief sojourn to the Middle East, began her Tuesday
scheduled in Jerusalem. After an hour-long breakfast meeting
with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Rice then met with Foreign Affairs
Minister Tzipi Livni. The two released a joint statement insisting
that progress has been achieved in the negotiations with the
Palestinian Authority.
- In a joint press conference held by Livni and Rice, the former
addressed Israeli construction in the West Bank: "I don't
believe that it is Israel's policy to increase activity in the
settlements, rather it is to decrease activity."
- Livni rejected the claims that the ongoing construction projects
were impeding the negotiations. "You can't allow noise affect
the diplomatic proceedings. That is what I said during the days
of terror attacks, and that is what I am saying today.
- "Leaders must be committed to a way and to a goal, these
noises existed during the days of terror attacks from Gaza must
not get in the way. We are involved in serious, continuous negotiations
all the time.
- The secretary also addressed the contentious issue. "I
think it's no secret, and I have said it to my Israeli counterparts,
that I don't think that settlement activity is helpful,"
Rice said.
- "In fact, what we need now are steps that enhance confidence
between the parties and anything that undermines confidence between
the parties ought to be avoided," she said.
- Minister's Office issued a statement following the prime
minister's meeting with the secretary, saying that both Olmert
and Rice "share the belief that an agreement can be reached
between Israel and the Palestinians by the end of 2008."
- Rice is scheduled to meet later in the day with Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority's top negotiator,
Ahmed Qureia. The secretary will also hold a three-way meeting
with Livni and Qureia
- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, walks with US Secretary
of State Condoleezza Rice, following a joint press conference
in the West Bank city of Ramallah, 26 Aug 2008
----------oOo---------
"Looking for that
blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and
our Saviour Jesus Christ: (Titus 2:13).
Gog (Russia) and Persia (Iran) are presently very displeased
with Israel. Will they react? Indeed they will, and with others!
See Ezekiel 38 & 39.
Tuesday August 19, 2008
Israel's role in the Russia-Georgia war
Tehran Times - by Ali Abunimah - From the moment Georgia launched
a surprise attack on the tiny breakaway region of South Ossetia,
prompting a fierce Russian counterattack, Israel has been trying
to distance itself from the conflict. This is understandable:
with Georgian forces on the retreat, large numbers of civilians
killed and injured, and Russia's fury unabated, Israel's deep
involvement is severely embarrassing.
While Israel was keen to downplay its role, Georgia perhaps
hoped that flattery might draw Israel further in. Georgian minister
Temur Yakobashvili -- whom the Israeli daily Haaretz stressed
was Jewish -- told Israeli army radio that "Israel should
be proud of its military which trained Georgian soldiers."
Yakobashvili claimed rather implausibly, according to Haaretz,
that "a small group of Georgian soldiers were able to wipe
out an entire Russian military division, thanks to the Israeli
training" ("Georgian minister tells Israel Radio: Thanks
to Israeli training, we're fending off Russian military,"
Haaretz, 11 August 2008).
Since 2000, Israel has sold hundreds of millions of dollars
in arms and combat training to Georgia. Weapons included guns,
ammunition, shells, tactical missile systems, antiaircraft systems,
automatic turrets for armored vehicles, electronic equipment
and remotely piloted aircraft. These sales were authorized by
the Israeli defense ministry (Arie Egozi, "War in Georgia:
The Israeli connection," Ynet, 10 August 2008).
Training also involved officers from Israel's Shin Bet secret
service -- which has for decades carried out extrajudicial executions
and torture of Palestinians in the occupied territories -- the
Israeli police, and the country's major arms companies Elbit
and Rafael.
The Tel Aviv-Tbilisi military axis appears to have been cemented
at the highest levels, and according to YNet, "The fact
that Georgia's defense minister, Davit Kezerashvili, is a former
Israeli who is fluent in Hebrew contributed to this cooperation."
Others involved in the brisk arms trade included former Israeli
minister and Tel Aviv mayor Roni Milo as well as several senior
Israeli military officers.
The key liaison was Reserve Brigadier General Gal Hirsch who
commanded Israeli forces on the border with Lebanon during the
July 2006 Second Lebanon War. (Yossi Melman, "Georgia Violence
-- A frozen alliance," Haaretz, 10 August 2008). He resigned
from the army after the Winograd commission severely criticized
Israel's conduct of its war against Lebanon and an internal Israeli
army investigation blamed Hirsch for the seizure of two soldiers
by Hezbollah.
According to one of the Israeli combat trainers, an officer
in an "elite" Israel army unit, Hirsch and colleagues
would sometimes personally supervise the training of Georgian
forces which included "house-to-house fighting." The
training was carried out through several "private"
companies with close links to the Israeli military.
As the violence raged in Georgia, the trainer was desperately
trying to contact his former Georgian students on the battlefront
via mobile phone: the Israelis wanted to know whether the Georgians
had "internalized Israeli military technique and if the
special reconnaissance forces have chalked up any successes"
(Jonathan Lis and Moti Katz, "IDF vets who trained Georgia
troops say war with Russia is no surprise," Haaretz, 11
August 2008).
Yet on the ground, the Israeli-trained Georgian forces, perhaps
unsurprisingly overwhelmed by the Russians, have done little
to redeem the image of Israel's military following its defeat
by Hezbollah in July-August 2006.
The question remains as to why Israel was involved in the
first place. There are several reasons. The first is simply economic
opportunism: for years, especially since the 11 September 2001
attacks, arms exports and "security expertise" have
been one of Israel's growth industries. But the close Israeli
involvement in a region Russia considers to be of vital interest
suggests that Israel might have been acting as part of the broader
U.S. scheme to encircle Russia and contain its reemerging power.
Since the end of the Cold War, the U.S. has been steadily
encroaching on Russia's borders and expanding NATO in a manner
the Kremlin considers highly provocative. Shortly after coming
into office, the Bush Administration tore up the Anti-Ballistic
Missile treaty and, like the Clinton administration, adopted
former Soviet satellite states as its own, using them to base
an anti-missile system Russia views as a threat. In addition
to their "global war on terror," hawks in Washington
have recently been talking up a new Cold War with Russia.
Georgia was an eager volunteer in this effort and has learned
quickly the correct rhetoric: one Georgian minister claimed that
"every bomb that falls on our heads is an attack on democracy,
on the European Union and on America." Georgia has been
trying to join NATO, and sent 2,000 soldiers to help the U.S.
occupy Iraq. It may have hoped that once war started this loyalty
would be rewarded with the kind of round-the-clock airlift of
weapons that Israel receives from the U.S. during its wars. Instead
so far the U.S. only helped airlift the Georgian troops from
Iraq back to the beleaguered home front.
By helping Georgia, Israel may have been doing its part to
duplicate its own experience in assisting the eastward expansion
of the "Euro-Atlantic" empire. While supporting Georgia
was certainly risky for Israel, given the possible Russian reaction,
it has a compelling reason to intervene in a region that is heavily
contested by global powers. Israel must constantly reinvent itself
as an "asset" to American power if it is to maintain
the U.S. support that ensures its survival as a settler-colonial
enclave in the Middle East. It is a familiar role; in the 1970s
and 1980s, at the behest of Washington, Israel helped South Africa's
apartheid regime fight Soviet-supported insurgencies in South
African-occupied Namibia and Angola, and it trained right-wing
U.S.-allied death squads fighting left-wing governments and movements
in Central America. After 2001, Israel marketed itself as an
expert on combating so-called "Islamic terrorism".
Georgia's government, to the detriment of its people, may
have tried to play the role of a loyal servant of U.S. ambitions
in that region -- and lost the gamble. Playing with empires is
dangerous for a small country.
As for Israel itself, with the Bush Doctrine having failed
to give birth to the "new Middle East" that the U.S.
needs to maintain its power in the region against growing resistance,
an ever more desperate and rogue Israel must look for opportunities
to prove its worth elsewhere. That is a dangerous and scary thing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the very near future, but after the Rapture, Gog will yet
again be on the war path against Israel:
"And the word of the LORD came
unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land
of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy
against him, And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against
thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I will
turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring
thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them
clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers
and shields, all of them handling swords: Persia, Ethiopia, and
Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:"
(Ezekiel 38:1-5).
"Therefore, son of man, prophesy
and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my
people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it? And
thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou,
and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a
great company, and a mighty army: And thou shalt come up against
my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be
in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that
the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee,
O Gog, before their eyes." (Ezekiel 38:14-16).
God Himself will permanently bring an end to Gog and his allies:
"Therefore, thou son of man,
prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold,
I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:
And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee,
and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will
bring thee upon the mountains of Israel: And I will smite thy
bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall
out of thy right hand. Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of
Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with
thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort,
and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. Thou shalt fall
upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly
in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD. So will
I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and
I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen
shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel"
(Ezekiel 39:1-7).
----------oOo---------
UPDATE
Date: Aug 23, 2008 3:35 AM
"Looking for that blessed
hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour
Jesus Christ: (Titus 2:13).
Rice to make new Israel-Palestinian peace
bid next week
WASHINGTON (AFP) — US Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice will travel to Israel and the Palestinian territories this
weekend for talks on the peace process with senior officials,
the State Department said Friday.
Rice "will travel to Israel and the Palestinian Territories
on August 24," said spokesman Sean McCormack.
McCormack said Rice's talks would include senior Israeli and
Palestinian officials and would cover "ongoing efforts to
create positive and lasting peace in the region and progress
towards the shared goal of a peace agreement in 2008."
Senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat told AFP on August
17 that Rice will meet with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas,
then hold three-way talks with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi
Livni and senior Palestinian diplomat Ahmed Qorei.
The two sides formally relaunched the peace process at a US
conference in November, with the goal of signing a full peace
deal by the time President George W. Bush leaves office in January
2009.
The talks have made little visible progress since then, with
both sides remaining deeply divided on core issues like the status
of Jerusalem, the fate of Palestinian refugees, and final borders.
Rice was last in Israel in mid-June, when she strongly criticized
the expansion of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank,
saying they undermined the peace process.
Prior to announcement of Rice's latest mission, Livni played
down the likelihood of meeting the stated US goal of getting
a peace deal this year and warned that rushing negotiations could
backfire.
"There is some kind of expectation of doing something
before the end of the year," Livni said at a news conference
with foreign journalists.
"I believe that the timeline is important, but what is
more important is the content and the nature of the understanding
that we can reach with the Palestinians," she said
Livni went on to warn that "premature" efforts to
"bridge gaps" between the two sides could lead to "clashes."
"This can lead to misunderstandings, this can lead to
violence," she said. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yes, there will be a "peace" agreement and it will
lead to violence. Even more than Foreign Minister Livni ever
imagined! The Bible says:
"For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden
destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child;
and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness,
that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the
children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of
the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do
others; but let us watch and be sober" (1 Thess. 5:3-6).
The dispute over Jerusalem will lead to World War III, at
Armageddon!
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and
thou shalt be saved
----------oOo---------
XTRA
Date: Aug 24, 2008 6:26 PM
PM Olmert pushing for deal with Palestinians
to impose on Israel
"Looking for that blessed
hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour
Jesus Christ: (Titus 2:13).
- Dr. Aaron Lerner Date: 22 August 2008
- Maariv correspondent Ben Caspit reports in today's edition
that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is pushing hard to reach a deal
with PA head Mahmoud Abbas before he leaves office. American
businessman Daniel Abram recently met with Abbas a number of
times to encourage Abbas to reach an agreement
with Olmert.
According to Caspit, Olmert tells his circle that if he reaches
a deal with Abbas "the president of the United States will
adopt the wording, the world with adopt it, the European Union,
also the Arab world. We can tell the Israeli People that this
is what can be achieved after long years of negotiations and
the Nation will decide."
Put another way: Olmert intends to create a situation according
to which the Israeli public will be put in the situation that
rejection of the deal means rejection of a plan already embraced
by the entire world - with all
the consequences.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Indeed there will be consequences to the soon-coming "covenant
with many" (Dan. 9:27).
"And your covenant with death shall be disannulled,
and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing
scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by
it" (Isaiah 28:18).
"And I beheld when he had
opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake;
and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became
as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as
a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a
mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled
together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their
places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the
rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every
bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in
the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks,
Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on
the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day
of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand
(Revelation 12-17)?
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and
thou shalt be saved
----------oOo---------
XTRA
Date: Aug 25, 2008 6:26 AM
"Looking for that blessed
hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour
Jesus Christ: (Titus 2:13).
08/25/2008
On verge of Rice visit, Israel and PA peace accord
By Aluf Benn, Haaretz Correspondent
The visit of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will seek to
determine whether it will be possible to present an Israeli-Palestinian
accord to the world, or even a partial document of agreement,
before the end of the current year. Nine months have passed since
the Annapolis conference, which was held at the behest of Rice
and where the participants promised to "make every effort"
to reach a settlement by the end of 2008. Any attempt to redeem
that promise will take place in the shadow of a political crisis
in Israel.
Is a settlement possible? There are serious disagreements
in the Israeli leadership over the answer to this. Before bridging
the differences between Israelis and Palestinians, Rice will
have to pave the way between the contradictory viewpoints of
her hosts in Jerusalem. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert believes that
it is possible and necessary to reach a "shelf agreement"
now - a deal whose implementation will be spread over a decade.
The agreement would determine the boundaries of a future Palestinian
state, security arrangements and resolve the refugee question.
Olmert believes that the president of the Palestinian Authority,
Mahmoud Abbas, also would like to reach such an agreement, and
so do the Americans. The Bush administration is eager to have
some diplomatic achievement before the end of a disappointing
tenure. The candidates who hope to succeed him, John McCain and
Barack Obama, have told Olmert that they would be glad if Bush
would lift the burden of negotiating the Israeli-Palestinian
peace from their shoulders.
Olmert faces opposition from both Defense Minister Ehud Barak
and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. In their view, Israel must
not rush. Livni believes that detailed negotiations must continue
on all issues, and that Israel should avoid an unclear agreement.
She also supports deferring resolution of the Jerusalem quagmire.
Barak has warned against dangerous illusions, at a time when
the gap between the two sides remain substantial.
- The respective political interests of all those involved
is obvious. Olmert is due to step down and wants to end his shortened
tenure with a diplomatic achievement. Livni and Barak, who will
soon face voters in elections, would prefer to wait for him to
go. The prime minister rejects their criticism. His aides say
that he is not rushing, and will not relinquish any essential
Israeli interests for the sake of a mere document. The principles
of the agreement are clear, the aides say, all those involved
in it favor the agreement, and it would be a shame to miss this
opportunity because of domestic political differences.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Comment by James: "A covenant not to be implemented is exactly
what we already knew. But I don't think anyone ever expected
any thing like this. Will this be it? We have hope!"
"For the Lord himself
shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ
shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be
CAUGHT UP together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord
in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord"
- (I Thessalonians 4:16 & 17).
-
-
- ----------oOo---------
-
-
- UPDATE
- Date: Aug 27, 2008 4:12 PM "
- Looking for that blessed
hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour
Jesus Christ: (Titus 2:13).
-
- Wednesday, August 27, 2008
- Palestinian source told Al Quds: Rice supports the creation
of a Palestinian state on the borders of 67 - Jones to propose security arrangements Jerusalem
- A high-level Palestinian source in the Palestinian
Presidential Office told Al Quds that the American Secretary
of State Condoleezza Rice touched for the first time during talks
yesterday with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah
ono the need to establish a Palestinian state on the borders
of June 67. The source said that "Rice touched for the first
time during her meeting with the two sides to the issue of borders
in June 1967, including the Gaza Strip and occupied West Bank
and East Jerusalem and the Jordan Valley and parts of the Dead
Sea."
- The source added that "this is a kind of development
and clear by the U.S. administration about the peace process
between Palestinians and Israelis."
- He explained that Rice urged the parties to hold meetings
daily and intensive secret between them to reach a formula acceptable
to both parties, and that it will pursue every course of meetings
to be held between Palestinian and Israeli sides.
- The source confirmed that Rice asked the two sides to agreed
with each other to make limited adjustments on the 67 borders
and requested action on the issue of Jerusalem and to reach understandings
with respect religious sites and also the security and administrative
arrangements concerning the relationship between the two parts
of the city east and west.
- The source said that Rice informed the parties that the U.S.
administration will seek to develop understandings on an international
mechanism to compensate Palestinian refugees as part of the solution
to this problem.
- The same source revealed that American General James Jones
U.S. envoy for security in the Middle East would work during
the period of the near future to complete the security arrangements
for the establishment of a Palestinian state, in the light of
the significant differences in the positions of the Palestinian
and Israeli sides with regard to these arrangements.
- The source explained, "Jones held a series of meetings
with Palestinian and Israeli sides to clarify their positions
to reach concrete results accepted by the parties and be presented
to the American administration."
- It was the official spokesman for the Palestinian presidency
Nabil Abu Rudeineh who revealed that Rice had raised "new
ideas" concerning the peace process during her meeting with
Abbas in Ramallah yesterday. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- As that day approaches, they're getting serious!
-
- "For I am God, and there
is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring
the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things
that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I
will do all of my pleasure: . . . . . yea, I have spoken it,
I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also
do it" (Isaiah 46:9-11).
- ----------oOo---------
-
-
- MORE & VERY DECISIVE
- Date: Wednesday, August 27, 2008
- Official sources: Abbas to meet Olmert
on Sunday http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-08/27/content_9723141.htm
-
- Special report: Palestine-Israel Relations RAMALLAH, Aug.
27, 2008 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and
Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert may meet on Sunday, Palestinian
sources said on Wednesday. The sources said that the Palestinian
and the Israeli official shold contacts to arrange for the meeting
which will be the second between the two men this month. In the
meeting, Abbas and Olmert will discuss the movement of peace
talks over the final-status issues such as the border, water,
refugee, security and the state of Jerusalem. They will also
talk about the U.S.-backed Road Map peace plan, mainly the Israeli
obligations of halting settlement activities onthe occupied Palestinian
land, according to the sources. The negotiations are aimed at
reaching a deal enabling the creation of a Palestinian statehood
alongside Israel. But the continuation of the settlement activities
blocks the progress of the talks and makes it difficult to reach
the deal before the end of this year. On Tuesday, U.S. Secretary
of State Condoleezza Rice met Abbas at his office in Ramallah
where she "proposed new ideas related to the peace process,"
according to Nabil Abu Rdineh, the spokesman for the Palestinian
presidency. Abu Rdineh did not reveal the new offers but said
"the coming weeks will be very decisive."
-
-
- ----------oOo---------
-
-
- "Looking for that
blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and
our Saviour Jesus Christ: (Titus 2:13).
Israeli, Palestinian Leaders to Meet Sunday
By VOA News - 29 August 2008
 Palestinian
president Mahmud Abbas, left, and Israeli PM Ehud Olmert shake
hands during a meeting in Jerusalem, 06 Aug 2008
- Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas are set to talk again in the hopes of moving closer
to a peace deal.
- Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Friday, the two leaders
will meet Sunday in Jerusalem.
- A spokesman for Mr. Olmert confirmed the meeting.
- The two leaders last met August 6, when Israel agreed to
release Palestinian prisoners in a sign of goodwill. Israel released
almost 200 prisoners Monday.
- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with Israeli
and Palestinian officials earlier this week, and said the parties
have a "good chance" of signing a deal by the time
U.S. President George Bush leaves office in January. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- "For our conversation
is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord
Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be
fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working
whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself"
(Phil. 3:20 & 21).
-
-
- ----------oOo---------
-
-
- "Looking for that
blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and
our Saviour Jesus Christ: (Titus 2:13).
09/07/2008
Olmert: We must prepare now
for the evacuation of West Bank settlers
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz
Correspondent
 Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. (Daniel
Bar-On) Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Sunday that the government
must start preparing now for the evacuation of settlers from
the West Bank.
- "Since it is possible we will need to make decisions
in the future that will involve the evacuation of residents,
we should already prepare for this now and think about its consequences,
especially while serious [peace] negotiations are being held,"
said Olmert.
- The prime minister made the comments at the beginning of
a debate on Vice Premier Haim Ramon's evacuation-compensation
bill at the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem. The bill would
enable settlers who live beyond the security fence to receive
financial compensation for relocating west of it.
- Olmert added: "Over the last two years, they charged
us with not having prepared in an appropriate fashion certain
things connected to the disengagement that caused particular
suffering to the [evacuated] residents - and now they are saying
it's too early to talk about this, but it is still good to think
about how to prepare in the right manner."
- He was referring to Israel's 2005 pullout from the Gaza Strip
and Northern West Bank, which was furiously protested against
by much of the Right in Israel, in particular the rational-religious
community. Since then, many have charged that authorities did
not sufficiently plan to deal with the evacuees after the withdrawal,
which led to many of them remaining in temporary housing to this
day.
- Olmert raised the matter for discussion despite the strong
opposition of a number of ministers.
- Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz condemned the bill last
week at a meeting with activists in the ruling Kadima party.
- "The bill weakens the position of Israel in all future
negotiations and I will not lend my hand to it," said Mofaz,
a frontrunner in this month's Kadima leadership battle. Israel
and the Palestinian Authority are currently holding peace talks
over the future of Israel's settlements in the West Bank, in
addition to other issues such as Palestinian refugees and Jerusalem.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As the inevitable "covenant with many" inches closer,
I often feel such sorrow in my soul for Israel and the world.
How much more did our Lord and Savior experience those same feelings!
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent
unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together,
even as a hen gathered her chickens under her wings, and ye would
not (Matt. 23:37).
"For the Lord himself
shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ
shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be
caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord
in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore
comfort one another with these words" (I Thessalonians
4:16-18).
- ----------oOo---------
-
- UPDATE - PEACE & SAFETY
Date: Sep 9, 2008 10:33 PM
"And he (the beast) shall
confirm (guarantee) the covenant with many for one week
(seven years).
[Daniel 9:27).
Livni: Without security, no agreement
-
- Foreign minister gives interview to al-Arabiya,
says considering demands for Israel's security will make peace
agreement stable
- Roni Sofer Published: 09.09.08, Israel News
-
- Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, during a Tuesday night interview
to the Al-Arabiya news agency, emphasized the importance of Israeli
security in any political agreement between Palestinians and
Israelis.
-
- "Any deal (with the Palestinians) needs to create increased
security for Israel and certainly not harm it. If an agreement
does not protect Israeli security, there will not be an agreement,"
she said.
- "It's hard to for me to picture a situation in which
the Palestinians would have to give up the idea of a state of
their own in order to meet Israeli security demands," she
asserted. On the contrary, she said, "acquiescence to Israel's
security demands is what will make an agreement stable. (Security)
needs to be in the interest of anyone who wants such an agreement."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gen. James Jones, Washington's security coordinator for Israeli-Palestinian
talks, will arrive in Israel Tuesday night. Jones was appointed
by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to draft a plan to
create a stable security environment in the region. He has also
been tasked with trying to define the vital security interests
that Israel would
need for any final-status agreement .
- Jones will meet tomorrow with Defense Minister Ehud Barak
and other senior Israeli officials, as well as their Palestinian
counterparts. After that, he is expected to report back to Rice
on whether he sees any chance of drafting a document defining
Israel's security interests that would be acceptable to Israel
and the United States. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- "And he (the beast) shall confirm (guarantee)
the covenant with many for one week (seven years). [Daniel 9:27).
"There is a way that
seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of
death" (Proverbs 16:25).
"For then shall be great
tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world
to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should
be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's
sake those days shall be shortened" (Matthew
24:21 & 22).
But the hope of the Church, which is the body and bride of Christ,
is to be caught up (raptured) to meet Christ in the air immediately
before the tribulation:
"For the Lord himself
shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ
shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be
caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord
in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore
comfort one another with these words" (I Thessalonians
4:16-18).
One of these days, in the near future, we're going to hear that
an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians has been reached.
Also the date for a formal public confirmation ceremony will
be announced. Let's say for example, the confirmation ceremony,
with much pomp and circumstance, with the whole world watching,
is scheduled to convene on October 20. Based on past performance,
such as Israel's treaties with Egypt; Jordan; and the Oslo agreements,
the announcement of the public confirmation ceremony always came
several days in advance of the event. So, let's say that on or
about October 14, we hear that a confirmation ceremony is set
for October 20. We would then know that the Church would be caught
up to meet Christ in the air on October 19, as the Church Age
goes up to, but not into the tribulation. Very soon we'll be
singing, "Coming home, coming home, Lord I'm coming home."
Amen! Sobering, isn't it?
----------oOo---------
-
-
- "Looking for that
blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and
our Saviour Jesus Christ: (Titus 2:13).
Thursday, October 02, 2008 - Israel Today Staff
-
- Olmert, Livni holding separate talks with
Palestinians
- Israel's fractured leadership structure is resulting in two
separate peace processes with the Palestinian Authority, recent
media reports have suggested.
- Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who is currently head of a transition
government and should therefore be refraining from taking part
in far-reaching diplomacy, is nevertheless continuing to hold
direct peace talks with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.
- In fact, Olmert presented Abbas last week with a generous
package of Israeli concessions that almost meet all Palestinian
demands.
- Days later, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who recently replaced
Olmert as head of the ruling Kadima Party and is in the process
of trying to form a new government, rejected the Olmert proposal,
as did her Palestinian negotiating partner Ahmed Qureia.
- Some observers view the situation as an attempt by Olmert
to torpedo Livni's coalition-building efforts, and thereby buy
himself several more months in power. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- Will THE SOVEREIGN GOD OF THE UNIVERSE
allow that scoundrel Olmert to buy enough time to make a covenant
with the Palestinians? Our God calls it "a covenant with death and hell." Will
President Bush confirm the covenant? Will the looming economic
crisis and energy crisis that just "happened" at this
time allow Bush to postpone the election via the Executive Orders?
The two main issues of this election are the energy crisis and
the economic crisis!! Coincidence?? No!,,,,,,,,,and it's going
to get worse!!
- Executive Orders
- Executive Orders (EOs) are decrees that are issued by the
President of the United States and which carry the force of law
when activated by a president. All EOs are printed in the U.S.
Federal Register. The following are a few examples of some EOs
and their purposes that relate to a State of national emergency.
10995--Federal seizure of all communications media in the United
States;
- 10997--Federal seizure of all electric power, fuels, minerals,
public and private;
10998--Federal seizure of all food supplies and resources, public
and private and all farms and equipment;
10999--Federal seizure of all means of transportation, including
cars, trucks, or vehicles of any kind and total control over
all highways, seaports and water ways;
11000--Federal seizure of American people for work forces under
federal supervision, including the splitting up of families if
the government so desires;
11001--Federal seizure of all health, education and welfare facilities,
both public and private;
11002--Empowers the Postmaster General to register all men, women
and children in the United States of America;
11003--Federal seizure of all airports and aircraft;
11004--Federal seizure of all housing and finances and authority
to establish Forced Relocation. Authority to designate areas
to be abandoned as "unsafe," establish new locations
for the populations, relocate communities, build new housing
with public funds;
11005--Seizure of all railroads, inland waterways and storage
facilities, both public and private;
11051--Provides FEMA complete authorization to put above orders
into effect in times of increased international tension of economic
or financial crisis (FEMA will be in control in case of "National
Emergency").
"President
William Jefferson Clinton wrote one EO that can cover all
of these. He wrote Executive Order 12919 on June 3, 1994, which
was released on June 6, 1994. This EO will be the only thing
needed to be enacted in order for the U.S. president to become
a fully empowered dictator. It covers all of the EOs mentioned
previously. The only thing this EO doesn't do is define WHAT
the "national emergency" would have to be in order
for this EO to be signed. Please keep that in mind. Anything
can be declared a "national emergency" to facilitate
EO 12919 being enacted."
-
- COMING WORLD DOMINION
-
- "And power was given
him over all kindreds, and tongues and nations"
(Revelation 13:7).
- The Gentile beast will confirm (guarantee) Israel's "covenant
with many." This confirmation event will occur on the first
day of the seven-year tribulation. This agreement is now in process.
WATCH!
- "If therefore thou
shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt
not know what hour I will come upon thee" (Revelation
3:3).
- "And he (the beast)
shall confirm
the (Israeli) covenant with many for one week (seven
yrs.)" (Daniel 9:27).
EVEN SO, COME LORD JESUS
Immediately prior to the first day of the tribulation and the
covenant confirmation ceremony, something exciting is going to
happen to the true believers in Christ Jesus:
"For the Lord himself
shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ
shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be
caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord
in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore
comfort one another with these words" (I Thessalonians
4:16-18).
-
-
- ----------oOo---------
-
- HALLELUJAH
Date: Oct 4, 2008 3:56 PM
"Looking for that blessed
hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour
Jesus Christ: (Titus 2:13).
PA demanding int'l force after peace agreement
By Barak Ravid
The Palestinians are proposing that a multinational force under
U.S. command be deployed in the future Palestinian state, to
monitor the implementation of any peace agreement reached with
Israel.
- Meanwhile, the political-security cabinet is slated to meet
this morning to discuss which Israeli security interests must
be guaranteed in the framework of a final-status agreement with
the Palestinian Authority. The meeting will be the first of its
kind since the Annapolis conference in November.
- Over the last few months, the Israel Defense Forces planning
department has been working on compiling Israel's security demands
from the Palestinians. The recommendations have been submitted
to Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi, Defense Minister Ehud Barak,
and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni - who is coordinating the negotiations
- and will be presented to the cabinet today.
- Livni is due to inform the cabinet of the status of the negotiations,
particularly Israel's positions on the borders and security arrangements.
These are the primary issues being negotiated at the moment,
and both sides have agreed that any Israeli concession on the
borders will be met with a Palestinian concession on security
arrangements.
- Defense Ministry representatives participated in a meeting
yesterday on security arrangements between the Livni-led Israeli
negotiation team and the Palestinian negotiators, headed by former
Palestinian prime minister Ahmed Qureia. In an unusual move,
the first few minutes of the meeting were open to press photographers.
- The Palestinians are aware that no matter what agreement
is reached, the future Palestinian state will not be allowed
to possess heavy weapons. The PA is prepared to accept limitations
on the degree to which its security services are armed, Palestinian
negotiator Saeb Erekat said Monday, in a closed meeting at the
Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv.
- "We don't need tanks or planes, but we will not relinquish
our self-respect," he said. "But it its clear to everyone
that on the security issue, the agreement cannot be implemented
without the prominent intervention of America as a third party."
- Erekat said reaching an agreement this year was "critical,"
adding that the negotiations were at the point "where we
were in Taba in 2001, and even beyond that." He did not
describe the scope of the prospective agreement, but said, "there's
no need for a 1,000-page agreement, but a document that includes
parameters for the establishment of two states. Such an agreement
will pass in a national referendum and will remove Hamas from
power." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hallelujah!! AMEN!!
Obviously they are very close to an agreement, to be talking
about guaranteeing the security in the Land!!! To whom are they
looking to guarantee the covenant? Yes, the U.S.! ....which means
President G.W. Bush!
"And he (the beast) shall
confirm (guarantee)
the covenant with many for one week (seven yrs.)"
(Daniel 9:27).
President Bush's plan for peace has been widely accepted internationally
as well as by the Israeli and Palestinian governments, which
would see two sovereign states existing beside each other in
the land God has promised to Israel.
"There is a way that
seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of
death" (Proverbs 16:25).
"For then shall be great
tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world
to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should
be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's
sake those days shall be shortened" (Matthew
24:21 & 22).
But the hope of the Church, which is the body and bride of Christ,
is to be caught up (raptured) to meet Christ in the air immediately
before the tribulation:
"For the Lord himself
shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ
shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be
caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord
in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore
comfort one another with these words" (I Thessalonians
4:16-18).
One of these days, in the near future, we're going to hear that
an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians has been reached.
Also the date for a formal public confirmation ceremony will
be announced. Let's say for example, the confirmation ceremony,
with much pomp and circumstance, with the whole world watching,
is scheduled to convene on October 20. Based on past performance,
such as Israel's treaties with Egypt; Jordan; and the Oslo agreements,
the announcement of the public confirmation ceremony always came
several days in advance of the event. So, let's say that on or
about October 14, we hear that a confirmation ceremony is set
for October 20. We would then know that the Church would be caught
up to meet Christ in the air on October 19, as the Church Age
goes up to, but not into, the tribulation. Then we'll be singing,
"Coming home, coming home, Lord I'm coming home." Amen!
-
-
- ----------oOo---------
- UPDATE
Date: Oct 10, 2008 4:24 AM
"Looking for that blessed
hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour
Jesus Christ: (Titus 2:13).
Muddled political climate clouds Mideast peace
efforts
Oct 08, 2008
Middle East Bureau
- JERUSALEM–Nearly a year after embarking on the latest
in a long succession of peace negotiations, the two sides in
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have managed to find common
ground in at least one respect.
- They – or their governments – are both in severe
political disarray.
- "At least in Israel, there is no novelty in this,"
said Emanuel Gutmann, emeritus professor of political science
at Hebrew University.
- On the Israeli side, Ehud Olmert has been forced to resign
as prime minister under a cloud of financial scandal, although
he continues to soldier on as caretaker, while his presumed successor,
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, struggles to piece together a coalition
of parties capable of controlling the 120-seat Israeli Knesset,
or parliament.
- Should she fail – as some consider likely – then
new elections would probably have to be held sometime early next
year in order to choose a new government.
- On the Palestinian side, President Mahmoud Abbas holds tenuous
authority over just one faction of a deeply divided populace,
while facing mounting pressure to resign his position this coming
January.
- Meanwhile, several dozen members of the 132-seat Palestinian
Legislative Council remain unable to carry out the duties of
elected office because they are still being held in Israeli prisons
on security-related charges. Is this any way to conduct a peace
process?
- Olmert and Abbas continue to hold out hope that some kind
of provisional accord can still be struck before the end of the
year.
- Possible, but unlikely.
- In Israel, the confused political climate can be attributed
in part to this country's unwieldy system of proportional representation,
a system that has produced a nearly unbroken string of mostly
short-lived minority governments since the Jewish state was founded
in 1948.
- "It definitely presents a lot of obstacles and difficulties,"
said Avi Melamed, founder of Idan, an Israeli agency that promotes
accountability in government. "There is not a single Israeli
government that has completed a full term in the last generation."
- Instead, the country tends to be ruled by fragile coalitions
composed of disparate political groupings with often incompatible
agendas, and such governments have an inherent tendency to disintegrate.
- In her continuing efforts to form a new governing coalition,
for example, Livni has held talks with Shas, a party with deeply
conservative social policies, and the leftist Meretz, which supports
gay rights.
- "They stand for totally different cultural agendas,"
said Melamed.
- Still, Israeli democracy is in sturdier shape than its Palestinian
counterpart, long riven by factional conflicts that exploded
last year in a five-day miniature civil war between Hamas and
Fatah.
- Now Hamas is demanding Fatah's Abbas, the Palestinian president,
step down in January, claiming his four-year term expires that
month.
- But Abbas supporters say the electoral law allows a one-year
extension in Abbas' mandate, in order to bring the presidential
vote, last conducted in 2005, back into sync with legislative
elections, last held in 2006, when Hamas won victory.
- "There is a strong legal opinion in that direction,"
said Ghassan Khatib, a Palestinian intellectual.
- The dispute over Abbas' eligibility seems likely to further
antagonize the feuding sides.
- "As of now," said Khatib, "there is no sign
of optimism." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-
- Meanwhile, we wait and
watch! It hasn't been cancelled!!
- "I am God, and there
is none else: I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring
the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things
that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I
will do all my pleasure: ...I have spoken it, I will also bring
it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it" (Isaiah 46:9-11).
-
- "And he (God) removeth
kings, and setteth up kings . . ." (Daniel 2:21).
- "By me (God) kings
reign, and princes decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles,
even all the judges of the earth" (Proverbs 8:15 & 16).
"The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers
of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will" (Proverbs
21:1).
-
- ----------oOo---------
-
-
- Oct 16, 2008 9:38 AM
Olmert and Abbas meeting off
- October 16. 2008 The outgoing Israeli prime minister Ehud
Olmert and the Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas will not be
meeting for a new round of peace talks tomorrow as was announced
earlier this week, the Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat said.
- “There will not be a meeting tomorrow,” Mr Erakat
said today, adding that discussions were under way to fix a date
for one.
-
-
- ----------oOo---------
-
-
- UPDATE
Date: Oct 19, 2008 7:16 AM
"Looking for that blessed
hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour
Jesus Christ: (Titus 2:13).
10/19/2008
Barak: Israel giving serious thought to Saudi
peace plan
By Haaertz Service
Defense Minister and Labor Party Chairman Ehud Barak said Sunday
that Israeli leaders have been discussing pursuing a comprehensive
Saudi
peace plan, an initiative touted by the moderate Arab elements
across the Middle East.
- Barak told Army Radio on Sunday that with individual negotiations
with Syria and the Palestinians making little headway, it may
be time to pursue an overall peace deal for the region.
- "There is room in the Israeli coalition for the Saudi
initiative," he said. "We have a mutual interest with
moderate Arab elements on the issues of Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas."
The defense minister President Shimon Peres is in agreement with
such consideration and he has spoken about the matter with Prime
Minister-designate Tzipi Livni about the matter as well.
-
"COVENANT WITH MANY"
"And he (the beast) shall confirm the (Israeli)
covenant with many for one week (seven yrs.)"
(Daniel 9:27).
-
- While outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, has welcomed the
Saudi plan, he and other leaders want to keep small parts of
the territories captured in 1967.
- Israel also objects to language in the Saudi plan that appears
to endorse a large-scale return of Palestinian refugees to lands
inside Israel. Israel says a massive influx of Palestinians would
destroy the country's Jewish character.
- Peres proposed merging Israel's various peace talks into
one track last month at the United Nations. In a speech to the
General Assembly, he called on Saudi King Abdullah to further
his initiative. He has since been pushing the idea in meeting
with Israeli, Arab and Western officials, his office said.
- In Sunday's interview, Barak said he was in full agreement
with Peres, and had discussed the peace plan with Livni as well.
- "I had the impression that there is indeed an openness
to explore any path, including this one," he said of his
talks with Livni.
- The Saudi peace initiative was first proposed in 2002. It
offers pan-Arab recognition of Israel in exchange for Israel's
withdrawal from Arab lands captured in 1967.
- Arab foreign ministers reendorsed the proposal at an Arab
League summit in Damascus in March. The ratification included
the declaration that advancement of the plans would depend on
whether Israel fulfill its commitment to international agreements.
- "The continuation by the Arab side to present the Arab
peace initiative is tied to Israel executing its commitments
in the framework of international resolutions to achieve peace
in the region," a Damascus declaration said.
- Arab officials have said that withdrawing the peace plan
is not an option and in public they have not proposed alternatives.
"For the Lord himself
shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ
shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be
caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord
in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore
comfort one another with these words" (I Thessalonians
4:16-18).
-
- ----------oOo---------
-
- XTRA
Date: Oct 23, 2008 9:34 AM
"Looking for that blessed
hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour
Jesus Christ: (Titus 2:13).
President Shimon Peres meeting with Egyptian President
Hosni Mubarak in Sharm el-Sheikh on Thursday. (Reuters)
10/23/08
"COVENANT WITH MANY"
"And he (the beast) shall confirm (guarantee) the covenant
with many for one week (seven years). [Daniel 9:27].
- Saudi plan can bring peace to Mideast
By Yoav Stern, Haarez Correspondent and The Associated Press
 President Shimon Peres endorsed
on Thursday the spirit of a broad Arab initiative as an opportunity
that can bring peace to the Middle East, speaking at a meeting
with Egypt's President in Sharm el-Sheikh.
- It was the first time Peres spoke in support of the long-stalled
initiative in an Arab country, adding significance to his remarks.
The United States ally Egypt is a regional heavyweight and was
the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israeli in
1979.
- Peres' remarks also marked another step in his recent efforts
to jump-start a 2002 Saudi proposal for comprehensive peace in
the region.
The Nobel peace laureate Peres, whose post is mostly ceremonial,
proposed putting Israel's various peace talks on one track last
month at the United Nations, calling on Saudi King Abdullah to
further his initiative.
- He has since been pushing the idea in meetings with Israeli,
Arab and Western officials, his office said. During a visit Thursday
to Egypt, Peres held talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak
in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El Sheik. The two later held a
joint press conference.
- Peres said that while he doesn't "accept all of the
Saudi plan and it needs to be negotiated further, its spirit
is correct."
- However, Mubarak openly disagreed with Peres' one-track approach
- saying "the Saudi initiative is not open for negotiations."
Mubarak said Palestinians and Israelis should first reach an
agreement through bilateral talks, before all Arab states normalize
relations with Israel. His spokesman, Suleiman Awwad, later said
Mubarak dismisses the idea of all Arab countries holding talks
together with Israel before Israeli-Palestinian conflict is resolved.
- The 2002 Saudi proposal offers pan-Arab recognition of Israel
in exchange for Israel's withdrawal from Arab lands captured
in 1967. The 22-member Arab League has endorsed the plan.
- "In tandem with the bilateral negotiations with the
Palestinians, we need to promote the Arab peace initiative,"
Peres told reporters.
- On Sunday, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Israeli leaders
were seriously considering the dormant Saudi plan. He said in
radio interview that he had discussed it with prime minister-designate
Tzipi Livni, who is in the process of forming a new government,
and that Israel is considering a response.
- There is definitely room to introduce a comprehensive Israeli
plan to counter the Saudi plan that would be the basis for a
discussion on overall regional peace, Barak told Israel's Army
Radio.
- Israel also objects to language in the initiative that appears
to endorse a large-scale return of Palestinian refugees to lands
inside Israel. Israel says a massive influx of Palestinians would
destroy the country's Jewish character.
"For the Lord himself
shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ
shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be
caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord
in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore
comfort one another with these words" (I Thessalonians
4:16-18).
- ----------oOo---------
-
-
- Oct 29, 2008 12:45 AM
"Looking for that blessed
hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour
Jesus Christ: (Titus 2:13).
Peace talks on hold as Israel prepares for February 10 vote
JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel's political parties decided on
Tuesday to hold early elections on February 10, a decision that
will leave US-backed Middle East peace talks in limbo for at
least three more months.
-
- "For the Lord
himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice
of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in
Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall
be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord
in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore
comfort one another with these words" (I
Thessalonians 4:16-18).
----------oOo---------
-
UPDATE
Date: Nov 5, 2008 8:45 PM
Palestinian, Israeli leaders weigh in on Obama
victory (Ma´an News Agency / Maan Network) Bethlehem
Date: 11 / 05 / 2008
"Looking for that blessed
hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour
Jesus Christ: (Titus 2:13).
Bethlehem – Ma’an – Israeli and Palestinian leaders
on Wednesday congratulated US President-elect Barack Obama, expressing
optimism for relations with the soon-to-be American leader.
"President Abbas congratulates [Obama] in his name and in
the name of the Palestinian people,” his spokesperson said
as the final votes were tallied early into Wednesday morning.
Abbas hopes Obama “will speed up efforts to achieve peace,
particularly since a resolution to the Palestinian problem and
the Israeli-Arab conflict is key to world peace,” Abbas’s
aide Nabil Abu Rudeina said.
"We expect change and we hope that that will bring peace
for us," Abbas said.
In Israel, a spokesperson for the country’s Foreign Ministry
said that US-Israeli relations “have a bright future.”
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert congratulated Obama’s
win, saying that his election is a testament to America’s
transparent political system.
"America has proved once again that it is the greatest democracy,
which sets an example to all democracies in the world,"
Olmert said.
"Israel and the US both want to continue strengthening those
relations and advancing peace and stability in the Middle East.
We have no doubt that the special relations between the two countries
will grow stronger during the Obama administration era."
From Gaza, the Hamas movement called on the president-elect to
"learn from the mistakes of previous US administrations,
and particularly the one headed by George W. Bush, toward the
Arab world." (maannews.net) 11/05/08)
MATERIAL REPRODUCED FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES
ONLY
- "Behold, I shew
you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for
the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible,
and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption,
and this mortal must put on immortality"
(I Corinthians 15:51-53).
----------oOo---------
-
- XTRA Date: Nov 7, 2008 6:46 AM
-
- "Looking for that
blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great
God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: (Titus 2:13).
-
- Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and U.S. Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice holding a press conference in Jerusalem on Thursday.
(U.S. Embassy / Getty Images)
- 11/07/2008
 Israel, PA to continue talks on
core issues with Obama's help:
- By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent and Reuters
- Israel and the Palestinian Authority are to announce on Sunday
their commitment to continuing talks on the core issues in 2009
after president-elect Barack Obama takes office. The parties
have agreed to negotiate based on the principles determined at
last November's Annapolis conference.
- Outgoing U.S. secretary of state Condoleezza Rice said Thursday
during her visit to Israel that the United States would remain
a true friend of Israel.
- The statement on the continued negotiations is to be made
to the members of the Quartet - the United States, Russia, the
United Nations and the European Union - during a meeting at Sharm
el-Sheikh.
- Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and her Palestinian counterpart,
Ahmed Qureia, will brief the Quartet's foreign ministers on progress
in talks over the past year since the Annapolis conference.
- A statement at the end of Sunday's meeting is expected to
outline the obligations of each party based on the principles
of the Annapolis conference:
- The obligation of the parties to the process and a two-state
solution; bilateral negotiations only between Israel and the
PA, which will be secret; commitment to the first stage of the
Road Map - a cessation of settlement construction and evacuation
of illegal outposts by Israel, and a war on terror by the Palestinians;
Israel and the PA will continue working together to bolster Palestinian
institutions, with an emphasis on security and judicial bodies;
and the international community will continue to support and
assist the process diplomatically and economically.
- Rice, who arrived in Israel on Thursday, said at a press
conference hosted by Livni that negotiations over the past year
had been the most serious ever and ended seven years of intifada.
- Livni, who read her remarks, reiterated the messages from
her election campaign in which she differentiated between herself
and Benjamin Netanyahu. "We are realistic enough to recognize
the reality we face, but we are also determined enough to change
it. I believe deeply that stagnation is not in Israel's interest
and cannot be our policy," Livni said.
- She added that the Israeli public did not need slogans, but
solutions. Any such solution would require a response to Israel's
needs, first and foremost security.
- Rice and Linvi also discussed the Iranian issue and the administration's
intention to open an American interests section in Tehran, which
Livni said at the briefing that she opposed.
-
- Obama, Olmert agree on need to advance Mideast peace talks
-
- Outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called Obama on Thursday,
and the two discussed the need to press ahead with the peace
process with the Palestinians, Olmert's office said.
- Meanwhile Hamas strongman Mahmoud Zahar said Friday he hopes
Obama's election victory will open a new page in relations between
the U.S. and the Muslim world, although he does not expect an
immediate change in U.S policy toward Hamas.
- The current peace talks, launched nearly a year ago at a
conference sponsored by U.S. President George W. Bush, have been
bogged down from the start by violence, and bitter disputes over
Jewish settlement building and the future of Jerusalem.
- The White House said on Thursday that an agreement was unlikely
to be reached between the sides before Bush leaves office in
January.
- In a statement, Olmert's office said the prime minister and
Obama "agreed on the need to continue to advance the peace
process, and this, while safeguarding the security of Israel".
- The statement said Obama and Olmert also "spoke about
the long friendship between the United States and Israel and
the need to preserve and strengthen this friendship."
- The statement provided no other details about the conversation,
the first between the two leaders since Obama's victory in the
U.S. presidential election on Tuesday.
-
- "Behold, I shew
you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for
the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible,
and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption,
and this mortal must put on immortality"
(I Corinthians 15:51-53).
-
-
-
- ----------oOo---------
-
-
- IMPORTANT 7 November 2008
- "Looking for that
blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and
our Saviour Jesus Christ: (Titus 2:13).
Brethren,
I call your attention to the book of Acts, chapter 21. Paul was
falsely accused of defiling the temple and was dragged outside:
"And as they went about to kill
him, tidings came unto the chief captain of the band, that all
Jerusalem was in an uproar. Who immediately took soldiers and
centurions, and ran down unto them: and when they saw the chief
captain and the soldiers, they left beating of Paul. Then the
chief captain came near, and took him, and commanded him to be
bound with two chains; and demanded who he was, and what he had
done" (Acts 21: 31-33).
"And as they bound him with thongs,
Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for
you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned? When the
centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain, saying,
Take heed what thou doest: for this man is a Roman. Then the
chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman?
He said, Yea. And the chief captain answered, With a great sum
obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born.
Then straightway they departed from him which should have examined
him: and the chief captain also was afraid, after he knew that
he was a Roman, and because he had bound him"
( Acts 22:25-29).
From the above Scripture we learn that Paul, a Jew, born in a
province of the Roman empire, was a Roman citizen from birth.
After reviewing maps of the old Roman empire at its zenith, I
was reminded that parts of North Africa was indeed part of the
Roman empire. Therefore, if Barack Obama had an ancestor who
was born in that area of Africa, under Roman rule, he then is
indeed of Roman descent. If so, he is Scriptually qualified to
be the Gentile beast of Revelation 13:8!!
I don't know. But, the Sovereign God of the universe knows!!
"I am God, and there is none else:
I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the
beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet
done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
...I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed
it, I will also do it" (Isaiah 46:9-11).
Therefore, we will continue to watch the Israeli-Palestinian
"peace" process. One day in the near future they will
reach an agreement. A Gentile king (political leader) from the
West will "confirm the covenant for one week" (seven
years). That Gentile political leader of the West who guarantees
that covenant is the antichrist beast!! Therefore, we will watch
and know:
"If therefore thou shalt not watch,
I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what
hour I will come upon thee" (Revelation 3:3).
"Behold, I shew you a mystery;
We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment,
in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet
shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and
we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption,
and this mortal must put on immortality" (I Corinthians
15:51-53).
-
- ----------oOo---------
-
-
UPDATE
Date: Nov 17, 2008 12:36 PM
"And
he (the beast)
shall confirm the (Israeli) covenant with many for
one week (seven yrs.)" [Daniel 9:27].
Barack Obama is to pursue an ambitious peace plan in the Middle
East involving the recognition of Israel by the Arab world in
exchange for its withdrawal to pre-1967 borders, according to
sources close to America’s president-elect, The Sunday Times
reported on Sunday.
According to British paper, Obama intends to throw his support
behind a 2002 Saudi peace initiative endorsed by the Arab League
and backed by Tzipi Livni, the Israeli foreign minister and leader
of the ruling Kadima party.
The proposal gives Israel an effective veto on the return of
Arab refugees expelled in 1948 while requiring it to restore
the Golan Heights to Syria and allow the Palestinians to establish
a state capital in east Jerusalem.
On a visit to the Middle East last July, the president-elect
said privately it would be “crazy” for Israel to refuse
a deal that could “give them peace with the Muslim world”,
according to a senior Obama adviser.
The Arab peace plan received a boost last week when President
Shimon Peres, a Nobel peace laureate and leading Israeli dove,
commended the initiative at a Saudi-sponsored United Nations
conference in New York.
Peres was loudly applauded for telling King Abdullah of Saudi
Arabia, who was behind the original initiative: “I wish
that your voice will become the prevailing voice of the whole
region, of all people.”
A bipartisan group of senior foreign policy advisers urged Obama
to give the Arab plan top priority immediately after his election
victory. They included Lee Hamilton, the former co-chairman of
the Iraq Study Group, and Zbigniew Brzezinski, a Democrat former
national security adviser. Brzezinski will give an address tomorrow
at Chatham House, the international relations think tank, in
London.
Brent Scowcroft, a Republican former national security adviser,
joined in the appeal. He said last week that the Middle East
was the most troublesome area in the world and that an early
start to the Palestinian peace process was “a way to psychologically
change the mood of the region”.
Advisers believe the diplomatic climate favours a deal as Arab
League countries are under pressure from radical Islamic movements
and a potentially nuclear Iran. Polls show that Palestinians
and Israelis are in a mood to compromise.
The advisers have told Obama he should lose no time in pursuing
the policy in the first six to 12 months in office while he enjoys
maximum goodwill.
Ross and Daniel Kurtzer, a former American ambassador to Israel,
accompanied Obama on a visit to Israel last July. They also travelled
to Ramallah, where Obama questioned Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian
leader, about the prospects for the Arab plan.
According to a Washington source Obama told Abbas: “The
Israelis would be crazy not to accept this initiative. It would
give them peace with the Muslim world from Indonesia to Morocco.”
Kurtzer submitted a paper to Obama on the question before this
month’s presidential elections. He argued that trying to
reach bilateral peace agreements between Israel and individual
countries in the Middle East, was a recipe for failure as the
record of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush showed. In contrast,
the broader Arab plan “had a lot of appeal”. A leading
Democratic expert on the Middle East said: “There’s
not a lot of meat on the bones yet, but it offers recognition
of Israel across the Arab world.”
Livni, the leader of Kadima, which favours the plan, is the front-
runner in Israeli elections due in February. Her rival, Benjamin
Netanyahu, the leader of Likud, is adamantly against withdrawing
to borders that predate the Six Day war in 1967.
Ehud Olmert, the prime minister, last week expressed his support
for Israel’s withdrawal from the West Bank Golan and east
Jerusalem. (© PMC 2008 11/16/08)
MATERIAL REPRODUCED FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY
"Looking
for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great
God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: (Titus 2:13).
----------oOo---------
"Looking for that
blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and
our Saviour Jesus Christ:(Titus 2:13).
11/24/2008
Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Tuesday the
Likud chairman will halt peace talks with the Palestinians in
their current form if he wins a national election next February,
but will instead step up efforts to develop the Palestinian economy.
Spokeswoman Dina Libster said the Israeli politician, a strong
contender to be the next prime minister, believes the talks launched
by President Bush in Annapolis, Maryland, last year have failed.
"He thinks the Annapolis process and negotiations taking
place now are mistaken," Libster said.
The Annapolis talks aim to resolve all key areas of dispute with
the Palestinians, including the conflicting claims to Jerusalem.
"Netanyahu does not want to halt talks, but he believes
it's premature to talk about a final peace deal, and sharing
control of Jerusalem is out of the question," Libster said.
Instead, he thinks talks with the Palestinians should focus
on developing their economy, with political matters to be discussed
only after economic conditions on the ground improve. "Economic
peace has to come first," she said.
Netanyahu's positions appear to be in sharp contrast to the
will of the international community and the Palestinians, who
have said they object to any more interim agreements with Israel.
The Palestinians seek an independent state that includes the
West Bank and east Jerusalem - territories captured by Israel
in the 1967 Six-Day War.
On Sunday, the outgoing Israeli government, the Palestinians
and international mediators all said the Annapolis process should
continue after Bush leaves office in January.
Netanyahu appeared to express some willingness to continue
the Annapolis process earlier this week after a meeting with
international envoy Tony Blair. "We will move both the political
negotiations forward and the economic peace that we've been working
on," Netanyahu said.
But Libster said he had not changed his position opposing
the talks.
Opinion polls show Netanyahu, who leads the hawkish Likud
Party, and chief Israeli negotiator Tzipi Livni in a tight race
ahead of the Feb. 10 vote. But the polls indicate that Netanyahu
would be in a stronger position to form a coalition government
because of strong support from smaller, hawkish parties.
Chief Palestinian negotiator Ahmed Qureia said the Palestinians
will negotiate with whoever leads the Israeli government, but
that talks must produce results.
"We want to see if he wins and to see his program and
then decide," Qureia said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"For the Lord himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and
with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first;
then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together
with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so
shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another
with these words" (I Thessalonians
4:16-18).
----------oOo---------
"Looking for that
blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and
our Saviour Jesus Christ: (Titus 2:13).
Rice: Bush not done working
on Israeli -Palestinian issue
(HA´ARETZ NEWS) By
Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent 12/13/08
United States Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice said Friday that the Bush Administration was
not done working on the Israeli- Palestinian issue, especially
in light of recent, significant diplomatic developments between
the two sides.
Rice´s comments came during a meeting with the head of
the Geneva Initiative and former Meretz party chair Yossi Beilin.
Rice added that the situation in the West Bank has changed and
Israeli and Palestinian positions are becoming closer, something
she says she hopes doesn´t change after Israeli general
elections in February.
Beilin echoed the comment, telling Rice that the outgoing Bush
Administration must find a way to ensure that peace talks between
the two sides will pick up where it left off, and won´t
need to start from scratch after the general elections.
On the 19th of December, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
will arrive in Washington, D.C. for a meeting with President
Bush. Rice is expected to make an additional trip to the Mideast
before the Bush administration leaves office.
MATERIAL REPRODUCED FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY
"Behold, I shew you a
mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for
the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible,
and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption,
and this mortal must put on immortality" (I Corinthians
15:51-53).
----------oOo---------
DONT' GIVE UP ON PEACE
- (CHICAGO TRIBUNE OP-ED) By Benjamin Natanyahu
- December 14, 2008 - The dream of peace, anchored in the vision
of our prophets, has given hope to the Jewish people for over
three millenniums and to Israelis for the past 60 years.
For nearly three decades, that dream seemed impossible. Then,
suddenly, the Likud Party´s Menachem Begin signed a peace
agreement with Egypt. Fifteen years later, Labor´s Yitzhak
Rabin made peace with Jordan. For a time, it looked as if the
dream would be fulfilled.
But in the past decade, many have lost hope. Israelis have witnessed
escalating suicide attacks and rocket barrages in the aftermath
of well-intentioned diplomacy. Palestinians have seen their everyday
situation worsen. Many now believe that peace is beyond our grasp.
I disagree. I believe that peace is possible, but achieving it
requires a new approach.
Rather than building peace exclusively from the top down in political
agreements, this new approach must also focus on building peace
from the ground up with economic development.
We must fundamentally improve the lives of our Palestinian neighbors
so that they have a stake in peace. We need to help Palestinians
expand their middle class, strengthen their civil society and
provide hope for a better future. That is why in parallel to
conducting political negotiations, my government will stress
the need to help Palestinians rapidly develop their economy.
By initiating large-scale infrastructure projects, by bringing
jobs closer to Palestinian population centers and by taking steps
to ensure that Israel´s legitimate security concerns do
not seriously impede Palestinian economic growth, I believe we
can make enormous progress in a short time. This has become all
the more important in the wake of the economic turbulence sweeping
the world.
Many billions of dollars have been given to the Palestinian Authority
over the last 15 years with scant results. Much was lost to corruption
and bureaucracy. We must ensure that this money reaches the Palestinians
themselves, creating jobs and improving living standards. If
I am elected prime minister of Israel, my government will assist
this international effort by making Palestinian economic development
a top priority and by investing in security systems that could
improve the movement of people and goods.
I have been working for some time on a plan to couple political
negotiations with economic development. Economic development
will not be a substitute for political negotiations but rather
complement them. We will continue the political negotiations
for a peace settlement with our neighbors, and by changing the
situation on the ground we can create the context for their success.
Until now, we have focused solely on the political track and
have largely ignored the economic track. This will change under
my government.
While there will surely be many skeptics, I intend to prove them
wrong. Other intractable conflicts were ultimately resolved by
economic and social development. Our conflict with the Palestinians
can be tempered and resolved by pursuing a similar course.
I believe that if we proceed in the next few years down this
new path of an economic peace intertwined with political negotiations,
we can move rapidly toward peace and confound the skeptics.
Reaching out to our regional peace partners, Jordan and Egypt,
to expand cooperation will also be critical to the success of
these efforts. This should be done in trilateral forums (Israeli-
Palestinian-Jordanian and Israeli-Palestinian-Egyptian) and broader
multilateral forums that can address the many regional issues
(security, economy, water, etc.) that need to be resolved to
reach a political settlement.
I am confident that a determined effort to move forward can create
a completely new reality that facilitates the achievement of
a political settlement and a qualitatively different environment
in which a return to war and violence seems inconceivable.
This approach can win the backing of a large majority of Israelis
and can win the peace for us and our Palestinians neighbors.
Benjamin Natanyahu, the ninth prime minister of Israel, is the
Likud Party´s candidate for prime minister. (Copyright
© 2008, Chicago Tribune 12/14/08)
MATERIAL REPRODUCED FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES
ONLY
----------oOo---------
Dec 16, 2008 7:23 PM
"Looking for that blessed
hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour
Jesus Christ: (Titus 2:13).
Dec 17, 2008
UNSC: ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS PEACE PROCESS
IS IRREVERSIBLE
UNITED NATIONS
The UN Security Council approved a resolution Tuesday stressing
that the Israeli-Palestinian peace process initiated by the United
States last year is irreversible and urging intensified efforts
to achieve peace throughout the Middle East.
The vote was 14-0, with Libya abstaining because the resolution
did not condemn Israel's "siege on the Gaza strip"
and intensified settlement activities.
The resolution, co-sponsored by the United States and Russia,
backs "the determined efforts" by Israel and the Palestinians
to conclude a peace treaty and fulfill the vision that they can
live peacefully side by side as independent democratic states.
The negotiating process launched by US President George W.
Bush at Annapolis, Maryland, in November 2007 called for the
Israelis and Palestinians to try to end their decades-long conflict
and sign a peace agreement by the end of 2008. That goal would
have given Bush a diplomatic victory just before turning the
presidency over to Barack Obama - but it was not to be.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said before the vote that
all council members regret that an agreement won't be reached
this year, but he said "a serious process is under way"
and the international community must ensure that the negotiations
achieve results.
The Palestinians and Israelis welcomed the resolution. Riyad
Mansour, the Palestinian UN observer, expressed hope that the
two sides will succeed in removing "all obstacles"
and reach a peace treaty in 2009. He said the Palestinians were
happy the Security Council - which has not adopted a comprehensive
resolution on the Mideast since November 2003 - is now engaged
and "will be supervising the peace process started in Annapolis."
In Jerusalem, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni who has been Israel's
chief peace negotiator since Annapolis, said the resolution gave
an important "international endorsement" for the peace
efforts. Livni said negotiations would continue, though talks
must be accompanied by the Palestinian government's efforts to
crack down on militants and end the Hamas militant group's control
of the Gaza Strip.
In probably her last UN appearance, US Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice said the negotiations born at Annapolis "give
me confidence" that the goal of independent Israeli and
Palestinian states living in peace and security "is not
just a vision, but it is a commitment of the parties and of the
international community."
"There can be no turning back the clock," she told
the council.
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stressed that the
issues at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are not
easy and will require "political will and also courage"
to resolve. "We have to achieve this momentum for peace
and maintain it," he stressed.
The resolution adopted Tuesday declares the council's support
for the negotiations initiated at Annapolis "and its commitment
to the irreversibility of the bilateral negotiations." It
supports the Israeli and Palestinian "determined efforts
to reach their goal of concluding a peace treaty resolving all
outstanding issues, including all core issues, without exception."
On Monday, the Quartet of Mideast peacemakers - the U.S.,
the UN, the European Union and Russia - also said the Israeli-Palestinian
negotiating process launched at Annapolis "is irreversible"
and should be intensified to establish a Palestinian state as
soon as possible.
In her remarks before the vote Tuesday, Rice stressed that
Israel must halt settlement activity while the Palestinian Authority
"has an absolute obligation to dismantle the infrastructure
of terror in its territories, reform its security services and
end incitement."
The council resolution also notes the importance of the 2002
Arab Peace Initiative, which calls for Arab recognition of the
Jewish state in exchange for a full Israeli withdrawal from all
lands captured in the 1967 Mideast war. Israel objects to relinquishing
all territory and the right of all Palestinians to return, and
it wants to keep a unified Jerusalem as its capital.
Lavrov said Russia "will do our utmost" to ensure
that an international meeting on the Middle East in Moscow in
2009 "takes an important step forward and ... speeds up
the process of reaching an (Israeli-Palestinian) agreement."
"For our conversation
is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord
Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be
fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working
whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself"
(Phil. 3:20 &21).
----------oOo---------
"Looking for that
blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and
our Saviour Jesus Christ: (Titus 2:13).
December 28, 2008
What next as the Muslim's
war against the Jews continues?
Palestinians flee the ruins
of the Saraya, Gaza City
The Mid-east is now seething for "messiah" Obama to
hit the ground running as he becomes the next U.S. president.
Perhaps he will be the one to broker and guarantee the coming
Mid-east "peace" treaty? Perhaps in 2009?
"And
he (the beast) shall confirm the (Israeli) covenant
with many for one week (seven yrs.)"[Daniel 9:27].
The United States' plan for peace has been widely accepted internationally
as well as by the Israeli and Palestinian governments, which
would see two sovereign states existing beside each other in
the land God has promised to Israel.:
"There
is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are
the ways of death" (Proverbs 16:25).
"For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not
since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall
be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no
flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be
shortened" (Matthew 24:21 & 22).
But the hope of the Church, which is the body and bride of Christ,
is to be caught up (raptured) to meet Christ in the air immediately
before the tribulation. There is an event that indicates the
first day of the tribulation:
"And
he (the
beast) shall confirm (guarantee) the (Israeli)
covenant with many for one week (seven yrs.)" [Daniel 9:27].
One of these days, in the near future, we're going to hear that
an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians has been reached.
Also the date for a formal public confirmation ceremony will
be announced. Let's say for example, the confirmation ceremony,
with much pomp and circumstance, with the whole world watching,
is scheduled to convene on November 10. Based on past performance,
such as Israel's treaties with Egypt; Jordan; and the Oslo agreements,
the announcement of the public confirmation ceremony always came
several days in advance of the event. So, let's say that on or
about November 4, we hear that a confirmation ceremony is set
for November 10. We would then know that the Church would be
caught up to meet Christ in the air on November 9; as the Church
Age goes up to, but not into the tribulation. Then we'll be singing,
"Coming home, coming home, Lord I'm coming home." Amen!
"For
the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with
the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the
dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and
remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to
meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Wherefore comfort one another with these words" (I Thessalonians 4:16-18).
----------oOo---------
- "For our conversation is in heaven;
from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like
unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is
able even to subdue all things unto himself"
(Phil.
3:20 &21).
01/11/09
Obama: Gaza war underscores need
for immediate Mideast solution
By Reuters
President-elect Barack Obama said in remarks broadcast on Sunday
that he would begin
the search for Middle East peace immediately on becoming leader,
adding that the Gaza
conflict only underscored his determination to become involved
early.
-
- During his presidential campaign,
Obama said both President George W. Bush and former
- President Bill Clinton waited
too long to work vigorously to broker a peace between the
Israelis and Palestinians.
-
- On the ABC News show "This
Week with George Stephanopoulos," Obama said it would
be important to begin the effort early. "The reason it's
so important for the United States to
be engaged and involved immediately, not waiting until the end
of their term, is because
working through the politics of this requires a third party that
everybody has confidence in,
who wants to see a fair and just outcome," he said.
-
- Obama, who takes over from
President George W. Bush on Jan. 20, has refused to make
any lengthy comments on the violence in Gaza, where more than
800 Palestinians have
been killed in the 16-day Israeli offensive to suppress rocket
fire against its citizens by the
militant group Hamas. Thirteen Israelis have been killed.
-
- Obama said the deaths of civilians
on both the Palestinian and Israeli side were
"heartbreaking."
-
- "And obviously what that
does is it makes me much more determined to try to break a
deadlock that has gone on for decades now," he said.
-
- Obama also said he would take
a new approach toward Iran that would both emphasize
respect for its people and spell out expectations for its leaders.
-
- "Iran is going to be
one of our biggest challenges," Obama said during the ABC
interview.
- Obama said he was concerned
about the Islamic republic's support of the Lebanese
- Shi'ite movement Hezbollah
and about Iran's nuclear enrichment, which he said could
- trigger a Middle East arms
race.
-
- In a shift from President
George W. Bush's policies, Obama has said he would seek much
broader engagement with Iran.
-
- "We are going to have
to take a new approach. And I've outlined my belief that engagement
- is the place to start,"
he said.
-
- Obama, who takes office as
president on Jan. 20, said that approach would include
"sending a signal that we respect the aspirations of the
Iranian people but that we also
have certain expectations in terms of how an international actor
behaves.
- "We are in preparations
for that. We anticipate that we're going to have to move swiftly
in
that area," Obama said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WILL PRESIDENT OBAMA BROKER AND GUARANTEE THE COMING
"COVENANT WITH MANY?" THIS YEAR?
"And
he (the
beast) shall confirm (guarantee) the (Israeli)
covenant with
many for one week (seven yrs.)"[Daniel
9:27].
WE WATCH AND HOPE, AS
WE ARE:
"Looking for that blessed hope, and
the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus
Christ:
(Titus 2:13).
----------oOo--------- |