Israel Today

Egypt’s New Anti-Muslim Brotherhood Militia

Friday, May 10, 2013 | Ashraf Ramelah

Egypt’s Black Bloc grew out of a struggle for liberation from an authoritarian system, only after non-violent civil efforts had failed. Not to be confused with America’s Black Bloc, which is friend to likes of the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s Black Bloc is an enemy to their country’s new Islamist rulers and fights for democracy and legitimate government.

Clad in black garb and ski masks, the faceless and nameless Black Bloc soldiers lock arms to create a human shield in defense of pro-freedom protesters — the Black Bloc’s number-one priority — in the streets and squares of Egypt. Experts in martial arts and ostensibly military-trained, Black Bloc warriors only recently surfaced in Egypt to safeguard fellow freedom-fighters from their arch-enemies, the foes of democracy: President Mohammed Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood-Hamas gangs.

Originating out of a plan to protect women protesters from sexual assault, this huge band of men and women numbering in the thousands (the exact number is not known) form a dedicated and determined corps of combatants divided into local groups of 30-50 individuals.

The secret members of the “elite” Black Bloc guard first appeared in the streets of Cairo this January, when revolutionaries commemorated their two-year anniversary with protests in Tahrir Square. Now everywhere the Egyptian opposition stages protests, the rank-and-file Black Bloc, whose leaders remain unknown to them, dutifully move in to police the area on behalf of fellow protesters.

Deemed “terrorists” and “outlaws” by the Morsi regime, the shadowy Zorro-like heroes refer to their network as the “United Ghosts Revolution” and represent a just cause in the ongoing rebellion against Egypt’s Islamist government. The Black Bloc mission is to ensure that no more assaults, kidnappings, and torture occur from Morsi’s security forces [the Muslim Brotherhood militia] and so-called law enforcement. Many Black Bloc members carry firearms, most likely acquired through the illegal networks smuggling weapons from Libya and Gaza.

If the best defense is a good offense, the forceful Black Bloc has aggressively expanded its scope beyond the scene of gathered protesters and their protection. With a physical presence in more than eight cities across Egypt, the anonymous soldiers have claimed responsibility for ransacking at least eight separate Muslim Brotherhood Freedom and Justice Party offices.

At first, the shrouded Black Bloc raised fears; the public saw them as terrorists. This wrong impression, however, was soon dispelled as their image as guardians took shape. Appearing first in the social media, the Black Bloc now has the moral support of more than 57,000 Facebook members for the purpose of countering Islamic supremacy and brutality.

Their core concern is to facilitate the pursuit of Western-style democracy. Its members claim no affiliation with existing political parties, as the group states that it “aims only to stand against the Muslim Brotherhood and any group exploiting religion to achieve political goals.” Their challenge to the Muslim Brotherhood has prompted a new crackdown by President Morsi and his Prime Minister, Hasham Kandil. The state now targets opposition protesters who wear black, tracking those who do and conducting investigations. By mid-February, Morsi began arresting members of Black Bloc and its sympathizers.

Running under the banner of “Allah, Country, Revolution,” the “outlaws” have been accused by Islamists of having Israeli backing and connections to Western funding.

In keeping with their mission statement, Egypt’s Black Bloc members claim they have nothing against state institutions per se, “but against control by a particular system, the supremacy of a certain group.” They further contend that “the best thing is to hit the existing system and its economy by sabotaging the system’s institutions and not ones belonging to the public.”

Ashraf Ramelah is on the Advisory Board of SION (Stop Islamization of Nations) and president of Voice of the Copts, a human rights organization. In 2010, VOTC sued the Mubarak regime, which refused to change the religious ID card of a Muslim convert to Christianity.

Galilee Christian Village Celebrates Jubilee

Thursday, May 09, 2013 | Ryan Jones

NES AMMIM – This small, vibrant village founded by European Christians in Israel’s tranquil Galilee region is celebrating its 50th anniversary. The name Nes Ammim is a reference to Isaiah 11:12 and God’s promise to raise a “banner to the nations.” While most interpret the prophet to be speaking of Israel itself, these Christians have their own banner to plant.

“The goal of those who founded Nes Ammim was to start a fresh chapter in Jewish-Christian relations by standing in solidarity with the young state of Israel,” said Pleus Blom, Nes Ammim’s general manager who left a successful banking career in the Netherlands to pursue this work.

Also among the founders was Shlomo Bezeq, an Israeli pioneer of the kibbutz movement who saw the value in planting a Christian village dedicated to reconciliation in the heart of the young Jewish state. But there were many Jews who resisted the idea.

The full article appears in the current issue of Israel Today Magazine.

SUBSCRIBE NOW to read it all!

Palestinian official longs to nuke Israel

Thursday, May 09, 2013 | Israel Today Staff

There is a very good reason for Israel taking the Iran nuclear threat so seriously. There are a lot of people in this region, many of them holding positions of authority, who would like nothing more than to use a nuclear weapon against Israel, the consequences be damned.

One such figure admitted as much in an interview with Lebanese TV last week.

“I swear that if we had a nuke, we’d have used it this very morning,” said Jibril Rajoub, Deputy Secretary of the Fatah Central Committee and Chairman of the Palestinian Authority Olympic Committee.

Rajoub explained that the Palestinian Authority only continues to play this “negotiating game” with Israel because it currently lacks the military strength to defeat the Jewish state.

This revelation validates one of Israel’s chief concerns in the peace process - that in the absence of actually being educated for peace and coexistence, the inhabitants of an independent Palestinian state will, as a first order of business, work toward acquiring the military means to engage in renewed warfare against Israel.

In his previous role as head of Palestinian police and security adviser to former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Rajoub was widely praised as a “moderate” by Western leaders.

[Thanks to Palestinian Media Watch for translation of Rajoub’s television appearance.]

Jordan wants to boot Israeli ambassador

Thursday, May 09, 2013 | Israel Today Staff

Jordan’s parliament on Wednesday voted unanimously to eject Israeli Ambassador Daniel Nevo over this week’s arrest of Jerusalem Mufti Sheikh Muhammed Hussein. Jordan technically exercises religious control over the Temple Mount, though Palestinian Authority-appointed officials have been effectively been running the show for over a decade.

Jordanian Interior Minister Hussein Mahalia summoned Nevo to express his country’s severe condemnation of the mufti’s detention.

Israel arrested the mufti on Tuesday for his role in inciting violence against Israeli police stationed at the holy site. The police officers were attacked because they had tried to quiet a Muslim youth who was loudly hurling insults at Jewish visitors.

Israeli President Shimon Peres sent a message to Jordan stressing Israel’s commitment to the peace treaty between the two nations and to freedom of religion in Jerusalem.

The Jordanian outburst over what amounted to Israel slapping the mufti on the wrist is par for the course. At the same time, these self-declared defenders of religious freedom think it perfectly acceptable to deny Jews and Christians the right to pray at the Temple Mount, the most holy site in the world for Jews and many Christians.

Israel Today

Still no Israeli coalition deal as deadline looms

Wednesday, March 13, 2013 | Israel Today Staff

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday was still battling to forge a stable, majority coalition for his new government, with just two days remaining to do so.

Should Netanyahu fail to present a coalition by Friday, March 15, President Shimon Peres can select another Knesset party leader to form a government (un unlikely scenario) or announce new elections.

Netanyahu nearly managed to seal a deal with the allied Yesh Atid and Jewish Home parties, which would have given him a commanding majority coalition.

But there are a number of snags that are holding up a final agreement.

First, the centrist Yesh Atid party insists that the new cabinet have no more than 20 ministers and deputy ministers. Israel’s cabinets in recent decades had ballooned to nearly 30 ministers, many of which didn’t even belong to any particular government ministry.

Netanyahu reluctantly agreed to shrink the size of the cabinet, but has yet to acquiesce to Yesh Atid’s demand to control the Education Ministry.

Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid also still hopes to become Israel’s next foreign minister, but Netanyahu remains adamant that position will be reserved for former Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who is currently the focus of a corruption investigation.

Both Yesh Atid and Jewish Home have signaled that they have no problem going to a new election, as both parties stand to gain even more should that happen.

Islamist militias taking over Egypt

Wednesday, March 13, 2013 | Israel Today Staff

Egypt’s ruling Muslim Brotherhood and allied Islamist parties have announced the formation of civilian militias to police the nation in those areas where the actual police have gone on strike over government policies.

Spokesmen for the parties told Egyptian media that militia members would be authorized to arrest those they deemed to be law-breakers.

Beyond the obvious dangers of allowing civilian militias to run rampant, the fact that these militias will be entirely made up of radical Islamists is cause for great concern among secular and Christian Egyptians.

One source who has contributed to Israel Today in the past said life in Egypt is becoming nearly unbearable for Christians. He labeled some of these new militias as “religious police,” suggesting that they are indeed targeting as “criminals” anyone who fails to submit to Islamic law.

For Israel, the long-term danger is that Egypt will very much turn into a much bigger and stronger version of Lebanon, where heavily-armed Islamist militias are able to independently threaten the Jewish state with little or no intervention from the government.

Syrian rebels might target Israel next

Tuesday, March 12, 2013 | Ryan Jones

Israeli army chief Gen. Benny Gantz on Monday warned that the Syrian rebel groups that America and Europe are now helping to arm and train might turn their hostility toward Israel after ousting the regime of dictator Bashar Assad.

“The situation in Syria has become unstable and incredibly dangerous,” Gantz said at the 2013 Herzliya Conference. “Although the likelihood of war with Syria is low, the terrorist organizations fighting against Assad may see us as their next challenge.”

Since the start of the Syrian civil war, Israel has warned that most of the rebel groups are backed by or branches of radical Islamist groups, including Al Qaeda, and their victory would only increase tensions along the Israel-Syria border.

Indeed, just last week Syrian rebels abducted 21 of the UN peacekeepers deployed to keep the Israel-Syria border quiet for the past 41 years. Those peacekeepers were subsequently released, but many more fled into Israel before they, too, could be taken.

On Saturday, Syrian rebels opened fire on UN troops, prompting a “very active review” into the safety of UN peacekeepers in the area. Israel’s concern is that the UN will decide to pull the peacekeepers out just when they are needed most.

The entire situation is being viewed in Jerusalem as just another example of how Israel cannot trust international guarantees regarding its security, and therefore must not make major concessions that would compromise the safety of its citizens.

Egyptian Christian: Why is the Church ignoring us?

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An Egyptian Christian leader living in the US is calling out the global Church, in particular the Catholic Church, for failing to champion the plight of Egypt’s 8-10 million Coptic Christians, who are living increasingly dangerous conditions.

Dr. Ashraf Ramelah, director of Voice of the Copts, wrote the following open letter to the Vatican to plead his case.

Dr. Ramelah’s letter:

Our mission is to raise awareness in the West about the plight of the Egyptian Christians and their struggle against Islamic supremacy. Born into a Coptic family in Cairo, Arabic was my native language while growing up. Today I find these assets valuable in interpreting and explaining current events as they pertain to the hidden realities of Islam and its impact on the free world.

…

Naturally, I thought the Christian community around the world and especially denominations in the United States would embrace my message and join with us in this very serious endeavor. I found the opposite to be true. Most churches, including the Coptic Orthodox and the Catholic Church, are, if not indifferent, uninterested in offering us opportunities to speak out on the dangers of what lies behind the persecution of Christians and Jews even as we have asked for no special treatment and no financial contributions.

To put it bluntly, whenever we met with Catholic bishops and priests in America to tell the story of Copts, our request for action was largely ignored. I was utterly mystified by the consistency of this response. I found it inexplicable – until now.

My answer arrived just a few days ago with an incident involving Catholic Bishop McManus of Worcester, Massachusetts who reversed his decision to have a friend of mine, Robert Spencer, — a fellow activist, author and expert on Islam — speak at their men’s conference on March 16. The Bishop caved in to the false charges of an Islamic supremacist group that viciously attacked Mr. Spencer with names such as arch-Islamophobe and hatemonger claiming he had no authority to speak about Islam.

The Catholic diocese complied with these audacious demands and canceled the engagement without interest in pursuing Mr. Spencer’s point-of-view or the issue of free speech. Such submission through appeasement weakens the church.

I have always believed that my lack of progress toward activating the church with my message of the Coptic struggle was never solely due to my personal failing. The rescinding of Mr. Spencer’s invitation by the Bishop in reaction to pressure by Muslim activists…reaffirms my belief that the real failure resides in the local church…

Muslims in Egypt and other Islamic-majority countries attack Christians and their churches, oppressing them by serial acts of violence perpetrated in the name of Allah and Islam just because of their Christian faith. Church leaders in free nations must speak out in defense of their brothers and sisters in Christ who suffer persecution and are weakened by strong waves of Islamic attacks, powerless to help themselves under brutal regimes. In speaking out, we exercise the teachings of our Lord’s words.

We do not advocate holy war. Our adversaries do that. We only ask that church leaders who are bound up in fear, intimidation and lies as a result of false propaganda and interreligious dialogue be given license to think critically, assess the origins of persecution forces around the world and judge accurately the reasons for Christian victimization. This license can come only from the official heads of church denominations in statements contradicting the disinformation campaign forced upon Christians and Jews in the West.

To make certain that each and every believer becomes aware, properly informed, and conscious of the threat we face, the church must first create a new openness and interest in learning the truth from correct and trustworthy sources — without expurgation, mitigation, or political correctness. Every single Christian must comprehend the worldview held by the perpetrators of these unspeakable crimes against Christians and Jews around the world — before it is too late.

Jerusalem-On-The-Line

UN: 5,000 FLEEING SYRIA DAILY: The UNHRC has reported a disconcerting increase in the number of people fleeing Syrian President Bashar Assad’s atrocities. The committee estimates the number of displaced Syrians is rapidly approaching 800,000. Agency spokesman Adrian Edwards said “5,000 people are now crossing the borders of Syria into other countries every single day, so this is really a full-on crisis right at the moment.” There are now 787,000 Syrians who are registered or being helped as refugees, mainly in Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan and Turkey. UNHRC sources warn there could be as many as one million Syrian refugees by June. Over 65,000 have been killed since the revolt against Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime erupted in March 2011. (Ynet) Pray for a merciful end to this ongoing deluge of violence in Syria. The peril it poses to the Syrian people as well as to Israel and the entire region cannot be underestimated. “Damascus has become feeble, she has turned to flee and panic has gripped her; anguish and pain have seized her, pain like that of a woman in labor.” Jer 49:24

THOUSANDS DEMONSTRATE AGAINST MORSI IN EGYPT: Thousands took to the streets across Egypt on Friday demanding that President Mohammed Morsi fulfill the goals of the revolt that brought him to power. Demonstrators marched from several locations in the capital to Tahrir Square and the presidential palace. “The people want the downfall of the regime,” the protesters chanted while others slammed interior ministry officials as “thugs.” Several hundred protesters also gathered outside the presidential palace chanting “Freedom, where are you? Brotherhood rule stands between us,” in reference to the Muslim Brotherhood movement from which Morsi hails. The protests come after several incidents of police violence last week that caused public outrage and sparked angry demonstrations. Last week the death of a pro-democracy activist, following days in police custody, caused fury and reignited calls for police reform. His death came just days after footage was aired live on television of a man stripped naked and beaten by riot police during demonstrations near the presidential palace. A former Egyptian presidential candidate said Sunday the brutal dragging and beating of the naked man was previously planned by the interior ministry in an effort to terrorize the public. Ahmed Shafiq said the widely circulated video of Hamada Saber was intended to send a message of fear to those protesting in the streets against the brutal reign of the Muslim Brotherhood. (Arutz-7)

HAMAS BLAMES ABBAS AFTER UNITY TALKS FALTER: Representatives of various Palestinian factions who met in Cairo over the weekend in a renewed bid to end the dispute between Hamas and Fatah concluded their discussions without reaching agreement on the formation of a Palestinian unity government and holding new elections. Musa Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas official, held Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas responsible for the failure of “reconciliation” talks. Hanna Amireh, member of the PLO Executive Committee, said differences erupted between Hamas and Fatah as soon as they started talking about the details regarding the formation of a unity government and holding new presidential and legislative elections. According to Amireh, the Fatah and Hamas representatives were unable to agree on the dates for forming a new government and holding elections. A representative of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, who attended the Cairo discussions, said the gap between Hamas and Fatah remains as wide as ever. (J.Post) The Hamas terrorist organization that rules the Gaza Strip is an offspring of the Muslim Brotherhood group, known as the “father of all terrorist organizations,” which now controls Egypt’s government. Pray there will be no unity between Fatah and Hamas in the coming days. Hamas is the terrorist foe behind years of rocket attacks against Israel’s southern communities from the Gaza Strip. Fatah is the wolf in sheep’s clothing still pretending sincerity regarding a peace agreement with Israel.

GET IT STRAIGHT: HAMAS DOES NOT ACCEPT ISRAEL: Every once in a while, world leaders and diplomats try to spin a certain piece of news to make it appear that even Hamas is willing to compromise and accept Israel’s existence for the sake of peace. The goal is obvious - to paint Israel and its policies as the sole obstacle to peace. But every time, Hamas wastes no time clarifying what everyone already knows: that it, the group which won the last Palestinian general election, does not and never will accept Israel’s right to exist in this region. The most recent example of this phenomenon took place late last month when Jordan’s King Abdullah informed US President Barack Obama that Hamas was ready to accept a two-state solution that guaranteed Israel’s future existence. Abdullah met with Hamas leader Khaled Mashal in Damascus, where the latter was said to have expressed a sincere change of attitude toward the peace process. It took no time at all, and zero fact checking, for Western media, Israeli liberals, and international diplomats to adopt the story and begin shouting for Israel to return to peace talks with concessions in hand. Two days later, Hamas put the lies to rest. The reports of Mashal making peace overtures in his meeting with King Abdullah were completely baseless, Hamas officials said in a statement released to Palestinian media. “Hamas will not change its position” regarding Israel’s existence, senior Hamas official Yahya Moussa told Bethlehem’s Ma’an news agency. “We will never agree to giving the Zionist state one inch of the land of Palestine.” (Israel Today/Ryan Jones)

REPORT: HAGEL RECEIVING DONATIONS FROM ‘FRIENDS OF HAMAS’: Republican opponents of former Senator Chuck Hagel welcomed the decision by the Senate Armed Services Committee last Thursday to postpone the panel vote on President Barack Obama’s highly controversial defense secretary nomination after he refused to release additional requested financial information, including details regarding compensation for speeches he delivered since leaving Capitol Hill. While Hagel has provided some information on his personal finances, he said he could not provide all of what has been requested because it was the property of private organizations that he was not authorized to disclose. Astonishingly, however, senate sources disclosed Thursday that they have been informed that one of the reasons Hagel has refused to release the documents on his sources of foreign funding is that one of the names listed is called “Friends of Hamas.” Last Wednesday 26 Republican senators sent a letter to the controversial nominee, asserting their opposition to the vote until he provided the requested information. “This committee and the American people have a right to know if a nominee for Secretary of Defense has received compensation from foreign sources,” the letter said. “Until the committee receives complete answers, it cannot in good faith determine whether you should be confirmed as Secretary of Defense.” (Arutz-7) Pray full disclosure of the requested information will be forth coming from former Senator Chuck Hagel, most particularly that pertaining to possible financial ties to the terrorist group, Hamas. Past political statements made by the former senator are dangerously anti-Israel, in spite of his recent claims to be a friend of the Jewish state. Pray the right person will be placed in the vitally important slot of US Defense Secretary.

AHEAD OF OBAMA VISIT, LIEBERMAN SAYS PEACE DEAL IMPOSSIBLE: Soon after Obama’s visit to Israel in the spring was announced, White House spokesman Jay Carney played down expectations of Obama arriving with any new dramatic peace proposals, saying this was not the focus of the visit. Former FM Avigdor Lieberman also curtailed optimism on the issue, by stating Saturday that an agreement with the Palestinians was currently not possible. Lieberman in a television interview reviewed the recent assassination of the opposition leader in Tunisia, the terrorist murder last week of dozens of people in Iraq, and the killing of fresh multitudes in Syria on Friday. He said it was not realistic to think it possible in this environment to reach a comprehensive peace accord with the Palestinians. “Anyone who thinks that in the center of the diplomatic, political, and social tsunami that is shaking the Arab world it is possible to get a magical solution of comprehensive peace with the Palestinians does not understand,” he stated. “I am saying clearly it is impossible to reach a comprehensive agreement with the Palestinians. It is impossible to solve the conflict, it needs to be managed.” (J.Post)

OFFICIALS: OBAMA COMING TO ISRAEL TO PREVENT STRIKE ON IRAN: The main purpose of US President Barack Obama’s visit to Israel in the spring is to warn PM Binyamin Netanyahu against attacking Iran, unnamed officials told Army Radio on Sunday. According to the sources, the urgency of the trip is because in his speech to the UN in September, Netanyahu had flagged the spring of 2013 as a significant time in the context of the Iranian nuclear threat. Therefore, they said, Obama is concerned the prime minister will decide to attack Iran now when he is backed by a new government and can establish a new security cabinet, without Dan Meridor and Benny Begin, two Likud MKs and opponents of such a strike who lost their Knesset seats in the recent elections. The officials told Army Radio the US president subsequently decided to transmit a direct message to Netanyahu: “Don’t attack Iran, let me handle matters with the Iranians according to my understanding, and if necessary I will take action, we have capabilities that you do not.” Netanyahu said Sunday that he and Obama agreed upcoming talks would focus on three central issues: Iran’s race toward nuclear weapons; the instability in Syria and how that impacts regional security, and efforts to move forward the diplomatic process with the Palestinians. (INN) Pray Israel’s leaders will have unshakable wisdom on issues of importance to the Jewish state and will not give way to pressures from the US whose citizens are in far less danger of nearby Islamist foes.

ISRAELI SURFERS RESCUE 8 DROWNING CHILDREN IN HAWAII: Three Israeli surfers went to the aid of eight children struggling in the waters off Hawaii on Saturday after huge waves began surging toward the coast. The three - Tzvika Elias, Yair Naftali and Gabi Liptz saw a group of children aged between 12 and 14 who had gotten into difficulties in the water. “As we neared the children we saw they had been swept out to sea and were being pounded by huge waves,” Elias said. “Yair and I tried with all our might to reach the group to try to get them away from the strong waves. Every time we managed to grab hold of one child, he was immediately swept away again. At a certain point, Gabi, who had already left the water, joined our attempts and managed to catch hold of some of the kids and get them safely to shore.” Yair Naftali told interviewers it took 40 exhausting minutes to rescue all of the children. The three were hailed as heroes by the children’s parents. (J.Post) A huge bravo to these brave Israelis!

(Source: jnnnews.com)

JERUSALEM-ON-THE-LINE

News Update February 6^th 2013

JNN NEWS, P.O. Box 7411, Jerusalem 91073, Israel

“At that time they will call Jerusalem the Throne of the Lord, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the Lord. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts.” Jer 3:17

BULGARIA: HIZBULLAH BEHIND BOMBING THAT KILLED 5 ISRAELIS: Following a 7-month probe, the Bulgarian interior minister announced Tuesday that 2 Hizbullah terrorists were involved in the Burgas suicide bombing of a bus transporting Israeli tourists from the airport to their hotels. The bus bomb attack killed five Israeli tourists last July. The conclusions of the Bulgarian investigation may open the way for the European Union to join the United States in branding the Iranian-backed Hizbullah a terrorist entity since there is now a clear connection to an attack on EU territory. The European Union has yet to officially recognize Hizbullah as a terror organization. In response to the announcement by the Bulgarian government that Hizbullah was behind the bomb attack in July, Israeli PM Binyamin Netanyahu has urged the European Union to respond accordingly. (Arutz-7) Pray the move to place the Lebanon-based Hizbullah on the EU terrorist list will take place soon, and that further sanctions will be levied on this murderous organization – one of Israel’s most vicious foes.

NETANYAHU: ISRAEL CAN’T LIVE WITH IRAN UPGRADING NUCLEAR PLANT: Iran’s installation of new equipment at its Natanz nuclear plant will speed up enrichment efforts and complicate plans to prevent Tehran from building weapons capability, PM Binyamin Netanyahu said this week. Speaking at the meeting of the outgoing Israeli Cabinet, Netanyahu said, “The most important mission facing a (new) national unity government is stopping the nuclear arming of Iran. It is a mission which has become more complicated because Iran has equipped itself with new centrifuges which reduce the enrichment time,” Netanyahu added. “We cannot live with this process.” Netanyahu’s remarks came after a report last week that Iran has informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that it planned to speed up its uranium enrichment program, using faster and more advanced centrifuges. The letter from Iran mentions a centrifuge model IR2m, which would be able to enrich uranium as much as three times faster than equipment Iran already has. Meanwhile on Sunday, Iranian FM Ali Akbar Salehi said that the latest round of talks with world powers regarding Iran’s nuclear program would be held in Kazakhstan later this month. Iran and six world powers — the US, Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia — held three rounds of talks last year aimed at resolving the standoff over Iran’s nuclear activities, but all were unsuccessful. Israeli President Shimon Peres said on Tuesday that the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran was growing under the “terrifying dictatorship” ruling the Islamic republic. (INN)

AHMADINEJAD: THE PERIOD OF THE ZIONIST IS OVER: “The period of the Zionists is over,” Iranian President Ahmadinejad said this week in his latest attack on Israel. Speaking to the Beirut-based Al Mayadeen television network, which is affiliated with the Hizbullah terror group, Ahmadinejad said, “The Zionists should give their place to others.” He added, “I hope to pray in Jerusalem after its full liberation. Gaza is my stop before Jerusalem. The Iranian president claimed the recent Israeli attack in Syria was proof of Israel’s “weakness” and that Syria was unable to retaliate due to the ongoing conflict. Ahmadinejad, who is visiting Egypt this week was asked in the interview about talks with Cairo regarding the Palestinian Authority Arabs, to which he replied, “Egypt and Iran can change the equation in favor of the Palestinian people. We support the Palestinian people whatever it takes.” The latest anti-Israel remarks by the Iranian president come a week after he called on all Muslims to mobilize their resources to uproot Zionism. (INN) “Surely the idolatrous commotion on the hills and mountains is a deception. Surely in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel.” Jer 3:23

AHMADINEJAD IN EGYPT FOR HISTORIC VISIT: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in Cairo Tuesday, marking the first visit to Egypt by an Iranian president since 1979. Egypt’s Islamist President Mohamed Morsi gave Ahmadinejad a red-carpet welcome on the tarmac at Cairo airport, shaking the Iranian’s hand and exchanging a kiss on each cheek as a military honor guard stood at attention. Ahmadinejad, who is on a three-day visit, will attend an Organization of Islamic Cooperation conference in Cairo and will hold talks with Egyptian officials. The trip follows a visit by Egypt’s Islamist President Morsi to Iran in August last year, when the two leaders agreed to reopen official embassies. Tehran broke off relations with Cairo in 1980, a year after Egypt’s peace agreement with Israel. Egypt’s fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood, from which Morsi hails, has signaled that relations with Iran could be upgraded to full diplomatic ties. (Ynet) Odd… no voices in the Obama administration expressing concern about this increasingly warm alliance between Egypt’s Morsi and Iran’s Ahmadinejad.

FOLLOWING EGYPT STOPOVER AHMADINEJAD WANTS TO VISIT THE MOON: President Ahmadinejad said earlier this week he’s ready to be the first Iranian astronaut sent into space. He’s willing to sacrifice his life for the Islamic Republic’s ambitious space program, he said. Iran claimed last Friday it would send its first manned shuttle into space by 2019. (AP) We would like to contribute to his ticket, one way! All in favor say aye!

US DELIVERS F-16 FIGHTERS TO EGYPT: The US delivered four new F-16 fighter jets to Egypt on Monday, said the White House, marking the event with a ceremony praising their young partnership. The country’s ambassador to Egypt, Anne Patterson, said Washington hopes to see Cairo continue to be “a force for peace, security, and leadership as the Middle East proceeds with its challenging yet essential journey toward democracy.” But the reminder of US military support for Egypt’s authorities may anger Egyptians freshly outraged by a recent video showing police beating a naked civilian and, separately, the death of an activist after being held in police custody. The White House has condemned the violence in Egypt but largely stayed quiet, and many protesters believe the US is throwing its weight behind the Muslim Brotherhood. Furnishing Egypt with F16s could be construed by some as support for the crackdown, or at least support for Morsi, who is in theory head of the armed forces. (Global Post) Are the Republicans the only ones concerned about selling advanced weapons to Egypt’s terrorist controlled government? Less than a week ago Sen. Rand Paul, a Republican from Kentucky, proposed a bill prohibiting the sale of F-16 aircraft, tanks and other advanced weapons to Egypt’s Muslim-Brotherhood. “I think it is a blunder of the first proportion to send sophisticated weapons to a country that allowed a mob to attack our embassy and to burn our flag,” Paul said on the Senate floor. “I find it objectionable to send weapons, F-16s and tanks, to a country that allowed a mob chanting ‘death to America’ to threaten our American diplomats.” Anti-American sentiments in Egypt reached new levels this year when Muslim protesters stormed the US embassy in Cairo, burning the American flag and spraying graffiti on the compound’s walls. Republican Sen. James Inhofe from Oklahoma introduced similar legislation. Looks like nobody was interested.

EGYPT SAYS ISRAEL STOLE SAND: In a short, 750-page report sent to the UN recently, Egypt demanded $500 billion dollars from Israel as compensation for damages inflicted on the Sinai Peninsula from 1967 to 1982, when Israel occupied the region. Among other grievances, Egypt has accused Israel of stealing just under $50 billion worth of sand. Those involved with Egypt’s legal proceedings voiced concern the country was left with annoyingly breathtaking views of the area and “worthless rock” like Mount Sinai. In response to accusations that Egypt wants a disproportionate sum worth more than Israel’s entire operating budget, authorities referenced the peace agreement signed in 1979 and confirmed they were just trying to further develop friendly relations. Up until now, the UN has ignored the report, so Egyptian authorities have forwarded it on to the US administration via Gmail in the hopes they will have better luck pressuring Israel into paying up. A White House official, who may or may not exist said President Barack Obama has weighed in with, “I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m interested in this issue if and only if I can be assured that I’ll be able to secure another Nobel Peace Prize for my involvement.” Important Israeli lawyers have already started preparing their rebuttal, should the case go to court. “Taking into account disruptions to Israel’s trade, the number of cargo shipments seized, and the money we’re losing from phantom toll booths, we were pleased to realize that Egypt actually owes us $1 trillion.” According to official sources, Egypt is also contemplating filing suit against the Ottoman Empire for goblet theft in the years between 1507-1906. (Tablet) Don’t they have anything else to do but play in the sandbox?

PALESTINIANS LET NETANYAHU OFF THE ‘PEACE HOOK’: Before he has even had a chance to form a new government, PM Benjamin Netanyahu is already under pressure from new US Secretary of State John Kerry to return to the negotiating table and make concessions to the Palestinians. Fortunately for Netanyahu, the Palestinian leadership, famously never missing an opportunity to miss an opportunity, has already provided the Israeli leader with an “out.” The very day after Kerry phoned Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian officials began listing preconditions for even meeting with the Israelis. Among those preconditions: The immediate release of all jailed Palestinians, most of whom have either tried or succeeded in killing Jews, and a full halt to the building of homes for Jews in areas claimed by the PA, including the eastern half of Israel’s capital, Jerusalem. Both are red lines no Israeli government could cross, even one headed by the left-wing Labor Party. Meanwhile on Tuesday, the White House announced that President Barack Obama is planning his first trip to Israel as president. Obama did not visit Israel during his first term. According to initial reports, Obama is planning to land in Israel on March 20. (Israel Today/Ryan Jones/Arutz-7)

(Source: jnnnews.com)

JERUSALEM-ON-THE-LINE

News Update January 30^th 2013

JNN NEWS, P.O. Box 7411, Jerusalem 91073, Israel

“They may curse, but you will bless. When they attack they will be put to shame, but your servant will rejoice.” Ps 109:28

WATER AUTHORITY SAYS ISRAEL’S WATER CRISIS HAS ENDED: The director of Israel’s Water Authority, Alexander Kushnir, informed the nation this week that after nearly a decade the water crisis has finally ended. “Israel has stabilized after a period of long drought that lasted eight or nine years. We have developed a wastewater enhancement and rains of the past year have helped us. We are now in the phase of stabilization and preparation for the next decade,” said the director in a radio interview Tuesday. He added that there will be a unexpected significant reduction in water prices for the consumer. (INN) This miraculous answer to many prayers is great cause for rejoicing!

HISTORY MADE AS NATURAL GAS FLOWS FROM SHIP TO HADERA: History was made on Saturday evening as natural gas began flowing from the regasification ship hired by the Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) to its power stations. The ship, anchored off the Hadera coast, was connected last week to the marine buoy and as of Saturday night, natural gas began flowing from the LNG (liquid natural gas) ship through an underwater pipeline directly to the Company’s power stations throughout the country. Yiftach Ron-Tal, Chairman of the IEC Board of Directors, stated that this is a historical moment for the State of Israel’s energy economy, and the liquid gas project is an energy insurance policy for the future to generate reliable, available, and quality electricity for Israel’s citizens. (Arutz-7)

IAF CHIEF WARNS AGAINST COMPLACENCY ON SYRIA: Last weekend the Lebanon-based Hizbullah terrorist group began setting up bases in Syria, near known locations where Syrian President Bashar Assad is storing parts of his chemical warfare arsenal. IAF Chief Maj.-Gen. Amir Eshel warned Tuesday that Israel cannot remain complacent vis-à-vis the growing chaos is Syria and the alarming possibility that the regime’s arsenal of nonconventional weapons may find its way to Hizbullah. Assad is believed to control the world’s largest cache of chemical weapons. “Syria is undergoing tectonic changes. Given its massive arsenals, Israel may find itself dealing with nonconventional weapons on its borders,” Eshel said. He added that Syria is in possession of state-of-the-art weaponry alongside chemical warfare. “Our region is going through dramatic changes. Governments rise and fall and terror groups are using the vacuum to bolster their operation on our border in a manner we haven’t seen in years,” he said. The volatile situation is Syria may force Israel to deal with “Western, Eastern and locally-produced weapons, including surface-to-surface missiles, drones, cruise missiles and unconventional weapons. The point of origin for most of them is almost always Iran. We cannot wait for war to break out,” he cautioned. “We can’t be ill-prepared.” (Ynet) The mounting catastrophic situation in Syria and the danger of nonconventional weapons falling into the hands of Israel’s terrorist enemies cannot be underestimated. Great prayer alertness is needed to ward off the enemy’s plan to spill the violence in Syria over the northern borders of Israel at this time.

EGYPT’S ARMY CHIEF WARNS OF STATE’S COLLAPSE: Egypt’s top military officer warned Tuesday of the potential “collapse of the state” if political forces in the country did not reconcile. Intense fighting for days around central Tahrir Square engulfed two landmark hotels and forced the American Embassy to suspend public services on Tuesday. Gen. Abdul-Fattah al-Sisi, the defense minister, publicly warned Egypt’s new Islamist leaders and their opponents that “their disagreement on running the affairs of the country may lead to the collapse of the state and threatens the future of the coming generations.” As such, General Sisi suggested, the polarization of the civilian politics was becoming a concern of the military because “to affect the stability of the state institutions is a dangerous matter that harms Egyptian national security.” His remarks came as violence in Cairo began to escalate. During clashes between riot police and protesters early on Tuesday, the fighting spilled into one of the city’s luxury hotels, leaving the lobby in ruins. The worst of the turmoil, which has left dozens dead, has been in Port Said at the northern tip of the Suez Canal. Egypt’s president, Mohamed Morsi, has imposed a month long state of emergency in the city and two others in the Suez Canal zone, calling on the army to regain control of security. (Ynet)

ISRAEL LASHES OUT AT SUNDAY TIMES FOR DARK JOURNALISM: Israel’s parliamentary speaker on Monday lashed out at a cartoon published in Britain’s Sunday Times showing PM Benjamin Netanyahu building a wall with Palestinian blood and bodies. “For the people of Israel, this is a cartoon which recalls the dark journalism from one of humankind’s darkest periods,” Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin wrote in a letter to his British counterpart John Bercow. The cartoon caused particular offence because it appeared on International Holocaust Remembrance Day. “In publishing this cartoon yesterday in London, the boundaries of free speech were crossed,” Rivlin wrote. “If a cartoon had been published in Israel showing Britain in a monstrous light and hurting the feelings of the British people in such a mean and nasty way, you wouldn’t hesitate to complain to me, and rightly, about crossing the legitimate boundaries of freedom of expression,” he said in a direct appeal to Bercow. Meanwhile on Monday, Rupert Murdoch apologized for the “grotesque” cartoon carried in one of his newspapers. The acting editor of the Sunday Times newspaper, Martin Ivens, met with members of the Jewish community in Britain on Tuesday to apologize in person after they made a formal complaint about the image to media regulators. (Ynet/INN) Continue to pray against the rising tide of global antisemitism– brutal in both word and deed.

LARGE ARMS SHIPMENT INTERCEPTED OFF YEMEN, IRAN EYED AS SOURCE: Yemeni forces intercepted a ship on Jan. 23 carrying a large cache of weapons - including surface-to-air missiles - that US officials suspect were being smuggled from Iran and destined for Yemeni insurgents, officials said Monday. The arms also included military grade explosives, rocket-propelled grenades and bomb-making equipment. “This demonstrates the ever pernicious Iranian meddling in other countries in the region,” a US official said. (Reuters)

OBAMA SECRETLY PLEDGES TO DIVIDE JERUSALEM: Now that he has secured his second term, President Barack Obama has already secretly pledged to the Palestinians he will press Israel into a new round of so-called land-for-peace negotiations, a top Palestinian Authority negotiator has claimed. The negotiator in a press interview, said top members of the Obama administration told the Palestinians the US president will renew talks aimed at creating a Palestinian state in the so-called 1967 borders - meaning in Judea, Samaria, the Gaza Strip and, notably, eastern Jerusalem. The negotiator further revealed that when it comes to dividing Jerusalem, Obama wants to rehash what is known as the Clinton parameters. That formula, pushed by Bill Clinton during the Camp David talks in 2000, called for Jewish areas of Jerusalem to remain Israeli while the Palestinians will get sovereignty over neighborhoods that are largely Arab. Palestinians are already building illegally in Jewish-owned districts of Jerusalem, changing facts on the ground and resulting in Arab majorities within certain neighborhoods. This is not the first time the Palestinians are claiming Obama will push for new talks during a second term. Just before November’s presidential election, a senior PA negotiator claimed if Obama secures another four years in office, he will use his second term to target Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu as the main party to blame for the collapse of Mideast peace talks. The negotiator further said Obama had promised the PA the establishment of a Palestinian state will be one of the main priorities for a second term. (WND)

ISRAEL’S CENTRAL BANK CHIEF TO STEP DOWN IN JUNE: The governor of Israel’s central bank, Stanley Fischer, widely credited with steering the nation’s economy safely through years of world financial turmoil, resigned Tuesday. In a brief statement, the Bank of Israel said Fischer informed PM Netanyahu that he will step down on June 30. It gave no explanation for the departure. Fischer, an internationally respected economist, served as deputy director of the International Monetary Fund and held top posts in the World Bank and Citigroup Inc. before taking over Israel’s central bank in 2005. His monetary policies and Israel’s tight control of its banks are seen as responsible for the nation’s stability despite the worldwide economic crisis that hit during his reign. Israel’s economy continues to grow, and unemployment is roughly 6.5%, relatively low in world terms. His departure comes two years before the end of his second five-year term. Israeli media speculated his resignation was due to personal reasons, not a disagreement with the government. In a statement, Netanyahu praised Fischer and thanked him for his service. (J.Post)

IRAN SENTENCES AMERICAN-IRANIAN PASTOR TO 8 YEARS IN JAIL: An American-Iranian pastor has been sentenced to eight years in jail by Iran for his role in underground churches in the Islamic republic. Saeed Abedini, a naturalized US citizen who converted to Christianity, was handed down the jail sentence on Sunday, according to the American Center for Law and Justice. Abedini’s Iran-based lawyer Nasser Sarbazi confirmed the sentence and said his client will file an appeal. Abedini, 32, and his lawyer were only allowed to attend one day of the trial that commenced on January 21. Abedini’s supporters said he led underground churches in the early 2000s when such activity was largely tolerated during the pro-reform presidency of Mohammad Khatami. Having resettled in the US, Abedini was detained on a return trip to Iran in 2009 and was let go following an agreement not to engage in underground religious activities, according to his family. Naghmeh Abedini said her husband complied with the 2009 agreement and had returned to Iran as part of efforts to build an orphanage. He was arrested in September last year and he has alleged in a recent letter that he was beaten in prison. (Arutz-7) Pray for mercy, protection and deliverance for Saeed Abedini. May his appeal come quickly and his freedom be granted. Pray for Abedini’s strength against all fear, and for the comforting and provision for his wife and children.

(Source: jnnnews.com)