JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE
RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN
LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER
SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE
ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER.
1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST
FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the
firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23
And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of
the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the
adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)
1 CHRONICLES 17:9
9 Also I will ordain a place for my people Israel,(IN PALESTINE) and will plant them, and they shall dwell in their place, and shall be moved no more;(ISRAEL-NEVER DESTROYED-FOREVER AN EARTHLY NATION) neither shall the children of wickedness(ISHMAEL-ARAB/MUSLIMS-WORLD ISRAEL HATERS) waste them any more, as at the beginning,(ARAB/MUSLIMS ATTACK ISRAEL ON MAY 15,1948)
ISAIAH 56:5
5 Even unto them (ISRAELIS) will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name,(ISRAEL) that shall not be cut off.
ISAIAH 51:3-4
3 For the LORD shall comfort Zion:(JERUSALEM) he will comfort all her waste places;(FROM NUCLEAR WAR) and he will make her wilderness like Eden,(I BELIEVE THE EZEKIEL-4TH TEMPLE WILL BE BUILT 25 MILES FROM THE CURRENT TEMPLE MOUNT AFTER JESUS RULE FOR THE 1,000 YRS FROM JERUSALEM) and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.(PRAISE TO JESUS IN THE DESERT-COULD BE THE NEW JERUSALEM-4TH TEMPLE BUILT 25 MILES INTO THE DESERT FROM THE CURRENT TEMPLE MOUNT.SINCE EZEKIELS TEMPLE IS WAY TO BIG FOR THE CURRENT TEMPLE MOUNT)
4 Hearken unto me, my people;(ISRAEL) and give ear unto me, O my nation:(ISRAEL) for a law shall proceed from me,(JESUS IN JERUSALEM) and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people.(ISRAEL AND THE WORLD)
LUKE 21:28-29
28 And when these things begin to come to pass,(ALL THE PROPHECY SIGNS FROM THE BIBLE) then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption (RAPTURE) draweth nigh.
29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree,(ISRAEL) and all the trees;(ALL INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES)
30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.(ISRAEL LITERALLY BECAME AND INDEPENDENT COUNTRY JUST BEFORE SUMMER IN MAY 14,1948.)
JOEL 2:3,30
3 A fire devoureth (ATOMIC BOMB) before them;(RUSSIAN-ARAB-MUSLIM ARMIES AGAINST ISRAEL) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(ATOMIC BOMB AFFECT)
ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)
EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.
ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
MALACHI 4:1
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven;(FROM ATOMIC BOMBS) and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE
Israeli jets said to hit chemical weapons, missile site in Syria-Syrian army says 2 killed in attack; targeted facility reportedly belongs to an agency associated with production of non-conventional weapons-By Stuart Winer September 7, 2017, 7:09 am 11-TOI
Israeli warplanes in the early hours Thursday allegedly struck a facility in northwestern Syria where the regime is said to have stockpiled chemical weapons and missiles.The Syrian army confirmed in the morning that a military site near Masyaf was bombed, saying the attack was carried out by Israeli jets and killed two people.“Israeli warplanes fired several rockets from the Lebanese airspace at 02:42 a.m. on Thursday targeting one of the Syrian military posts near Massyaf, killing two army personnel and causing material damage to the site,” it said in a statement carried by the official Syrian Arab News Agency.The Syrian military said the attack was “a desperate attempt to raise the collapsed morale” of the Islamic State group “after the sweeping victories achieved by the Syrian Arab Army” and affirmed Israel’s “direct support” for IS and “other terrorist organizations.” It warned it could have “dangerous repercussions.”Unconfirmed Lebanese reports said Israel also struck a convoy belonging to the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon. Opposition sources quoted by Israel Radio said the airstrike in Syria destroyed weapons stores including chemical-tipped missiles that were to be delivered to Hezbollah.There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on any of the reports.The target in Syria was apparently a Scientific Studies and Research Center (CERS) facility near Masyaf, which is in the northern Hama region. CERS is a Syrian government agency that Western officials have long associated with the production of chemical weapons.#BREAKING : Israel Airstrikes now on #Syria Regime Technology (chemical) building in #Hama pic.twitter.com/S24ZknPQv1-— Joyce Karam (@Joyce_Karam) September 7, 2017-A senior member of the Syrian opposition, citing security officials still working for the regime at the time, told The Times of Israel in 2014 that Assad’s forces were stockpiling chemical substances and missiles carrying chemical warheads at the site, which was not made available to international inspectors tasked with ensuring the destruction of the weapons.Syrian opposition forces have in recent months claimed the Masyaf site, and other CERS facilities, have been working on a joint projects with Iranian specialists to develop chemical weapons capability for missiles.In April the Trump administration placed sanctions on hundreds of CERS employees following a chemical attack on the Syrian rebel-held city of Khan Sheikhoun that killed dozens of civilians, including children. On Wednesday, a report by a UN war crimes commission said it had clear evidence that the Syrian regime was behind the attack and that it had used sarin nerve gas.In 2005, then US president George W. Bush placed sanction on CERS, alleging it was producing weapons of mass destruction.Five years later, in September 2010, the director of the Israeli National Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Bureau said that CERS facilities would be destroyed if the agency continued to provide weapons to terror groups.Brig.-Gen. (res) Nitzan Nuriel, speaking at a summit at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism, said CERS was providing weapons to Hezbollah and the Palestinian terror group Hamas, and called on the international community to target it if it didn’t end its support for terrorism.In February 2013, US intelligence officials told The New York Times that an alleged Israeli airstrike on a Lebanon-bound convoy carrying advanced anti-aircraft weapons days earlier may have inadvertently hit the central CERS research center for developing chemical and biological weapons.Israel has for years been widely believed to have carried out airstrikes on advanced weapons systems in Syria — including Russian-made anti-aircraft missiles and Iranian-made missiles — as well as Hezbollah positions, but it rarely confirms such operations on an individual basis.In August a former commander of Israel’s air force said that it had carried out dozens of airstrikes on weapons convoys destined for the Hezbollah over the past five years. The remarks by Maj. Gen. Amir Eshel revealed for the first time the scale of the strikes, which are usually neither confirmed nor denied by the IAF.The most famous Israeli strike in Syria took place almost exactly 10 years ago, on September 6, 2007, when IAF aircraft bombed a suspected nuclear reactor in Deir Ezzor.Israel has largely stayed out of the fray during the six-year-long civil war in neighboring Syria, but has repeatedly said it will act to prevent Hezbollah from acquiring advanced weapons.In May, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said the IDF only carries out raids in Syria for three reasons: when Israel comes under fire, to prevent arms transfers, and to avert a “ticking timebomb,” namely to thwart imminent terror attacks on Israel by groups on its borders.Hezbollah fired more than 4,000 rockets on Israeli communities during its latest war with Israel in 2006. Since Tuesday, tens of thousands of Israeli soldiers have been staging a mock 10-day war against Hezbollah in northern Israel, marking the IDF’s largest exercise in nearly 20 years, the army announced Monday, amid tensions over growing Iranian influence in Syria and Lebanon.Times of Israel staff and agencies contributed to this report.
With alleged airstrike, Israel punctuates opposition to Syria ceasefire pact-Bombing of Syrian precision missile, chemical weapons facility sends clear message to world: We'll take action when necessary, no matter what-By Judah Ari Gross-September 7, 2017, 6:07 pm-TOI
The timing of the airstrike allegedly carried out by the Israel Air Force against a Syrian advanced weapons development facility early Thursday morning could not have been more apt.The aerial attack came nearly 10 years to the day after Israel allegedly destroyed a Syrian nuclear reactor; a few weeks after Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah visited Damascus; two weeks after a meeting between Russian and Israeli heads of state; a day after a United Nations report formally blamed the Bashar Assad regime for a sarin gas attack earlier this year; and in the midst of the IDF’s largest exercise in nearly two decades, in which tens of thousands of soldiers are simulating a war with Hezbollah, a key part of the Syrian-Iranian Shiite axis.In addition to whatever tactical value was gained from destroying such a facility, the early Thursday morning bombing run also presented a message to Syria, Iran and Hezbollah, as well as to the United States and Russia, that Israel would continue to act in the war-torn country if necessary — ceasefire between the regime and rebels be damned.The target was a Scientific Studies and Research Center (CERS) facility, which reportedly produces and stores both chemical weapons and precision missiles, located outside the city of Masyaf, in Syria’s northwestern Hama region, nearly 300 kilometers away from Israel’s northernmost air base.“It targeted a Syrian military-scientific center for the development and manufacture of, among other things, precision missiles which will have a significant role in the next round of conflict,” wrote Maj. Gen. (res.) Amos Yadlin, a former head of Israel’s Military Intelligence, on Twitter.Maj. Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror, a former national security adviser, also noted that the rockets fired by Hezbollah at a Haifa train station during the 2006 Second Lebanon War, which killed eight people, were manufactured at the Masyaf facility.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he told Russian President Vladimir Putin explicitly that Israel would act in Syria, during their meeting last month in the Russian city of Sochi.“We will act when necessary according to our red lines,” Netanyahu told reporters after the meeting. “In the past, we have done this without asking permission, but we have provided an update on what our policy is.”But while declaring a policy publicly might send a message to Israel’s allies and enemies about its intentions, nothing can state that position more clearly than a missile.Yadlin noted that Russia and the US, which are helping negotiate and maintain a ceasefire in Syria, have been “ignoring the red lines that Israel has established.”For instance, last week, the Arabic daily Asharq Al-Awsat reported that the US agreed to let Iran-backed militias take positions within 10 kilometers of Israel’s border with the Syrian Golan Heights, a troubling notion for the Jewish state as it would open up yet another potential front for terrorist groups in a future conflict.According to Yadlin, the overnight airstrike also served to show that the presence of Russian troops — and their advanced air defense systems — “do not prevent actions, which are attributed to Israel, in Syria.”Israeli airstrikes in Syria, while not quotidian, have been a fairly common occurrence over the course of the country’s civil war, which began in 2011. The Jewish state has long-held a public policy of maintaining “red lines” and taking action if they are violated.Yet Thursday’s strike also represented a change in tack for Israel, Amidror said during a phone briefing with reporters organized by the Israel Project.Yadlin wrote that the attack was “not routine.” Indeed, it was the first airstrike apparently conducted by the IAF since the Russian-American brokered ceasefire went into effect earlier this summer.Israel has cast doubts over the agreement, which it says allows Iran to entrench itself near the Golan border in southern Syria.According to Amidror, the strike on the CERS base was the first time Israel targeted not a Hezbollah weapons convoy nor a Hezbollah warehouse on a Syrian base, but an Assad regime production facility.The former national security adviser connected the airstrike to Nasrallah’s visit to Damascus last week. He said that during the terrorist leader’s visit to Syria, he likely secured a deal in which Assad would either “transfer the facility to Hezbollah or at least supply weapons to Hezbollah.”Amidror noted he did not have access to intelligence to confirm that estimation, but said the “only logical explanation for this attack” was that weapons from the Masyaf base were going to be given to the terrorist group, in violation of one of Israel’s “red lines.”He added that the target of the strike was likely the missile production facilities on the base, not necessarily the chemical weapons. While Hezbollah is believed to have a stockpile of over 100,000 missiles, Amidror said he was unaware of the terrorist group having significant quantities of chemical weapons in its possession.Some aspects of the timing of the strike are more than likely coincidence. The 10-year anniversary of Operation Orchard, as the strike on the Syrian nuclear core is known, and the publication of the UN report accusing Assad of a war crime were likely non-factors in conducting the bombing.According to Amidror, the massive IDF exercise might have served as a certain degree of back-up for the strike, but was probably not a consideration either.But intentional or not, these factors drive home the point that while Thursday night’s airstrike attributed to Israel might have adhered to the established “red lines” policy, but it was not just more of the same.
Rivlin warns Iranian meddling could ‘sink whole region into war’-In Germany on state visit, president says weapons buildup by Iranian proxy Hezbollah requires Israel to respond-By TOI staff-September 7, 2017, 5:07 pm
President Reuven Rivlin told German Chancellor Angela Merkel Thursday that Iran’s entrenchment in Syria and support of Lebanese terror group Hezbollah could spark a regional war that would threaten Israel.Through its ongoing involvement in the six-year-long Syrian conflict, Iran is liable to “sink the whole region into war,” Rivlin said. He said the war would “constitute a direct threat to Israel.”In Berlin on a state visit, the president said that Hezbollah, with Iranian backing, had “consistently violated UN Security Council resolutions” and was endangering both the Lebanese and Israeli populations with its continued efforts to build up weapons supplies.Rivlin thanked Merkel for Germany’s close military support for Israel, which includes the provision of strategic weapons systems such as a nuclear-capable submarine fleet.“We all hope this commitment will remain between the two countries forever, regardless of which coalition is in power in either country,” Rivlin said.In addition, “the President clarified that the weapons infrastructure that Hezbollah was building may require the State of Israel to respond,” a statement from the president’s office said.The statement came hours after reports emerged of Israeli warplanes allegedly striking a facility in northern Syria early Thursday where the regime is said to have stockpiled chemical weapons and missiles.The Syrian army confirmed in the morning that a military site near Masyaf was bombed, saying the attack was carried out by Israeli jets and killed two people.Unconfirmed Lebanese reports said Israel also struck a convoy belonging to the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon. Opposition sources quoted by Israel Radio said the airstrike in Syria destroyed weapons stores including chemical-tipped missiles that were to be delivered to Hezbollah.There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on any of the reports.Israel has for years been widely believed to have carried out airstrikes on advanced weapons systems in Syria — including Russian-made anti-aircraft missiles and Iranian-made missiles — as well as Hezbollah positions, but it rarely confirms such operations on an individual basis.Last week, the UN’s Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was extended Wednesday with new directions to conduct more patrols with Lebanese forces and report when peacekeepers run into roadblocks in Hezbollah strongholds in the country’s south.The US and Israel wanted the text of the resolution to state that UNIFIL would have a bigger presence south of the Litani River and would have full authority in its efforts to prevent violations of UN Resolution 1701, which brought the 34-day Second Lebanon War to an end in August 2006.That war was sparked by a cross-border raid into Israel by Hezbollah, in which three IDF soldiers were killed and two — Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev — were captured. Five more IDF soldiers were killed a short while later in a failed Israeli rescue attempt and by the end of the war, 165 Israelis and 1,100 Lebanese had been killed.Hezbollah, with its suspected arsenal of over 100,000 rockets and thousands of fighters, is seen by the IDF as its central threat. The Iran-backed terrorist group is therefore the standard by which the army measures its preparedness.Israeli officials have raised alarms in recent months over increased Hezbollah activity in southern Lebanon, as well as plans for an Iranian missile factory to supply the terror group with more accurate rockets. They have also expressed misgivings over a ceasefire in southern Syria that they say allows Iran to establish a foothold along Israel’s northern border.
Netanyahu to embark on first-ever trip by an Israeli PM to Latin America-After visiting Argentina, Colombia and Mexico next week, he heads to New York for the UN General Assembly and a likely meet with Trump-By Raphael Ahren-September 6, 2017, 9:26 pm-TOI
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to visit three Latin American countries next week, as a part of his ongoing effort to boldly go where none of his predecessors has gone before.While Israeli presidents have previously visited the continent — most recently Shimon Peres in 2009 — Netanyahu’s four-day trip to Argentina, Colombia and Mexico marks the first time a sitting Israeli prime minister goes to South America. After his journey through Latin America, he is headed to New York, where he will address the United Nations General Assembly and is expected to meet with US President Donald Trump.Latin America has had a complicated relationship with the Jewish state, but Israeli officials this week spoke of a “historic friendship” that has significantly intensified in recent years due to the ascent of “like-minded” governments.“We are currently developing ties with Latin America. It is a great market in a large bloc of important countries. There is a breakthrough here,” Netanyahu said Wednesday at the Foreign Ministry.“Prime Minister Netanyahu will meet with his counterparts to deepen Israel’s economic and diplomatic alliances and to identify new opportunities for cooperation,” his spokesperson David Keyes told The Times of Israel.On Sunday evening, Netanyahu and his entourage — which includes a delegation of businesspeople — is scheduled to take off for Buenos Aires, where he will meet with President Mauricio Macri of Argentina and attend ceremonies to commemorate two terror attacks in the early 1990s that targeted local Jews and Israeli diplomats.On March 17, 1992, a suicide bomber blew himself up at the Israeli embassy compound, killing 29 people, including Israelis.Two years later, on July 18, 1994, 85 people were killed at the building of the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA) in what was the largest bombing in Argentina’s history.The Shiite terror group Hezbollah and its sponsor Iran have been found responsible for both attacks. Netanyahu will speak at ceremonies at the AMIA building and at the former embassy site.In the Argentinian capital, Netanyahu will also meet with President of Paraguay Horacio Cartes.On Wednesday morning, the prime minister’s delegation will head to Bogota for a whirlwind visit of just a few hours to meet with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, sign a series of bilateral agreements and visit the local Jewish community.“The trip to Colombia is going to be short but very intensive,” said Modi Ephraim, the Foreign Ministry’s deputy director-general for Latin America. Bogota was added to the itinerary as an expression of thanks to the country’s “unconditional support for Israel” and the free trade agreement, which was signed between Jerusalem and Bogota and now awaits ratification by the Colombian parliament, he explained.Later in the day, Netanyahu will make his way to Mexico — the world’s second largest Catholic country — for meetings with President Enrique Pena Nieto and representatives of the local Jewish community.In January, a tweet in which Netanyahu backed Trump’s plan to build a border wall between Mexico and the US prompted outrage among the Mexican political leadership, which demanded an apology and summoned Israel’s ambassador, and the local Jewish community.Netanyahu’s tweet, which also posted on his Facebook page, caused an “alarming” wave of online anti-Semitism, an Argentine Jewish watchdog reported at the time.President Donald J. Trump is right. I built a wall along Israel's southern border. It stopped all illegal immigration….Posted by Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו on sestdiena, 2017. gada 28. janvāris-Netanyahu played down his tweet, saying he was merely stressing the success of Israel’s security fence and did not comment about US-Mexico relations. Calling the spat a “passing disagreement or misunderstanding,” he noted his “long, fruitful and very friendly relationship” with Pena Nieto said it would continue unabatedly.On the same day, President Reuven Rivlin called his Mexican counterpart and apologized for Netanyahu’s words, but Pena Nieto maintained bilateral ties had been “hurt” by the incident.According to Ephraim, the unfortunate episode has been forgotten and forgiven.“This tweet was a misunderstanding. It’s behind us,” he told reporters Tuesday at the Foreign Ministry. The “readiness and enthusiasm” with which Mexico’s government and Jewish community prepare to host Netanyahu testify to that, he added. “Relations are excellent today. Cooperation continues in all fields. As always, complications arise occasionally between friends, but it’s certainly behind us.”On September 15, Netanyahu will head from Mexico City to New York, where four days later he will deliver his annual address to the UN General Assembly. He is also scheduled to conduct a series of meetings in the Big Apple, including with President of Panama Juan Carlos Varela. No time and location for his expected meeting with Trump has been announced yet.Netanyahu, who is also foreign minister, has in recent months embarked on several trips to countries that have never, or rarely, been visited by Israeli leaders, such as Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Australia, Singapore, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and Liberia. He is planning a trip to Togo next month.Offering Israeli technological knowhow and security expertise, he hopes to gain diplomatic support from countries that have traditionally supported the Palestinian cause.Latin American states have a mixed record when it comes to Israel. In 1947, 13 Latin American countries voted in favor of the UN Partition Plan and subsequently established diplomatic ties with the Jewish state. However, many countries on the continent were long dominated by leftist governments that took a critical, sometimes even hostile, approach to Israel.“Over the last few years we’re seeing a political change on the continent. We see many populist leftists governments disappear from the map, and today we have like-minded and very friendly governments,” Ephraim said. “The prime minister will meet four friendly presidents who changed their countries’ position toward Israel. We see an amazing development in bilateral ties.”While Latin American nations for decades focused mainly on themselves, the veteran diplomat added, recently they have gained more influence in the international arena, which is another reason why strengthened ties could prove beneficial for Israel.Two of the three countries Netanyahu is visiting — Mexico and Colombia — have not recognized a Palestinian state, which Ephraim hailed as a “victory” for Israeli diplomacy.The prime minister’s trip will include a strong business component. Representatives of 30 Israeli companies — including Cellcom, Israel Aerospace Industries, Elbit, Refael and Netafim — will accompany Netanyahu to Buenos Aires and Mexico City.“The worlds of diplomacy and business have been blending for a while. This is what Prime Minister Netanyahu refers to as diplomacy by technology,” said Eli Groner, the director-general of the Prime Minister’s Office. “We’re including an increasing number of business delegations to our diplomatic trips, because this is the way the world is going, and that is one competitive advantage that Israel has — our technology and our capabilities.”Netanyahu prioritizes opening foreign markets up to Israeli corporations, Groner told The Times of Israel in his Jerusalem office on Wednesday. “We’ve been doing it with Africa, India and China, and this trip is an important step toward doing it in South America.”
Mohamed, my friend the enemy-September 4, 2017, 2:21 pm-TOI
The first thing that caught my attention about Mohamed was his watch. It was a very old wristwatch, showing the exact 6 PM of a hot and heavily humid Tel Aviv Sunday afternoon. We were a group of sufficiently crazy Latino-Israelis gathered for the first time in our lives for a face to face sit-down with a current member of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) which, according to Mohamed is “the only legitimate representative of the Palestinian people”.To be honest, I arrived half an hour early because I wanted to have the time to make some notes and jot down a few questions I didn’t want to forget to ask, although my main intention was simply to listen – an excellent practice all too often forgotten in today’s society. After all, it is not every day that you get the chance to have a friendly sit-down with your enemy, and I wanted to be open and willing as well as prepared and focused.When he got there, all suited up despite the heat, I noticed the watch. It was an old leather strap watch that reminded me of the one my great grandfather always wore until he passed away in 2009 and left it to me. It’s no small thing that I mention this, as my great-grandfather was a role model for me and my family, a true social activist with more than 75 years of political activity in the Argentinian Communist Party. His values and integrity are an unbreakable part of my core beliefs and remain with me till this very day as I look back on my fifteen years in this politically overheated Israel and I ask myself how much have I really done for peace on this land.Mohamed approached me and, in perfect Spanish (he lived in Madrid for 14 years), said hello and thanked me for showing up to the meeting. I immediately reciprocated by extending my wishes for a followup meeting on the other side of the Green Line. And so, feeling perfectly comfortable with his presence, we joined Diego – who knows Mohamed from his political work in the Labour Party (Avoda) and arranged this encounter – and got a table at the famous bar, Mike’s Place. This being our first time meeting, and with no time to find a quieter place, we all agreed it was symbolically empowering for Israelis and a Palestinian to discuss peace in an establishment that was partially blown up in a suicide bombing attack in April 2003.We ordered some beers as Mohamed took off his jacket, which had a small Palestinian flag pin. “I will probably exaggerate a little bit when I speak about my people, because each one of us defends his cause,” he said, “but I want you to know I am a fierce defender of the Israeli cause; if it is not solved, ours will not be solved either.” These, his first words to us about the conflict, did not surprise me at all since I have been saying the exact same thing for the past 15 years, just from the other side. His words also offered the first indications of the authenticity and coherence of his character: here is this man that came all the way from Ramallah, carrying his flag on his chest, unapologetically breathing and speaking his Palestinian truth, in order to come and sit with us because “you make peace with your enemies, not with your friends” and because “peace will be made by the people, and signed at the negotiating table by governments forced to bow to the will of the people.” His idea, shared by most attendees at the meeting, is to build bridges between the two peoples that allow us to begin to humanize the other side. Because that’s what it’s all about, starting to see the other as a human being, breaking all myths and leaving aside stereotypes; to stop listening to the all too familiar, all too failing narratives on both sides because “otherwise we will never move forward.”At the same time, he didn’t doubt that “the majority of the people of Israel wants peace, they just don’t know which type of peace,” and he also claimed that “Arab-Israelis must be a bridge themselves” between the two societies. I myself have to sadly say, especially after the last elections, that I have no certainty at all as per either factor in this equation. Nowadays, I personally can’t be sure that most Jewish-Israelis want peace and support a two-state for two peoples solution, and I know even less about how the roughly two million Arab-Israelis in the country – always too quiet on this matter — would feel and act about it.But one thing I am one hundred percent sure about after the more than two-hour friendly gathering we shared: when you look someone in the eye, and he looks back at you, with honesty and courage, trying to set aside everything we allegedly know about the other, our differences seem rather small and the similarities are inescapable.There was one thing that did surprise me, and it was that Mohamed did not avoid answering a question that gives me a chill: Why does the PA pay salaries to Palestinian terrorists jailed in Israel? And I must acknowledge that his answer revealed an angle I hadn’t quite considered in the past: “Out of the roughly seven thousand Palestinian jailed in Israel cataloged as having ‘blood on their hands,’ those who really have it are around two hundred. Everyone who throws a rock is a terrorist, but when a father goes to prison, an entire family is left bankrupt, because that father was his sole source of income. The child that sees his father being taken by Israeli soldiers at 2AM to maybe never see him again, will never recover from that trauma. The PLO helps that family. We don’t want that kid growing in hatred.”This was the first encounter of, I hope, many more to come, in Spanish, English and Hebrew. Personally, I left with more certainties than doubts, with a renewed hope I confess I was beginning to lose and with an open invitation to Ramallah, a dream that will hopefully come true.I headed back home thinking that this could very much have been the beginning of a great friendship.—*Mohamed Amer Odeh is the Embassador of the PA for Latin America, he works constantly with local communities along the Latin American Continent and is a Speaker for President Mahmoud Abbas *Diego Sciretta is a pre-candidate for MK at the Labour Party and founder of Tribu13 (Tribe13), an organization that seeks to set an agenda of social justice within the laborists and is organizing these encounters under the name “Enemies for Peace” in the country.
Facebook: Russia-based ‘troll farm’ targeted US voters with divisive ads-Social media giant tells US authorities it found some $100,000 worth of ads likely originating in St. Petersburg touching on issues like refugees and LGBT rights-By AP September 7, 2017, 5:14 am-TOI
WASHINGTON — Hundreds of fake Facebook accounts, probably run from Russia, spent about $100,000 on ads aimed at stirring up divisive issues such as gun control and race relations during the 2016 US presidential election, the social network said Wednesday.Although the number of ads is relatively small, the disclosure provides a more detailed peek into what investigators believe was a targeted effort by Russians to influence US politics during the campaign, this time through social media.The 470 accounts appeared to come from a notorious “troll farm,” a St. Petersburg-based organization known for promoting pro-Russian government positions via fake accounts, according to two people familiar with the investigation. The people were granted anonymity because they weren’t authorized to publicly discuss details of the investigation.In all, the accounts purchased some 3,000 ads between June 2015 and May 2017.While they ads didn’t specifically reference the election, a candidate or voting, they nevertheless allowed “divisive messages” to be amplified via the social media platform, the company’s chief security officer, Alex Stamos, said in a statement.The names of the suspended pages were not released, but some included words such as “refugee” and “patriot,” Reuters reported.Stamos said the ads touched “on topics from LGBT matters to race issues to immigration to gun rights.”Facebook has turned over its findings to federal authorities investigating Russian interference in the US presidential election. Robert Mueller, the special counsel, is charged with overseeing Russian meddling in the US election and any potential coordination with associates of President Donald Trump.Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the ranking Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee, said that Facebook briefed the panel’s staff on Wednesday, but he still wants to know more.“I have a lot more questions for Facebook, and I’ve got a lot of questions for Twitter,” Warner said, noting that “we’ve got Twitter coming in.” He did not say when a meeting with representatives from Twitter might occur other than “soon.”A spokeswoman for Twitter declined comment Wednesday evening.Warner said he also wants to know more about the content of the ads pushed out by the Russian-based Internet Research Agency and whether they targeted specific voters or locations in the US.He said in many cases the social media messaging “was more about voter depression and suppression without having to necessarily mention an individual candidate’s name.”Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, said Facebook’s disclosure confirmed what many lawmakers investigating Russian interference in the US election had long suspected.“One of the things that we’re interested obviously in finding out is whether there was any coordination in terms of the use of those paid social media trolls or the Russian use of bots,” he said.The fake accounts were discovered during a company review of ad buys that was spurred by a broader investigation the company initiated into Russian meddling after the election, Stamos said.In addition to the 470 accounts that appeared to be run from Russia, Stamos said its investigators also discovered an additional $50,000 in spending via 2,200 ads that “might have originated in Russia,” even including ads purchased by accounts with IP addresses in the US but set to Russian in the language settings.Stamos said the accounts had been shut down for being inauthentic.The dollar amount of ad spending identified by Facebook is an infinitesimal amount compared to the total amount of advertising spending during the election. According to ad tracker Borrell Associates, more than $1.4 billion was spent during the 2016 election cycle on digital advertising alone. That figure includes spending on national, state and local elections.Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif, who also serves on the House intelligence committee, said Facebook’s disclosures help to “fill in with more color some of the lines that exist,” but he would like to know more about the sophistication of the ads. He also wants to know if the content of the ads smacked of Russian propaganda.“We know they had a cyber operation, we suspect US persons may have been involved, now we know a US company was used. So now we need to see if there are dots that connect,” he said.The company has come under intense pressure since the election to curb the flow of false information. After the election, it updated its advertising policy to say it wouldn’t run spots that are “illegal, misleading or deceptive, which includes fake news.”Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
9 Also I will ordain a place for my people Israel,(IN PALESTINE) and will plant them, and they shall dwell in their place, and shall be moved no more;(ISRAEL-NEVER DESTROYED-FOREVER AN EARTHLY NATION) neither shall the children of wickedness(ISHMAEL-ARAB/MUSLIMS-WORLD ISRAEL HATERS) waste them any more, as at the beginning,(ARAB/MUSLIMS ATTACK ISRAEL ON MAY 15,1948)
ISAIAH 56:5
5 Even unto them (ISRAELIS) will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name,(ISRAEL) that shall not be cut off.
ISAIAH 51:3-4
3 For the LORD shall comfort Zion:(JERUSALEM) he will comfort all her waste places;(FROM NUCLEAR WAR) and he will make her wilderness like Eden,(I BELIEVE THE EZEKIEL-4TH TEMPLE WILL BE BUILT 25 MILES FROM THE CURRENT TEMPLE MOUNT AFTER JESUS RULE FOR THE 1,000 YRS FROM JERUSALEM) and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.(PRAISE TO JESUS IN THE DESERT-COULD BE THE NEW JERUSALEM-4TH TEMPLE BUILT 25 MILES INTO THE DESERT FROM THE CURRENT TEMPLE MOUNT.SINCE EZEKIELS TEMPLE IS WAY TO BIG FOR THE CURRENT TEMPLE MOUNT)
4 Hearken unto me, my people;(ISRAEL) and give ear unto me, O my nation:(ISRAEL) for a law shall proceed from me,(JESUS IN JERUSALEM) and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people.(ISRAEL AND THE WORLD)
LUKE 21:28-29
28 And when these things begin to come to pass,(ALL THE PROPHECY SIGNS FROM THE BIBLE) then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption (RAPTURE) draweth nigh.
29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree,(ISRAEL) and all the trees;(ALL INDEPENDENT COUNTRIES)
30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.(ISRAEL LITERALLY BECAME AND INDEPENDENT COUNTRY JUST BEFORE SUMMER IN MAY 14,1948.)
JOEL 2:3,30
3 A fire devoureth (ATOMIC BOMB) before them;(RUSSIAN-ARAB-MUSLIM ARMIES AGAINST ISRAEL) and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.(ATOMIC BOMB AFFECT)
ZECHARIAH 14:12-13
12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their eyes shall consume away in their holes,(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB) and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.(DISOLVED FROM ATOMIC BOMB)(BECAUSE NUKES HAVE BEEN USED ON ISRAELS ENEMIES)(GOD PROTECTS ISRAEL AND ALWAYS WILL)
13 And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the LORD shall be among them; and they shall lay hold every one on the hand of his neighbour, and his hand shall rise up against the hand of his neighbour.(1/2-3 BILLION DIE IN WW3)(THIS IS AN ATOMIC BOMB EFFECT)
EZEKIEL 20:47
47 And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein.
ZEPHANIAH 1:18
18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD'S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
MALACHI 4:1
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven;(FROM ATOMIC BOMBS) and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
And here are the bounderies of the land that Israel will inherit either through war or peace or God in the future. God says its Israels land and only Israels land. They will have every inch God promised them of this land in the future.
Egypt east of the Nile River, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, The southern part of Turkey and the Western Half of Iraq west of the Euphrates. Gen 13:14-15, Psm 105:9,11, Gen 15:18, Exe 23:31, Num 34:1-12, Josh 1:4.ALL THIS LAND ISRAEL WILL DEFINATELY OWN IN THE FUTURE, ITS ISRAELS NOT ISHMAELS LAND.12 TRIBES INHERIT LAND IN THE FUTURE
Israeli jets said to hit chemical weapons, missile site in Syria-Syrian army says 2 killed in attack; targeted facility reportedly belongs to an agency associated with production of non-conventional weapons-By Stuart Winer September 7, 2017, 7:09 am 11-TOI
Israeli warplanes in the early hours Thursday allegedly struck a facility in northwestern Syria where the regime is said to have stockpiled chemical weapons and missiles.The Syrian army confirmed in the morning that a military site near Masyaf was bombed, saying the attack was carried out by Israeli jets and killed two people.“Israeli warplanes fired several rockets from the Lebanese airspace at 02:42 a.m. on Thursday targeting one of the Syrian military posts near Massyaf, killing two army personnel and causing material damage to the site,” it said in a statement carried by the official Syrian Arab News Agency.The Syrian military said the attack was “a desperate attempt to raise the collapsed morale” of the Islamic State group “after the sweeping victories achieved by the Syrian Arab Army” and affirmed Israel’s “direct support” for IS and “other terrorist organizations.” It warned it could have “dangerous repercussions.”Unconfirmed Lebanese reports said Israel also struck a convoy belonging to the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon. Opposition sources quoted by Israel Radio said the airstrike in Syria destroyed weapons stores including chemical-tipped missiles that were to be delivered to Hezbollah.There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on any of the reports.The target in Syria was apparently a Scientific Studies and Research Center (CERS) facility near Masyaf, which is in the northern Hama region. CERS is a Syrian government agency that Western officials have long associated with the production of chemical weapons.#BREAKING : Israel Airstrikes now on #Syria Regime Technology (chemical) building in #Hama pic.twitter.com/S24ZknPQv1-— Joyce Karam (@Joyce_Karam) September 7, 2017-A senior member of the Syrian opposition, citing security officials still working for the regime at the time, told The Times of Israel in 2014 that Assad’s forces were stockpiling chemical substances and missiles carrying chemical warheads at the site, which was not made available to international inspectors tasked with ensuring the destruction of the weapons.Syrian opposition forces have in recent months claimed the Masyaf site, and other CERS facilities, have been working on a joint projects with Iranian specialists to develop chemical weapons capability for missiles.In April the Trump administration placed sanctions on hundreds of CERS employees following a chemical attack on the Syrian rebel-held city of Khan Sheikhoun that killed dozens of civilians, including children. On Wednesday, a report by a UN war crimes commission said it had clear evidence that the Syrian regime was behind the attack and that it had used sarin nerve gas.In 2005, then US president George W. Bush placed sanction on CERS, alleging it was producing weapons of mass destruction.Five years later, in September 2010, the director of the Israeli National Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Bureau said that CERS facilities would be destroyed if the agency continued to provide weapons to terror groups.Brig.-Gen. (res) Nitzan Nuriel, speaking at a summit at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism, said CERS was providing weapons to Hezbollah and the Palestinian terror group Hamas, and called on the international community to target it if it didn’t end its support for terrorism.In February 2013, US intelligence officials told The New York Times that an alleged Israeli airstrike on a Lebanon-bound convoy carrying advanced anti-aircraft weapons days earlier may have inadvertently hit the central CERS research center for developing chemical and biological weapons.Israel has for years been widely believed to have carried out airstrikes on advanced weapons systems in Syria — including Russian-made anti-aircraft missiles and Iranian-made missiles — as well as Hezbollah positions, but it rarely confirms such operations on an individual basis.In August a former commander of Israel’s air force said that it had carried out dozens of airstrikes on weapons convoys destined for the Hezbollah over the past five years. The remarks by Maj. Gen. Amir Eshel revealed for the first time the scale of the strikes, which are usually neither confirmed nor denied by the IAF.The most famous Israeli strike in Syria took place almost exactly 10 years ago, on September 6, 2007, when IAF aircraft bombed a suspected nuclear reactor in Deir Ezzor.Israel has largely stayed out of the fray during the six-year-long civil war in neighboring Syria, but has repeatedly said it will act to prevent Hezbollah from acquiring advanced weapons.In May, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman said the IDF only carries out raids in Syria for three reasons: when Israel comes under fire, to prevent arms transfers, and to avert a “ticking timebomb,” namely to thwart imminent terror attacks on Israel by groups on its borders.Hezbollah fired more than 4,000 rockets on Israeli communities during its latest war with Israel in 2006. Since Tuesday, tens of thousands of Israeli soldiers have been staging a mock 10-day war against Hezbollah in northern Israel, marking the IDF’s largest exercise in nearly 20 years, the army announced Monday, amid tensions over growing Iranian influence in Syria and Lebanon.Times of Israel staff and agencies contributed to this report.
With alleged airstrike, Israel punctuates opposition to Syria ceasefire pact-Bombing of Syrian precision missile, chemical weapons facility sends clear message to world: We'll take action when necessary, no matter what-By Judah Ari Gross-September 7, 2017, 6:07 pm-TOI
The timing of the airstrike allegedly carried out by the Israel Air Force against a Syrian advanced weapons development facility early Thursday morning could not have been more apt.The aerial attack came nearly 10 years to the day after Israel allegedly destroyed a Syrian nuclear reactor; a few weeks after Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah visited Damascus; two weeks after a meeting between Russian and Israeli heads of state; a day after a United Nations report formally blamed the Bashar Assad regime for a sarin gas attack earlier this year; and in the midst of the IDF’s largest exercise in nearly two decades, in which tens of thousands of soldiers are simulating a war with Hezbollah, a key part of the Syrian-Iranian Shiite axis.In addition to whatever tactical value was gained from destroying such a facility, the early Thursday morning bombing run also presented a message to Syria, Iran and Hezbollah, as well as to the United States and Russia, that Israel would continue to act in the war-torn country if necessary — ceasefire between the regime and rebels be damned.The target was a Scientific Studies and Research Center (CERS) facility, which reportedly produces and stores both chemical weapons and precision missiles, located outside the city of Masyaf, in Syria’s northwestern Hama region, nearly 300 kilometers away from Israel’s northernmost air base.“It targeted a Syrian military-scientific center for the development and manufacture of, among other things, precision missiles which will have a significant role in the next round of conflict,” wrote Maj. Gen. (res.) Amos Yadlin, a former head of Israel’s Military Intelligence, on Twitter.Maj. Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror, a former national security adviser, also noted that the rockets fired by Hezbollah at a Haifa train station during the 2006 Second Lebanon War, which killed eight people, were manufactured at the Masyaf facility.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he told Russian President Vladimir Putin explicitly that Israel would act in Syria, during their meeting last month in the Russian city of Sochi.“We will act when necessary according to our red lines,” Netanyahu told reporters after the meeting. “In the past, we have done this without asking permission, but we have provided an update on what our policy is.”But while declaring a policy publicly might send a message to Israel’s allies and enemies about its intentions, nothing can state that position more clearly than a missile.Yadlin noted that Russia and the US, which are helping negotiate and maintain a ceasefire in Syria, have been “ignoring the red lines that Israel has established.”For instance, last week, the Arabic daily Asharq Al-Awsat reported that the US agreed to let Iran-backed militias take positions within 10 kilometers of Israel’s border with the Syrian Golan Heights, a troubling notion for the Jewish state as it would open up yet another potential front for terrorist groups in a future conflict.According to Yadlin, the overnight airstrike also served to show that the presence of Russian troops — and their advanced air defense systems — “do not prevent actions, which are attributed to Israel, in Syria.”Israeli airstrikes in Syria, while not quotidian, have been a fairly common occurrence over the course of the country’s civil war, which began in 2011. The Jewish state has long-held a public policy of maintaining “red lines” and taking action if they are violated.Yet Thursday’s strike also represented a change in tack for Israel, Amidror said during a phone briefing with reporters organized by the Israel Project.Yadlin wrote that the attack was “not routine.” Indeed, it was the first airstrike apparently conducted by the IAF since the Russian-American brokered ceasefire went into effect earlier this summer.Israel has cast doubts over the agreement, which it says allows Iran to entrench itself near the Golan border in southern Syria.According to Amidror, the strike on the CERS base was the first time Israel targeted not a Hezbollah weapons convoy nor a Hezbollah warehouse on a Syrian base, but an Assad regime production facility.The former national security adviser connected the airstrike to Nasrallah’s visit to Damascus last week. He said that during the terrorist leader’s visit to Syria, he likely secured a deal in which Assad would either “transfer the facility to Hezbollah or at least supply weapons to Hezbollah.”Amidror noted he did not have access to intelligence to confirm that estimation, but said the “only logical explanation for this attack” was that weapons from the Masyaf base were going to be given to the terrorist group, in violation of one of Israel’s “red lines.”He added that the target of the strike was likely the missile production facilities on the base, not necessarily the chemical weapons. While Hezbollah is believed to have a stockpile of over 100,000 missiles, Amidror said he was unaware of the terrorist group having significant quantities of chemical weapons in its possession.Some aspects of the timing of the strike are more than likely coincidence. The 10-year anniversary of Operation Orchard, as the strike on the Syrian nuclear core is known, and the publication of the UN report accusing Assad of a war crime were likely non-factors in conducting the bombing.According to Amidror, the massive IDF exercise might have served as a certain degree of back-up for the strike, but was probably not a consideration either.But intentional or not, these factors drive home the point that while Thursday night’s airstrike attributed to Israel might have adhered to the established “red lines” policy, but it was not just more of the same.
Rivlin warns Iranian meddling could ‘sink whole region into war’-In Germany on state visit, president says weapons buildup by Iranian proxy Hezbollah requires Israel to respond-By TOI staff-September 7, 2017, 5:07 pm
President Reuven Rivlin told German Chancellor Angela Merkel Thursday that Iran’s entrenchment in Syria and support of Lebanese terror group Hezbollah could spark a regional war that would threaten Israel.Through its ongoing involvement in the six-year-long Syrian conflict, Iran is liable to “sink the whole region into war,” Rivlin said. He said the war would “constitute a direct threat to Israel.”In Berlin on a state visit, the president said that Hezbollah, with Iranian backing, had “consistently violated UN Security Council resolutions” and was endangering both the Lebanese and Israeli populations with its continued efforts to build up weapons supplies.Rivlin thanked Merkel for Germany’s close military support for Israel, which includes the provision of strategic weapons systems such as a nuclear-capable submarine fleet.“We all hope this commitment will remain between the two countries forever, regardless of which coalition is in power in either country,” Rivlin said.In addition, “the President clarified that the weapons infrastructure that Hezbollah was building may require the State of Israel to respond,” a statement from the president’s office said.The statement came hours after reports emerged of Israeli warplanes allegedly striking a facility in northern Syria early Thursday where the regime is said to have stockpiled chemical weapons and missiles.The Syrian army confirmed in the morning that a military site near Masyaf was bombed, saying the attack was carried out by Israeli jets and killed two people.Unconfirmed Lebanese reports said Israel also struck a convoy belonging to the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon. Opposition sources quoted by Israel Radio said the airstrike in Syria destroyed weapons stores including chemical-tipped missiles that were to be delivered to Hezbollah.There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on any of the reports.Israel has for years been widely believed to have carried out airstrikes on advanced weapons systems in Syria — including Russian-made anti-aircraft missiles and Iranian-made missiles — as well as Hezbollah positions, but it rarely confirms such operations on an individual basis.Last week, the UN’s Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was extended Wednesday with new directions to conduct more patrols with Lebanese forces and report when peacekeepers run into roadblocks in Hezbollah strongholds in the country’s south.The US and Israel wanted the text of the resolution to state that UNIFIL would have a bigger presence south of the Litani River and would have full authority in its efforts to prevent violations of UN Resolution 1701, which brought the 34-day Second Lebanon War to an end in August 2006.That war was sparked by a cross-border raid into Israel by Hezbollah, in which three IDF soldiers were killed and two — Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev — were captured. Five more IDF soldiers were killed a short while later in a failed Israeli rescue attempt and by the end of the war, 165 Israelis and 1,100 Lebanese had been killed.Hezbollah, with its suspected arsenal of over 100,000 rockets and thousands of fighters, is seen by the IDF as its central threat. The Iran-backed terrorist group is therefore the standard by which the army measures its preparedness.Israeli officials have raised alarms in recent months over increased Hezbollah activity in southern Lebanon, as well as plans for an Iranian missile factory to supply the terror group with more accurate rockets. They have also expressed misgivings over a ceasefire in southern Syria that they say allows Iran to establish a foothold along Israel’s northern border.
Netanyahu to embark on first-ever trip by an Israeli PM to Latin America-After visiting Argentina, Colombia and Mexico next week, he heads to New York for the UN General Assembly and a likely meet with Trump-By Raphael Ahren-September 6, 2017, 9:26 pm-TOI
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to visit three Latin American countries next week, as a part of his ongoing effort to boldly go where none of his predecessors has gone before.While Israeli presidents have previously visited the continent — most recently Shimon Peres in 2009 — Netanyahu’s four-day trip to Argentina, Colombia and Mexico marks the first time a sitting Israeli prime minister goes to South America. After his journey through Latin America, he is headed to New York, where he will address the United Nations General Assembly and is expected to meet with US President Donald Trump.Latin America has had a complicated relationship with the Jewish state, but Israeli officials this week spoke of a “historic friendship” that has significantly intensified in recent years due to the ascent of “like-minded” governments.“We are currently developing ties with Latin America. It is a great market in a large bloc of important countries. There is a breakthrough here,” Netanyahu said Wednesday at the Foreign Ministry.“Prime Minister Netanyahu will meet with his counterparts to deepen Israel’s economic and diplomatic alliances and to identify new opportunities for cooperation,” his spokesperson David Keyes told The Times of Israel.On Sunday evening, Netanyahu and his entourage — which includes a delegation of businesspeople — is scheduled to take off for Buenos Aires, where he will meet with President Mauricio Macri of Argentina and attend ceremonies to commemorate two terror attacks in the early 1990s that targeted local Jews and Israeli diplomats.On March 17, 1992, a suicide bomber blew himself up at the Israeli embassy compound, killing 29 people, including Israelis.Two years later, on July 18, 1994, 85 people were killed at the building of the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA) in what was the largest bombing in Argentina’s history.The Shiite terror group Hezbollah and its sponsor Iran have been found responsible for both attacks. Netanyahu will speak at ceremonies at the AMIA building and at the former embassy site.In the Argentinian capital, Netanyahu will also meet with President of Paraguay Horacio Cartes.On Wednesday morning, the prime minister’s delegation will head to Bogota for a whirlwind visit of just a few hours to meet with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, sign a series of bilateral agreements and visit the local Jewish community.“The trip to Colombia is going to be short but very intensive,” said Modi Ephraim, the Foreign Ministry’s deputy director-general for Latin America. Bogota was added to the itinerary as an expression of thanks to the country’s “unconditional support for Israel” and the free trade agreement, which was signed between Jerusalem and Bogota and now awaits ratification by the Colombian parliament, he explained.Later in the day, Netanyahu will make his way to Mexico — the world’s second largest Catholic country — for meetings with President Enrique Pena Nieto and representatives of the local Jewish community.In January, a tweet in which Netanyahu backed Trump’s plan to build a border wall between Mexico and the US prompted outrage among the Mexican political leadership, which demanded an apology and summoned Israel’s ambassador, and the local Jewish community.Netanyahu’s tweet, which also posted on his Facebook page, caused an “alarming” wave of online anti-Semitism, an Argentine Jewish watchdog reported at the time.President Donald J. Trump is right. I built a wall along Israel's southern border. It stopped all illegal immigration….Posted by Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו on sestdiena, 2017. gada 28. janvāris-Netanyahu played down his tweet, saying he was merely stressing the success of Israel’s security fence and did not comment about US-Mexico relations. Calling the spat a “passing disagreement or misunderstanding,” he noted his “long, fruitful and very friendly relationship” with Pena Nieto said it would continue unabatedly.On the same day, President Reuven Rivlin called his Mexican counterpart and apologized for Netanyahu’s words, but Pena Nieto maintained bilateral ties had been “hurt” by the incident.According to Ephraim, the unfortunate episode has been forgotten and forgiven.“This tweet was a misunderstanding. It’s behind us,” he told reporters Tuesday at the Foreign Ministry. The “readiness and enthusiasm” with which Mexico’s government and Jewish community prepare to host Netanyahu testify to that, he added. “Relations are excellent today. Cooperation continues in all fields. As always, complications arise occasionally between friends, but it’s certainly behind us.”On September 15, Netanyahu will head from Mexico City to New York, where four days later he will deliver his annual address to the UN General Assembly. He is also scheduled to conduct a series of meetings in the Big Apple, including with President of Panama Juan Carlos Varela. No time and location for his expected meeting with Trump has been announced yet.Netanyahu, who is also foreign minister, has in recent months embarked on several trips to countries that have never, or rarely, been visited by Israeli leaders, such as Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Australia, Singapore, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and Liberia. He is planning a trip to Togo next month.Offering Israeli technological knowhow and security expertise, he hopes to gain diplomatic support from countries that have traditionally supported the Palestinian cause.Latin American states have a mixed record when it comes to Israel. In 1947, 13 Latin American countries voted in favor of the UN Partition Plan and subsequently established diplomatic ties with the Jewish state. However, many countries on the continent were long dominated by leftist governments that took a critical, sometimes even hostile, approach to Israel.“Over the last few years we’re seeing a political change on the continent. We see many populist leftists governments disappear from the map, and today we have like-minded and very friendly governments,” Ephraim said. “The prime minister will meet four friendly presidents who changed their countries’ position toward Israel. We see an amazing development in bilateral ties.”While Latin American nations for decades focused mainly on themselves, the veteran diplomat added, recently they have gained more influence in the international arena, which is another reason why strengthened ties could prove beneficial for Israel.Two of the three countries Netanyahu is visiting — Mexico and Colombia — have not recognized a Palestinian state, which Ephraim hailed as a “victory” for Israeli diplomacy.The prime minister’s trip will include a strong business component. Representatives of 30 Israeli companies — including Cellcom, Israel Aerospace Industries, Elbit, Refael and Netafim — will accompany Netanyahu to Buenos Aires and Mexico City.“The worlds of diplomacy and business have been blending for a while. This is what Prime Minister Netanyahu refers to as diplomacy by technology,” said Eli Groner, the director-general of the Prime Minister’s Office. “We’re including an increasing number of business delegations to our diplomatic trips, because this is the way the world is going, and that is one competitive advantage that Israel has — our technology and our capabilities.”Netanyahu prioritizes opening foreign markets up to Israeli corporations, Groner told The Times of Israel in his Jerusalem office on Wednesday. “We’ve been doing it with Africa, India and China, and this trip is an important step toward doing it in South America.”
Mohamed, my friend the enemy-September 4, 2017, 2:21 pm-TOI
The first thing that caught my attention about Mohamed was his watch. It was a very old wristwatch, showing the exact 6 PM of a hot and heavily humid Tel Aviv Sunday afternoon. We were a group of sufficiently crazy Latino-Israelis gathered for the first time in our lives for a face to face sit-down with a current member of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) which, according to Mohamed is “the only legitimate representative of the Palestinian people”.To be honest, I arrived half an hour early because I wanted to have the time to make some notes and jot down a few questions I didn’t want to forget to ask, although my main intention was simply to listen – an excellent practice all too often forgotten in today’s society. After all, it is not every day that you get the chance to have a friendly sit-down with your enemy, and I wanted to be open and willing as well as prepared and focused.When he got there, all suited up despite the heat, I noticed the watch. It was an old leather strap watch that reminded me of the one my great grandfather always wore until he passed away in 2009 and left it to me. It’s no small thing that I mention this, as my great-grandfather was a role model for me and my family, a true social activist with more than 75 years of political activity in the Argentinian Communist Party. His values and integrity are an unbreakable part of my core beliefs and remain with me till this very day as I look back on my fifteen years in this politically overheated Israel and I ask myself how much have I really done for peace on this land.Mohamed approached me and, in perfect Spanish (he lived in Madrid for 14 years), said hello and thanked me for showing up to the meeting. I immediately reciprocated by extending my wishes for a followup meeting on the other side of the Green Line. And so, feeling perfectly comfortable with his presence, we joined Diego – who knows Mohamed from his political work in the Labour Party (Avoda) and arranged this encounter – and got a table at the famous bar, Mike’s Place. This being our first time meeting, and with no time to find a quieter place, we all agreed it was symbolically empowering for Israelis and a Palestinian to discuss peace in an establishment that was partially blown up in a suicide bombing attack in April 2003.We ordered some beers as Mohamed took off his jacket, which had a small Palestinian flag pin. “I will probably exaggerate a little bit when I speak about my people, because each one of us defends his cause,” he said, “but I want you to know I am a fierce defender of the Israeli cause; if it is not solved, ours will not be solved either.” These, his first words to us about the conflict, did not surprise me at all since I have been saying the exact same thing for the past 15 years, just from the other side. His words also offered the first indications of the authenticity and coherence of his character: here is this man that came all the way from Ramallah, carrying his flag on his chest, unapologetically breathing and speaking his Palestinian truth, in order to come and sit with us because “you make peace with your enemies, not with your friends” and because “peace will be made by the people, and signed at the negotiating table by governments forced to bow to the will of the people.” His idea, shared by most attendees at the meeting, is to build bridges between the two peoples that allow us to begin to humanize the other side. Because that’s what it’s all about, starting to see the other as a human being, breaking all myths and leaving aside stereotypes; to stop listening to the all too familiar, all too failing narratives on both sides because “otherwise we will never move forward.”At the same time, he didn’t doubt that “the majority of the people of Israel wants peace, they just don’t know which type of peace,” and he also claimed that “Arab-Israelis must be a bridge themselves” between the two societies. I myself have to sadly say, especially after the last elections, that I have no certainty at all as per either factor in this equation. Nowadays, I personally can’t be sure that most Jewish-Israelis want peace and support a two-state for two peoples solution, and I know even less about how the roughly two million Arab-Israelis in the country – always too quiet on this matter — would feel and act about it.But one thing I am one hundred percent sure about after the more than two-hour friendly gathering we shared: when you look someone in the eye, and he looks back at you, with honesty and courage, trying to set aside everything we allegedly know about the other, our differences seem rather small and the similarities are inescapable.There was one thing that did surprise me, and it was that Mohamed did not avoid answering a question that gives me a chill: Why does the PA pay salaries to Palestinian terrorists jailed in Israel? And I must acknowledge that his answer revealed an angle I hadn’t quite considered in the past: “Out of the roughly seven thousand Palestinian jailed in Israel cataloged as having ‘blood on their hands,’ those who really have it are around two hundred. Everyone who throws a rock is a terrorist, but when a father goes to prison, an entire family is left bankrupt, because that father was his sole source of income. The child that sees his father being taken by Israeli soldiers at 2AM to maybe never see him again, will never recover from that trauma. The PLO helps that family. We don’t want that kid growing in hatred.”This was the first encounter of, I hope, many more to come, in Spanish, English and Hebrew. Personally, I left with more certainties than doubts, with a renewed hope I confess I was beginning to lose and with an open invitation to Ramallah, a dream that will hopefully come true.I headed back home thinking that this could very much have been the beginning of a great friendship.—*Mohamed Amer Odeh is the Embassador of the PA for Latin America, he works constantly with local communities along the Latin American Continent and is a Speaker for President Mahmoud Abbas *Diego Sciretta is a pre-candidate for MK at the Labour Party and founder of Tribu13 (Tribe13), an organization that seeks to set an agenda of social justice within the laborists and is organizing these encounters under the name “Enemies for Peace” in the country.
Facebook: Russia-based ‘troll farm’ targeted US voters with divisive ads-Social media giant tells US authorities it found some $100,000 worth of ads likely originating in St. Petersburg touching on issues like refugees and LGBT rights-By AP September 7, 2017, 5:14 am-TOI
WASHINGTON — Hundreds of fake Facebook accounts, probably run from Russia, spent about $100,000 on ads aimed at stirring up divisive issues such as gun control and race relations during the 2016 US presidential election, the social network said Wednesday.Although the number of ads is relatively small, the disclosure provides a more detailed peek into what investigators believe was a targeted effort by Russians to influence US politics during the campaign, this time through social media.The 470 accounts appeared to come from a notorious “troll farm,” a St. Petersburg-based organization known for promoting pro-Russian government positions via fake accounts, according to two people familiar with the investigation. The people were granted anonymity because they weren’t authorized to publicly discuss details of the investigation.In all, the accounts purchased some 3,000 ads between June 2015 and May 2017.While they ads didn’t specifically reference the election, a candidate or voting, they nevertheless allowed “divisive messages” to be amplified via the social media platform, the company’s chief security officer, Alex Stamos, said in a statement.The names of the suspended pages were not released, but some included words such as “refugee” and “patriot,” Reuters reported.Stamos said the ads touched “on topics from LGBT matters to race issues to immigration to gun rights.”Facebook has turned over its findings to federal authorities investigating Russian interference in the US presidential election. Robert Mueller, the special counsel, is charged with overseeing Russian meddling in the US election and any potential coordination with associates of President Donald Trump.Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the ranking Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee, said that Facebook briefed the panel’s staff on Wednesday, but he still wants to know more.“I have a lot more questions for Facebook, and I’ve got a lot of questions for Twitter,” Warner said, noting that “we’ve got Twitter coming in.” He did not say when a meeting with representatives from Twitter might occur other than “soon.”A spokeswoman for Twitter declined comment Wednesday evening.Warner said he also wants to know more about the content of the ads pushed out by the Russian-based Internet Research Agency and whether they targeted specific voters or locations in the US.He said in many cases the social media messaging “was more about voter depression and suppression without having to necessarily mention an individual candidate’s name.”Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, said Facebook’s disclosure confirmed what many lawmakers investigating Russian interference in the US election had long suspected.“One of the things that we’re interested obviously in finding out is whether there was any coordination in terms of the use of those paid social media trolls or the Russian use of bots,” he said.The fake accounts were discovered during a company review of ad buys that was spurred by a broader investigation the company initiated into Russian meddling after the election, Stamos said.In addition to the 470 accounts that appeared to be run from Russia, Stamos said its investigators also discovered an additional $50,000 in spending via 2,200 ads that “might have originated in Russia,” even including ads purchased by accounts with IP addresses in the US but set to Russian in the language settings.Stamos said the accounts had been shut down for being inauthentic.The dollar amount of ad spending identified by Facebook is an infinitesimal amount compared to the total amount of advertising spending during the election. According to ad tracker Borrell Associates, more than $1.4 billion was spent during the 2016 election cycle on digital advertising alone. That figure includes spending on national, state and local elections.Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif, who also serves on the House intelligence committee, said Facebook’s disclosures help to “fill in with more color some of the lines that exist,” but he would like to know more about the sophistication of the ads. He also wants to know if the content of the ads smacked of Russian propaganda.“We know they had a cyber operation, we suspect US persons may have been involved, now we know a US company was used. So now we need to see if there are dots that connect,” he said.The company has come under intense pressure since the election to curb the flow of false information. After the election, it updated its advertising policy to say it wouldn’t run spots that are “illegal, misleading or deceptive, which includes fake news.”Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
