Isaiah 56:7

7 Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.

KJV

 

Friday - October 12, 2007

Report: Jordan to be given control of Temple Mount

According to the London-based Palestinian daily Al-Quds Al-Arabi, Israel has come to an understanding with Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas to transfer custody of the Temple Mount to Jordan and to allow 90,000 Arab residents of east Jerusalem to receive Jordanian citizenship. The unofficial draft deal, made in the light of the approaching US sponsored Middle East Peace Summit in November, seeks to acknowledge Jordan's historic role as custodian Jerusalem's Muslim Holy Sites and build on principles established in the 1994 peace accord. Furthermore, there is discussion to trade control of Arab neighborhoods in Jerusalem in return for larger Israeli settlement blocs in the West Bank. "The most important thing is to preserve the Jewish and democratic state of Israel," said Vice Premier Haim Ramon in a Monday interview with Israel Radio. The Prime Minister's office has denied that any official agreement has been reached.

 

Isaiah 16:10

10 And gladness is taken away, and joy out of the plentiful field; and in the vineyards there shall be no singing, neither shall there be shouting: the treaders shall tread out no wine in their presses; I have made their vintage shouting to cease.

KJV

Isaiah 35:10

10 And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

KJV

Saturday - October 13, 2007

Psalms 137:5-6

5 If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning.

6 If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.

KJV

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Nehemiah 2:2-3

2 Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid,

3 And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?

KJV

 

 

Rivlin Calls on Shas: You Were Elected to Save Our Dream!

by Hillel Fendel

(IsraelNN.com) In a moving, emotional Knesset speech, Likud MK Ruby Rivlin said the Shas and Yisrael Beiteinu MKs must act now to save Jerusalem - or else Israel's national dreams might be lost.

Rivlin, a seventh-generation Jerusalemite and a strong opponent of the Disengagement, appeared to be close to tears as he called upon his fellow MKs - especially from those of the more nationalist-bent parties in the government coalition, Shas and Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel Our Home) - to save Jerusalem from being divided by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.  Olmert has reportedly agreed to divide Jerusalem into Israeli and Palestinian entities, with foreign control over the Temple Mount, in the upcoming Middle East summit in the United States. ....

---

TV Authority Refuses "United Jerusalem" Ads

IsraelNN.com) With Prime Minister Ehud Olmert preparing to offer parts of the Old City of Jerusalem to the Arabs next month, an apolitical association has begun a public campaign to prevent it from happening.

The campaign is being run by the "If I Forget Thee - On Behalf of Jerusalem's Future" Association not only in Israel, but also in Jewish communities throughout the Diaspora.  The goal is to emphasize the need to prevent Jerusalem from becoming a negotiable issue, and find ways to ensure that this does not occur.

The association's ads have run in all of Israel's major newspapers - but have been rejected for airing on Israel's Second Television and Radio Authority, a governmental body, because they are said to be "politically controversial."  On Wednesday afternoon, the Authority instructed its regional radio stations to remove the ads that were already accepted and not to air them. 
 

 

Sunday - October 14, 2007

Isaiah 62:1-2

62 For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.

2 And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name.

KJV

 

 

'Abbas to Hold Talks with Hamas after Annapolis'

by Gil Ronen

 

(IsraelNN.com) Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), the Palestinian Authority's chairman and head of the Fatah terror group, has agreed to resume a dialogue with rival terror group Hamas after the Annapolis conference, according to a report Saturday in Al Hayat. Abbas has denied the report.

According to the report, which is based on sources within Hamas, Egypt will host the talks between Hamas and Fatah.

"Many Arab countries tried to mediate and convince Abu Mazen to hold the talks between the two movements, but he asked for a postponement each time," the sources told Al Hayat. Recently, they said, when Abbas met with Sudan's president, Omar al-Bashir, the latter pleaded with him persistently about the need for a dialogue, and Abbas agreed to initiate it, they added.

Cairo to host talks
Khartoum was quick to turn to Cairo and ask it to host the talks, because it sees Egypt as the country with the greatest ability to manage the Palestinian issue, according to the report. The Sudanese president's representative, Mustafa Othman Ismail, will also take a leading role in the talks. .....

Deuteronomy 32:6-9

6 Do ye thus requite the Lord, O foolish people and unwise? is not he thy father that hath bought thee? hath he not made thee, and established thee?

7 Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will shew thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee.

8 When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.

9 For the Lord's portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.

KJV

Monday - October 15, 2007

Isaiah 29:6

6 Thou shalt be visited of the Lord of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire.

KJV

 

 

Mini-Earthquake Sets Off Predictions of a Larger One

by Hillel Fendel

 

(IsraelNN.com) The Patzael region in the central Jordan Valley, just 20 kilometers north of Jericho, was touched by a small earthquake on Saturday night, registering 3.0 on the Richter scale.  A similar quake occurred in the same area two months ago.

On Sunday morning, researchers at Tel Aviv University presented a new study on the timeline of earthquakes throughout history.  No precise future earthquake dates can be extrapolated from the data, of course, but the researchers say one is on the way - as no major quake has hit the danger area between the Dead Sea and the Kineret in centuries.

"It's like the first winter rain," said Dr. Shmuel Marko, who took part in the study. "The longer the dry summer lasts, the closer the first rain is.  Here, as well: The quiet is worrisome.  The longer we go without a large quake, the more we can expect one."

On the other hand, experts have said that Israel's earthquakes are in general less frequent than those in other quake-prone regions such as California, Japan and Turkey. 

Israel is located along the Syria-Africa rift, a friction point between two subterranean plates and is therefore considered earthquake-prone.   

In 1927, some 250 people were killed in an earthquake that hit Jericho and central Israel.  In November 1995, a 6.2 quake caused injuries to several people in Eilat. A minor quake, 5.0 on the Richter scale, hit Israel in February 2004, shaking buildings in many cities and even causing damage to the Knesset building.  No one was reported hurt. 

The northern city of Tzfat was hit by two earthquakes in recent centuries, in 1759 and in 1837.  The latter one killed at least 2,000 people, when residents were buried under the ruins of their homes and help did not arrive for days.

 

 

Matthew 24:3-8

3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.

5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.

7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.

8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

KJV

Tuesday - October 16, 2007

 

Rice opens shuttle diplomacy in Mideast

Secretary of State seeks to lower expectations

 

JERUSALEM - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice opened an intense round of Mideast shuttle diplomacy Sunday, struggling to bring Israelis and Palestinians close enough to make a planned U.S.-hosted peace conference worthwhile.

The two sides are at bitter odds over an outline of a peace agreement that would be presented at next month’s conference, and Rice sought to lower expectations her mission would finalize preparations for the gathering.

Underscoring her less-than-optimistic assessment, Israeli and Palestinians traded shots about the other’s commitment to peace even as she arrived in the region. During her four-day visit, she will bounce between Israel and the West Bank, seeking a consensus.

Her hope is to close the gap as Israel and the Palestinian Authority try to forge an outline of an eventual peace deal and produce a joint statement for the conference. It is expected to held in Annapolis, Md., in late November.

But after Rice’s first series of meetings, a senior State Department official hinted that the date could slide as the lead negotiators for the two sides will begin only this week to try to craft the document.

 

Ezra 9:7

7 Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this day.

KJV

Sunday - October 21, 2007

 

Ezekiel 39:1-2

39 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:

2 And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:

KJV

 

 

Israel Warns World War III May be Biblical War of Gog and Magog

by Ezra HaLevi

 

(IsraelNN.com) US President George W. Bush said a nuclear Iran would mean World War III. Israeli newscasts featured Gog & Magog maps of the likely alignment of nations in that potential conflict.

Channel 2 and Channel 10 TV showed the world map, sketching the basic alignment of the two opposing axes in a coming world war, in a manner evoking associations of the Gog and Magog prophecy for many viewers. The prophecy of Gog and Magog refers to a great world war centered on the Holy Land and Jerusalem and first appears in the book of Yechezkel (Ezekiel).

On one side were Israel, the United States, Britain, France and Germany. On the other were Iran, Russia, China, Syria and North Korea.

US President Bush said Wednesday during a press conference that Iran attaining nuclear weapons raises the risk of "World War III."

"If Iran had a nuclear weapon, it'd be a dangerous threat to world peace," Bush said. "So I told people that if you're interested in avoiding World War III, it seems like you ought to be interested [in preventing a nuclear Iran]…I take the threat of Iran with a nuclear weapon very seriously.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Iran Tuesday and slammed the US’s refusal to rule out the use of force against Iran’s nuclear project. "Not only should we reject the use of force, but also the mention of force as a possibility," he said.

Russia has blocked tougher UN sanctions in the UN Security Council, where it has veto power. The Russian president asserts that there is no evidence Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons rather than a peaceful nuclear power program.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni called for a new Security Council resolution against Iran at a press conference following her meeting with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Wednesday. "I do believe there is a need for another Security Council resolution,” she told reporters. “In the past, the need to get everybody on board - including Russia and China - led to some compromises on the nature of the sanctions. I hope this will not be the case this time."

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced Wednesday a sudden trip to Moscow Thursday morning, where he will meet with Putin about Iran. Other topics of discussion will reportedly be Russia’s continued supply of weapons to Syria, which have then made their way into the hands of various terrorist groups based there as well.

 

 

Ezekiel 39:4-5

4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.

5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God.

KJV

---

Ezekiel 39:17

17 And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord God; Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood.

KJV

Monday - October 22, 2007

 

Zechariah 9:9

9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

KJV

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Psalms 2:6

6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

KJV

 

 

Finds on Temple Mount from First Temple

by Hillel Fendel

 

(IsraelNN.com) The unauthorized dig of a trench this past summer by the Moslem Waqf on the Temple Mount, in the course of which it was assumed that precious findings were destroyed, apparently had a thin silver lining.  Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) personnel monitoring the trench-digging have, for the first time, found traces of the First Temple. 

The IAA studied an archaeological level dating to the First Temple Period, exposed in the area close to the south-eastern corner of the raised platform surrounding the Dome of the Rock.

Archaeological examination of a small section of this level, led by Jerusalem District Archaeologist Yuval Baruch, uncovered fragments of ceramic table wares, animal bones, and more.  The finds date from the 8th to 6th centuries BCE; the First Temple existed between the 9th and 5th centuries BCE, having been built by King Solomon in 832 and destroyed in 422.

The archaeological team - Baruch of the IAA, Prof. Sy Gitin, Director of the W. F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem, Prof. Israel Finkelstein of Tel Aviv University and Prof. Ronny Reich of Haifa University - reached the conclusion, after examining the finds and archaeological data, that their characteristics and location may aid scholars in reconstructing the dimensions and boundaries of the Temple Mount during the First Temple Period.

The finds include fragments of bowl rims, bases and body sherds, the base of a juglet used for the ladling of oil, the handle of a small juglet, and the rim of a storage jar. The bowl sherds were decorated with wheel burnishing lines characteristic of the First Temple Period. 

The IAA announced that it will shold an archaeological seminar concerning these finds and their archaeological interpretation at a later date.
 

Muslim and Jewish Claims
Muslim scholars often deny any Jewish claim to the Temple Mount, and it is often charged that Arab excavations there are employed for the purpose of throwing out truckloads of artifacts that would prove otherwise.  Moslem claims to the Temple Mount, on the other hand, have been debunked even by other Moslems.  A commentator for the official Egyptian government weekly, of all places, has written that the entire Moslem claim on Jerusalem and the El-Aksa mosque is based on a mistaken reading of one chapter of the Quran.  Ahmed Mahmad Oufa wrote that the verse that mentions a night journey by Muhammed to a mosque has nothing to do with Jerusalem, as is generally claimed, but with a mosque near the holy Moslem city of Medina.

Prof. Moshe Sharon, Middle Eastern expert in the Hebrew University, expressed great surprise at the fact that such an article would be published in Arabic and in an Arabic-speaking country.  He told Arutz-7 at the time, 
 "All in all, this is not a new claim. We must remember that Jerusalem is not mentioned at all in the Quran [though it is mentioned hundreds of time in the Bible - ed. note].  The verse in question is in Sura [chapter] 17, which states that Muhammad was brought at night from one mosque to a 'more distant' - aktsa, in Arabic - mosque.  The first Moslem commentators did not explain this as referring to Jerusalem at all, of course, but rather as a miraculous night journey or night vision or some such.  In the beginning of the 8th century, however, they began associating this with Jerusalem, because they had a need to start giving sanctity to Jerusalem, and so they started connecting this verse with Jerusalem...  Originally, however, the Moslems recognized the area of the Dome of the Rock as holy because of the Jewish Temple of King Solomon."

 

Psalms 9:11-16

11 Sing praises to the Lord, which dwelleth in Zion: declare among the people his doings.

12 When he maketh inquisition for blood, he remembereth them: he forgetteth not the cry of the humble.

13 Have mercy upon me, O Lord; consider my trouble which I suffer of them that hate me, thou that liftest me up from the gates of death:

14 That I may shew forth all thy praise in the gates of the daughter of Zion: I will rejoice in thy salvation.

15 The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken.

16 The Lord is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah.

KJV

Tuesday - October 23, 2007

 

Numbers 6:23-27

23 Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them,

24 The Lord bless thee, and keep thee:

25 The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:

26 The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

27 And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them.

KJV

 

 

 

Priestly Blessing on Temple Mount

by Hillel Fendel

(IsraelNN.com) A historic first: Last week, during a special visit to the Temple Mount, the Priestly Blessing (Numbers 6:24-26) was recited there, for arguably the first time since the 1st-century destruction of the Second Temple.

The Blessing is recited daily in synagogues in Israel by descendants of Aaron the Priest, but only on festivals in most synagogues in the Diaspora

The special visit was held to commemorate the 842nd anniversary of Maimonides's famous visit to the Temple Mount, Judaism's holiest site.  A group of some 25 Jews, organized by the Temple Institute in Jerusalem, marked the special day with a commemorative visit.  Giving extra-special meaning to the occasion was a spontaneous Priestly Blessing delivered to the group by Yehuda Katz, the lead singer of the Reva L'Sheva band, and Eliezer Breuer, originally of the former Soviet Union and now from Kiryat Arba.

Rabbi Chaim Richman, one of the organizers of the trip, said, "This was probably the first time since the destruction of the Temple [1,937 years ago] that the Priestly Blessing was delivered on our holiest site.  At times like these, when there is talk of giving away our precious places, and when despair is sometimes in the air, events of this nature serve to remind us that G-d has not forgotten about us, and that He still has big plans for both us and the Holy Temple - and that the Temple will yet become the focal point of the world once again."

Another notable aspect of the visit was the welcoming attitude of the police.  "In an unusual departure from standard procedure," one participant said, "we found that the police were particularly sympathetic to our needs.  At one point, when the Moslem Wakf guards started yelling that we were praying, one of the policemen took our side and even threatened to remove them if necessary." 

 

Wednesday - October 24, 2007

 

Revelation 19:6

6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

KJV

 

 

Israeli think tank reverses course on dividing Jerusalem
Warns of security, financial hitches in ceding Arab neighborhoods

The Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies (JIIS), a prominent think tank which previously proposed ideas for how to divide Jerusalem that were used as a basis for negotiations at the failed Camp David summit in July 2000, is now having serious reservations about dividing the city. In a new report about to be released on the question of Jerusalem, the former advocate of division has reversed its stance based on numerous security, social and economic reasons, including the need to possibly compensate east Jerusalem Arabs for their loss of jobs and government benefits similar to the packages promised to the Gaza evacuees.
Read More
 

Friday - October 26, 2007

 

2 Thessalonians 2:11-12

11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

KJV

 

Mufti: No to Jewish Prayer on Temple Mount

 

(IsraelNN.com) According to the Jerusalem Post, former Mufti of Jerusalem Ikrema Sabri recently said that Jews must not pray on the Temple Mount.  “No Jews have the right to pray at the mosque,” Sabri told the Post.  “If the Jews want real peace, they must not do anything to try to pray on Al Aksa.  Everyone knows that.”

Sabri repeated claims that no Jewish Temple had stood on the Temple Mount, saying the idea that a Temple had stood there was a “Zionist trick.”  The Kotel (Western Wall) is “just the western wall of the mosque,” he said. 

 

 

Saturday - October 27, 2007

 

2 Thessalonians 2:11-12

11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

KJV

 

Hamas claims Samaria shooting spree

 

Hamas took responsibility on Friday for a shooting attack near a West Bank settlement in which is an IDF soldier was seriously wounded.

Wednesday's attack began at the Ariel junction, where terrorists sprayed a hitchhiking post with bullets from 100 to 150 meters away before speeding down a busy road while firing at passing cars.

A previously unknown offshoot of Fatah had taken responsibility for the shooting, which also lightly wounded a civilian.

But Hamas said Friday in a statement on its Web site that it was responsible. The claim, which appeared to be more reliable than that of the Fatah group, was delayed in order to give the attackers time to evade Israeli security, the group said.

Hamas operatives "continue their heroic and high-quality operations to teach the enemy a lesson," the statement said.

The shooting, if it was by Hamas, would be significant since the group has not taken responsibility for many attacks in the West Bank in recent months.

Security officials have said recently that they suspect Hamas and other militant groups will try to carry out attacks in an attempt to derail a peace conference to be held in the United States by the end of the year.

In June, Hamas violently seized control of the Gaza Strip. In response, Fatah dismissed the militant group from a national unity government, and now rules the West Bank by itself.

Despite the Hamas acalim of repinsiblity, IDF soldiers said earlier Friday that it shad arrested six Palestinians in the Nablus area on suspicion of involvement in the shooting rampage.

The Palestinian Ma'an news agency reported that among the detainees were three brothers, all Fatah operatives.

Sunday - October 28, 2007

 

Deuteronomy 7:2

2 And when the Lord thy God shall deliver them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them:

KJV

 

Olmert promises Abbas not to create crisis in Gaza
Israel reverts to 'road map'

 

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas met again on Friday, with Olmert promising not to cause a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, despite his government's declared intention to carry out power cuts to the territory in an attempt to curb Palestinian rocket attacks into southern Israel.

Olmert made the pledge over a two-hour working lunch at his official Jerusalem residence, responding to Abbas' concern that electricity stoppages could hit hospitals and other essential services.

The Israeli plan, approved by Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Thursday, is to cut electricity for an initial 15 minutes after a rocket attack. The decision cast a shadow over the two sides' talks, with Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat calling it "particularly provocative given that Palestinians and Israelis are meeting to negotiate an agreement on the core issues for ending the conflict between them."

Today's meeting was the latest in a series aimed at hammering out differences between the two ahead of a US- sponsored peace conference in Annapolis by year's end. The Palestinians want a joint declaration that addresses all the core issues in the conflict and provides a set timetable for Palestinain statehood. But Olmert is not prepared to go that far yet and has sought to lower expectations for the Annapolis summit.

Olmert's spokeswoman Miri Eisin said today that the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to the "road map" to a Palestinian state. Her statement reflects Israel's current position that any decisions at Annapolis must adhere to the road map's order for implementation, a position that Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni presented to U.S. National Security Adviser Steven Hadley on Thursday.

The road map requires Palestinian security forces to first undertake continuous and effective operations to counter terrorism in the territories before Israel is obligated to carry out any steps towards Palestinian statehood.
 

Tuesday - October 30, 2007

 

Jeremiah 9:3-5

3 And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the Lord.

4 Take ye heed every one of his neighbour, and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbour will walk with slanders.

5 And they will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity.

KJV

 

Abbas Fears Hamas Coup d'Etat in Judea and Samaria

 

by Hana Levi Julian

 

(IsraelNN.com) Palestinian Authority Chairman and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas says that rival Hamas terrorists are planning to overthrow his government in Ramallah and take over Fatah-controlled Judea and Samaria.

Abbas made the statements Sunday night in an interview with the Jerusalem Post and accused "international parties [of] supporting Hamas in its effort."  Abbas aides said the PA Chairman was referring to Iran, Syria and Qatar.

"We have information that Hamas is planning to copy the (June 2007) Gaza coup in the West Bank," Abbas said, adding that he believes the plan will fail. He stated his willingness to resume negotiations with Hamas when the terror faction relaxes its chokehold in Gaza.

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum denied the charges, accusing Abbas of covering up "crimes" carried out by his "militias" against Hamas supporters in Judea and Samaria. Barhoum also claimed Hamas was "forced to take security measures in the Gaza Strip to stop Abbas's forces from carrying out the Zionist-American plot to overthrow the democratically-elected [Hamas] government."

The PA Chairman also charged Hamas and Israel with holding separate talks, and said Hamas leaders must publicly admit their involvement with Israel. The Olmert administration previously has stated it is against any contact by Hamas with Jerusalem or with the PA.

Hamas won control over the PA government in a landslide victory at the polls in January 2006, and Hamas Chairman Ismail Haniyeh became PA Prime Minister.  Abbas remained as PA Chairman. Fierce clashes between the two factions followed the elections and repeated attempts by local and international figures to resolve the differences between the two – including a Saudi-sponsored summit that led to a brief unity government – ultimately failed.

Many donor nations to the PA withdrew their support when Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist organization in the United States and other Western nations, was voted in.

After Hamas took over Gaza and expelled Abbas's forces in June, 2007, Abbas retaliated by dissolving the unity government and installing an emergency government in Judea and Samaria. Abbas won back financial and political bounty from Western nations by declaring that he would keep his distance from Hamas.

Recently there have been whispers that Fatah is negotiating secretly with Hamas to repair its relationship, an allegation denied in a lukewarm statement by Fatah spokesman Ahmed Abdel Rahman, who admitted several Arab and Islamic countries were mediating between the two factions.

 

Wednesday - October 31, 2007

Triad of Terror: PA Terrorists Meet With Iranian FM in Damascus

 

by Hana Levi Julian

 

(IsraelNN.com) Officials from Palestinian Authority terrorist factions met in Damascus Monday with Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Motaki to discuss the situation in Gaza and the upcoming U.S.-sponsored Mideast summit.

According to a member of the Iranian delegation who spoke on condition of anonymity, Motaki met with Hamas deputy politburo head Moussa Abu Marzouk, Islamic Jihad leader Ramadan Abdullah Shallah, and PA officials.

Members of Syrian-based PA terrorist factions who oppose the Israel-PA talks and who were not invited to the conference in Washington will hold their own meeting in Damascus on November 7.

Officials from PA Chairman and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas's faction are trying to convince Syria to cancel the Damascus conference, saying it will undermine Fatah's influence among the PA population.

Motaki's discussions Tuesday with the PA terrorist factions followed meetings Monday with Syrian President Bashar Assad and Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem. Syrian and Iranian leaders are seeking to strengthen bilateral ties.

Israeli security officials are worried about the impact of the "triad of terror" on the ability of the Jewish State to ward off attacks from Gaza, noting that Hamas operatives have been receiving advanced terrorist training in Syria and Iran.

Three IDF soldiers were killed during counter-terrorism operations in Gaza in the past three months, a toll that has not gone unnoticed by the defense establishment. A plan to cut fuel supplies to Gaza after a rocket attack is launched from the region was passed by the cabinet but put on hold by Attorney General Menachem Mazuz until humanitarian guidelines are worked out.

A barrage of Kassam rockets were fired at the western Negev midday Tuesday. One slammed into a building in the city of Sderot, located barely a kilometer away from Gaza. No one was physically injured, although the structure was damaged. Two other rockets landed in open areas.

Two rockets exploded earlier in the day in a western Negev kibbutz, damaging a building but hurting no one.

Job 16:9-12

9 He teareth me in his wrath, who hateth me: he gnasheth upon me with his teeth; mine enemy sharpeneth his eyes upon me.

10 They have gaped upon me with their mouth; they have smitten me upon the cheek reproachfully; they have gathered themselves together against me.

11 God hath delivered me to the ungodly, and turned me over into the hands of the wicked.

12 I was at ease, but he hath broken me asunder: he hath also taken me by my neck, and shaken me to pieces, and set me up for his mark.

KJV