Congress: No to Palestinian statehood declaration

House of Representatives unanimously decides to remind Obama it supports Israel, passes motion saying US will not recognize Palestinian state declared without Israel's approval, veto UN resolution to this effect if it is brought forth - Yitzhak Benhorin

Published: 12.16.10, 08:49 / Israel News

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The House of Representatives on Thursday passed a motion opposing a move being promoted by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, for recognition of a state within the 1967 borders without Israel's agreement.

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"The US reaffirms strong opposition to any attempt to establish or seek recognition of a Palestinian state outside of an agreement negotiated between Israel and the Palestinians," the motion says, also stating that "real and lasting peace could only be achieved through direct negotiations between the two sides"

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The house mentioned that Palestinian leaders were threatening to make a unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state and were requesting recognition from the UN and other international forums.

Full story here




Abbas has been trying to get countries around the world to recognize a Palestinian state without Israel's cooperation - a sneaky "backdoor" approach.

With this decision, it would appear that Congress is doing something right! I applaud their stance. In spite of the "black eye" Obama received from them, the decision probably will not slow his efforts toward achieving a Palestinian state.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!

Don

Netanyahu to Obama: Jerusalem is not a settlement

Exchange between Israel, US continues; State Dept. says both parties responsible for creating conditions for successful negotiations.

The peace process threatened to spiral out of control Tuesday over Israeli plans to advance 1,345 housing units in Jewish neighborhoods of east Jerusalem.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu had flown to the US Saturday night hoping to break the impasse in the stalled peace talks. Instead, US President Barack Obama publicly reprimanded him as the Palestinians reissued their threats to seek unilateral statehood.

“The international community must respond to Israel’s unilateral measures by instantly recognizing a Palestinian state along the 1967 borders,” said chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat.

Speaking about the Jerusalem homes at a press conference in Indonesia, Obama said, “This kind of activity is never helpful when it comes to peace negotiations.” He added that such “incremental steps can end up breaking down trust between the parties.”

Netanyahu, in turn, sharply defended Israel’s right to build in Jerusalem, which it claims as its eternal united capital, even as the Palestinians claim the eastern party of the city as the capital of their future state.

“Jerusalem is not a settlement. Jerusalem is the capital of Israel,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that the government had never agreed to place any restrictions on construction in Jerusalem, which has 800,000 residents.

Although much of the international community equates construction in east Jerusalem with that of West Bank settlements, Israel makes a sharp distinction between the two. From November of last year to September, it halted new settlement construction in the West Bank, but during that time it continued to issue new tenders for building in east Jerusalem.

“Israel does not see any connection between the peace process and the policy of planning and construction in Jerusalem, which has not changed in 40 years,” the statement continued. “For the last 40 years every Israeli government built in every part of the city. During that period, peace agreements were signed with Egypt and Jordan, and for 17 years direct negotiations were held with the Palestinians. These are historical facts. Construction in Jerusalem has never interfered with the peace process.”

The statement went on to say that for the past 40 years, Israel and the US had disagreed over the status of east Jerusalem, but that Israel hoped to overcome these differences and stay focused on the peace process. It added that Netanyahu was hopeful that his meeting Thursday with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would advance the peace process.
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Complete story here




I don't believe Jerusalem will be be divided until the great tribulation period, when according to Zechariah 14:2, the Lord gathers all nations against Jerusalem to battle and the city shall be taken. That Scripture tells us that, at that time, half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.

Then in Revelation 11:2, John was told to not measure the temple, for it is given to the Gentiles and will be trampled for forty two months.

Those Scriptures tell us the city will one day be divided.

Until then, Jerusalem will continue to be a burdensome stone as prophesied in Scripture. It will not be simply handed over to the Palestinians as Obama and others are trying to accomplish. More than that, the world wants Israel to be gone...wiped off the map, but that will never happen.

The good news? Jesus will return soon, then, all negotiations will come to an abrupt end!

Don

Report: Obama's post-election agenda calls for a Palestinian state or else

WASHINGTON — With the mid-term elections over, President Barack Obama is expected to resume heavy pressure on Israel, a report said.

The Center for Security Policy asserted that Obama would threaten U.S. relations with Israel after the Democrat Party's loss in congressional elections on Nov. 2. The Washington-based institute said Obama would press for the establishment of a Palestinian state over Israel's objections.

"Once the 2010 elections are behind him, it is a safe bet that President Obama will revert to form by once again exhibiting an unmistakable and ruthless determination to bend Israel to his will," the report, authored by Frank Gaffney, said.

Gaffney, a former Defense Department official, said Obama plans to increase pressure on Israel to unprecedented levels after his party's historic defeat in congressional elections. He said the president had eased pressure on Israel in response to Democrat candidates who feared a Jewish backlash.

"Unfortunately, what the president has in mind for Israel after the election will make his previous treatment of the Jewish state look like the good old days," the report, titled "Obama's Not-so-hidden Agenda," said on Oct. 26.

The report echoed previous assessments by the Israeli government and intelligence community of a crisis with the United States in the aftermath of the U.S. elections. The Israeli assessment envisioned that Obama would accelerate efforts to establish a Palestinian state in the West Bank regardless of Israeli concerns.

"Worse yet, he will be able to take advantage of a vehicle for effecting the so-called 'two state solution,' no matter how strenuously Israel and its friends in Washington object," the report said. "The Palestinians will simply unilaterally declare themselves a state and ask for international recognition — and Mr. Obama will accede to that request."

During the spring of 2010, U.S.-Israel relations were said to have dropped to one of their lowest points in more than 50 years. Gaffney said Obama vilified Israel and forced it into territorial, political and other concessions to the Arabs.

"To be sure, ties between the United States and Israel — far and away America's most important and loyal friend in the Middle East — have improved lately from the nadir to which Mr. Obama plunged them since he took office," the report said. "That has nothing to do, however, with a change of heart or agenda on the part of the president and his administration."

Gaffney said Obama could provide U.S. recognition to any unilateral declaration of Palestinian independence. Another option was that the president abstain from a resolution in the United Nations Security Council that would recognize a Palestinian state.

"The truth is that, either way, Mr. Obama will have dealt Israel a potentially mortal blow," the report said. "Without control of the high ground and water aquifers of the West Bank, the Jewish state is simply indefensible and unsustainable."

The report said Obama could also agree to deploy U.S. forces in the West Bank in wake of a declaration of Palestinian independence. Gaffney warned that international forces, including Americans, would soon protect Israel's enemies in a policy similar to that of the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon.

"The same is certain to eventuate in the West Bank as paramilitary forces the United States has foolishly trained and equipped become a standing army and fall under the sway of Hamas," the report said.

Story source:
http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/WTARC/2010/ss_israel1087_11_03.asp



Okay...this is not looking good at all!

The story uses some disturbing statements such as: "increase pressure on Israel to unprecedented levels"..."exhibit an unmistakable and ruthless determination"..."bend Israel to his will"...and more.

What exactly is the "or else" threat in the story? Is it forcing the 'two state solution' simply by declaration and recognition in spite of Israeli objections?

The statement most offensive to me was "bend Israel to his will." Obama's will??? Who does he think he is? Perhaps Obama should re-think his position...or else!

Hebrews 10:31
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Don

Middle East peace talks: Where they stand

As the Obama administration relaunches direct Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, the BBC's Paul Reynolds outlines where the three parties stand on the core issues of the conflict.

JERUSALEM

Israel
The Israeli government is unwilling to divide Jerusalem, held to be the political and religious centre of the Jewish people. It stands by the 1980 basic Israeli law that "Jerusalem, complete and united, is the capital of Israel". In the past there has been room for manoeuvre on the margins. In talks in 2000 and 2007, the then Israeli governments proposed exchanging some outlying annexed districts.

Palestinians
The Palestinians want East Jerusalem, which was controlled by Jordan before being captured by the Israelis in 1967, as the capital of a Palestinian state. The Old City contains the third holiest place in Islam, the al-Aqsa mosque, and the Dome of the Rock, from where Mohammed is said to have visited heaven on his winged steed Burak.

United States
The US does not recognise the Israeli annexation of East Jerusalem and maintains its embassy in Tel Aviv. President Barack Obama has opposed the building of housing for Israelis in East Jerusalem though he said before becoming president that dividing the city would be "very difficult to execute".

BOARDERS

Israel
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accepts that there should be a Palestinian state and that there will have to be an Israeli withdrawal from parts at least of the West Bank (captured by Israel in 1967) to accommodate this. Israel has already withdrawn from Gaza. Israel would like the borders to include Jerusalem and the major Israeli settlements that have grown up on the West Bank.

Palestinians
They want the talks to start from the basic position that all the land occupied by Israel in 1967 belongs to a future Palestine. Any land given to the Israelis would have to be compensated for by a balanced land swap.

United States
The US agrees that the starting point but not the end point should be the 1967 lines and that a land swap will have to be the basis of any agreement. It will encourage this.

SETTLEMENTS

Israel
The Israeli government insists on keeping the major Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Any departure from this would break up the coalition which forms the government. An immediate problem is that an Israeli moratorium on West Bank settlements is due to run out on 26 September.

Palestinians
Ideally, the Palestinians would like all settlements to be abandoned as they were in Gaza. However, they appear to accept that some will have to stay but they will argue for a minimum number and a land swap for any that are left. They threaten to leave the talks if the Israeli moratorium is ended on 26 September.

United States
As with the annexation of East Jerusalem, the US has not recognised the international legitimacy of the Israeli West Bank settlements. But it accepts their reality and will press for compromise. It is also trying to reach a compromise on the moratorium problem.

REFUGEES

Israel
Israel rejects the idea that Palestinian refugees from previous wars should be allowed any "right of return" to their former homes. They say that this is a device to destroy the state of Israel by demography in order to re-establish a unitary state of Palestine. For that reason Mr Netanyahu has called for Israel to be recognised as a Jewish state.

Palestinians
Formally, they maintain the "right of return", arguing that without it a great injustice would not be put right. However, there has been regular talk among Palestinians that this "right" could be met by compensation. They refuse to recognise the concept of Israel as a "Jewish state", saying that this is unnecessary and that it ignores the Israeli-Arab citizens of Israel.

United States
The US understands the Israeli refusal to take back refugees and hopes that this can be resolved by compensation and development aid for this whose cannot go back to their previous family homes.

Link to article here



I certainly don't know if the above information is accurate or up-to-date. It apparently was written a few days prior to the Washington DC meeting with Obama, but more than likely has not changed in any significant way.

Don

Obama Promises Saudi King that Israel will Withdraw from Jerusalem, West Bank

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama was said to have pledged to Saudi Arabia that the United States would force Israel to withdraw from eastern Jerusalem and the entire West Bank by 2012.

Diplomatic sources said Obama relayed a pledge to Saudi King Abdullah that he would take any measure to ensure an Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and Jerusalem over the next 18 months. They said Obama relayed the pledge to Abdullah during the president's trip to Riyad in June 2009, about four months after he assumed office, in exchange for Abdullah's help to arrange for the end of the Taliban war in Afghanistan.

“Obama believes the Saudis are the most important element in his strategy to withdraw from Afghanistan,” a diplomatic source familiar with the Obama-Abdullah talks, said. “Abdullah said he was ready to talk to Taliban, but asked for a clear and definitive promise to deliver Israel.”
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“This is a very important visit [by Abdullah],” U.S. ambassador to Riyad, James Smith, said.

The sources said Abdullah has demanded U.S. guarantees that Israel would withdraw from the West Bank and most of Jerusalem by 2012. They said the Saudi king also expressed opposition to U.S. arms sales to Israel and Washington's boycott of the Hamas regime in the Gaza Strip.
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Since the Obama pledge, the sources said, the White House has rejected virtually every Israeli request for U.S. weapons platforms. They said Obama also delayed decisions by the former administration of President George Bush to deliver attack helicopters, air transports, bunker-buster air bombs and Hellfire air-to-ground missiles to the Jewish state.

Read full story here



Genesis 12:3a
I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;

Don

Obama tells King Abdullah he supports the ME Arab peace plan

Obama, Saudi King discuss 2-state Mideast solution

US president tells reporters White House meeting centered on 'importance of moving forward to secure Palestinian homeland alongside prosperous Israel. Abdullah: Americans friends of Arab, Muslim people
Yitzhak Benhorin, Reuters

WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama and Saudi King Abdullah discussed the Middle East peace process and the importance of securing a Palestinian homeland alongside a strong Israeli state, Obama said on Tuesday.

Obama said their meeting at the White House ranged over a number of strategic issues, including Iran's nuclear program, Pakistan and Afghanistan, as well as "the importance of moving forward in a swift and bold way in securing a Palestinian homeland that can live side by side with a secure and prosperous Israeli state."

The US president added, "As representatives of two G-20 countries, we also continued the conversation that took place this weekend about how the Saudi -- how the Saudi government and the United States government can work with our other partners around the world to keep the economic recovery going and to help bring about the strong economic growth that's necessary to put people back to work,".

King Abdullah only spoke briefly after their meeting, thanking Obama for his hospitality and praising the friendship between their two countries.

"I would like to say to the friendly American people that the American people are friends of Saudi Arabia and its people, and they are friends of the Arab and Muslim people, and they are also friends of humanity," he said.

The White House said after the meeting and lunch that King Abdullah assured Obama of his support for the Arab Middle East peace initiative.

The leaders also discussed building a Saudi army that would be capable of facing the Iranian threat. The possible purchase of 72 F-16 jets by the Saudi was also discussed.

Story source here



It should be no surprise that Obama supports the plan. However, our Lord God has another plan and He will provide for Israel, just as He has so many times in the past.

Don

Obama team plotting overthrow of Israel's Netanyahu

Special to World Tribune
Wednesday, April 28, 2010

WASHINGTON — The administration of President Barack Obama has launched what officials termed a psychological warfare campaign meant to topple Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Sources in the administration and Congress asserted that the White House and State Department have sought to destabilize Netanyahu's government by forcing him to agree to an indefinite freeze on Jewish construction in the West Bank and most of Jerusalem as well as the establishment of a Palestinian state by 2012. They said the campaign sought to replace Netanyahu with opposition leader and former foreign minister Tsipi Livni.

"Bibi is extremely vulnerable to pressure," a source familiar with the White House effort said. "We know this from his first term in office and believe he will collapse this time as well."

The sources said the administration's strategy aimed to de-legitimize Netanyahu in his government and right-wing constituency. They said Obama and his aides have sought to portray Netanyahu as a weak and unstable politician who will destroy relations with Washington as Israel seeks U.S. support for a military option against Iran.

"There seems to be a general belief in the circle around the president that the democratically-elected government in Israel is drunk at the wheel," Steven Rosen, a veteran pro-Israeli lobbyist now with the Middle East Forum, said. "They clearly will use pressure tactics to bring Israel around."

In April 2010, former U.S. ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk began a series of attacks on Netanyahu in the Israeli media. Indyk, a former assistant secretary of state under then-President Bill Clinton, has called for the toppling of Netanyahu while his right-wing partners accept a more pliant prime minister.

"Indyk was sent by Obama and encouraged by his American Jewish supporters, particularly [former Rep.] Robert Wexler, to do this," the source said.

In January 2010, Wexler resigned from Congress to become head of the Center for Middle East Peace and Economic Cooperation. The center was founded by Obama supporter Daniel Abraham and a delegation met Netanyahu in February.

The sources said the administration's campaign has included invitations to Defense Minister Ehud Barak to the White House, where he met with Obama on April 26. Barak has been regarded as the most pro-U.S. minister in Netanyahu's Cabinet and has been lobbying ministers to accept Obama's proposals.

"It's not going to be easy to turn this thing around," Rosen told a briefing on April 21. "Some of my friends in Jerusalem believe this crisis will go on for an extended period."

The anti-Netanyahu fervor has alarmed pro-Israeli members in Congress, particularly from the Democratic Party. Several of the Democrats have reported a sharp drop in funds by Jewish donors for congressional elections in November.

"This [campaign against Netanyahu] is counterproductive and has to stop," Sen. Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat who has threatened to issue a condemnation of the White House, said.

Some in the pro-Israeli community detect an anti-Semitic tinge to the White House campaign, despite the involvement of Jewish aides. On April 21, National Security Advisor James Jones stunned an audience at the pro-Israel Washington Institute when he told a joke of a Jewish merchant who tricked a thirsty Taliban fighter into buying a tie.

"I wish that I had not made this off the cuff joke at the top of my remarks," Jones later said. "I apologize to anyone who was offended by it. It also distracted from the larger message I carried that day: That the United States' commitment to Israel's security is sacrosanct."

Former State Department official Aaron Miller said Obama has surrounded himself with aides who blame Netanyahu for the suspension of the Arab-Israeli peace process. Miller said many of the aides had encountered Netanyahu during his first tenure as prime minister from 1996 to 1999.

"They had seen the Benjamin Netanyahu movie before and were determined not to let their chance at Middle East peace end the same way," Miller said in the magazine Foreign Policy. "Confronted with Netanyahu again, Obama and his team needed no encouragement to talk tough on the growing Israeli settlements in the West Bank, an issue that experts inside and outside government were clamoring for Obama to raise as the first step in his renewed push for peace. Fresh from his victory on health care, he's [Obama] king of the world again and in no mood to let the king of Israel frustrate his plans."

Story source here


Apparently Obama is not aware that God will deal with his foolish soul VERY soon...
Bibi is one of the best things to happen to Israel in recent years.

Don

Obama intends to impose new peace plan

Israel Today Headline News

The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that US President Barack Obama is seriously considering imposing a new comprehensive peace plan on Israel and the Palestinians in six months.

According to the report, Obama asked a room full of his own and past presidential advisors last month what they thought about introducing a new peace proposal. They all are said to have backed the idea, so long as the plan is based on previous US-authored peace plans, such as the Wye River Accords, the "Road Map" and the Annapolis understandings.

Israeli media noted that this approach would be a reversal of how Obama has gone about overseeing Middle East peace so far. Up until now, the Obama Administration has tried to squeeze concessions from Israel and, to a lesser degree, the Palestinians in an effort to get both sides to sit down and hammer out a deal between themselves.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains strongly opposed to an imposed peace plan, and is not likely to be very welcoming of Obama's efforts. But the thinking is that Obama may tie Israel's acceptance of the new plan to stronger action against Iran's nuclear program.

Story source here



In my opinion, Israel must not be backed into a corner through any kind of forced peace agreement. However, we know from Daniel 9:27 that the AC will confirm a covenant with many - involving Israel, and whether that nation has agreed to it or not.

Note: I'm not saying that Obama is the AC, or, that the "new imposed peace plan" is the one spoken of in Daniel, but events taking place today are food for thought.

Don

Israel fears Obama heading for imposed Mideast settlement

By Ari Shavit, Haaretz Correspondent

U.S. President Barack Obama's demands during his meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last Tuesday point to an intention to impose a permanent settlement on Israel and the Palestinians in less than two years, political sources in Jerusalem say.

Israeli officials view the demands that Obama made at the White House as the tip of the iceberg under which lies a dramatic change in U.S. policy toward Israel.

Of 10 demands posed by Obama, four deal with Jerusalem: opening a Palestinian commercial interests office in East Jerusalem, an end to the razing of structures in Palestinian neighborhoods in the capital, stopping construction in Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, and not building the neighborhood of Ramat Shlomo.

But another key demand - to discuss the dispute's core issues during the indirect talks that are planned - is perceived in Jerusalem as problematic because it implies that direct negotiations would be bypassed. This would set up a framework through which the Americans would be able to impose a final settlement.

It is not just Obama's demands that are perceived as problematic, but also the new modus operandi of American diplomacy. The fact that the White House and State Department have been in contact with Israel's European allies, first and foremost Germany, is seen as part of an effort to isolate Israel and put enormous political pressure on it.


Full story here


Notice this statement from the story, "the Americans would be able to impose a final settlement"! We shouldn't be surprised at that based on all that's taken place in the USA during the past year. There is a "demand" mentality in place, and its momentum is building and spreading worldwide. A settlement agreement wouldn't be two years away either.

If Netanyahu caves to Obama on Jerusalem, his government would likely self-destruct. That's a sobering observation.

Don

Palestinian Memo: Hopes in Obama Evaporated

Psalm 130:7,8

Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is plenteous redemption. And He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

                                                                     Judean Hills

Taken from the Associated Press 10.13.2009

An internal document circulated among members of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' political party says any hopes in the Obama administration "have evaporated."

The Fatah Party document accuses the U.S. of backing off from its demands that Israel freeze settlement construction and failing to set a clear agenda for new Mideast peace talks.

The memorandum was obtained by The Associated Press on Tuesday. It wasn't immediately clear whether the memo reflects Abbas' views or was intended to pressure President Barack Obama to bear down harder on Israel.

The document says the Palestinians have lost hope in Obama, and accuses the American leader of caving in to pressure from pro-Israel lobbyists in Washington.

Baruch atem b'Shem, Yeshua

Peace Process or War Process?

By: Daniel Pipes
Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Diplomacy aiming to shut down the Arab-Israeli conflict is premature until Palestinians give up one addiction.

When Barack Obama announced in June 2009 about Israeli-Palestinian diplomacy, "I'm confident that if we stick with it, having started early, that we can make some serious progress this year," he displayed a touching, if naïve optimism.

Indeed, his determination fits a well-established pattern of determination by politicians to "solve" the Arab-Israeli conflict; there were fourteen U.S. government initiatives just during the two George W. Bush administrations. Might this time be different? Will trying harder or being more clever end the conflict?

No, there is no chance whatever of this effort working.

Without looking at the specifics of the Obama approach — which are in themselves problematic — I shall argue three points: that past Israeli-Palestinian negotiations have failed; that their failure resulted from an Israeli illusion about avoiding war; and that Washington should urge Jerusalem to forego negotiations and return instead to its earlier and more successful policy of fighting for victory.
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Diplomacy aiming to shut down the Arab-Israeli conflict is premature until Palestinians give up their anti-Zionism. When that happy moment arrives, negotiations can re-open and take up anew the Oslo issues — borders, resources, armaments, sanctities, residential rights. But that is years or decades away. In the meantime, an ally needs to win.


Full story here

250 Rabbis Sign Letter to Obama: Hands off Jerusalem

(IsraelNN.com) Heads of the Pikuach Nefesh rabbinical committee have begun collecting the signatures of rabbis in Israel on a letter to United States President Barack Obama. The letter demands that Obama cease talking about ending Jewish construction in Jerusalem and stop pressuring Israel in that direction.

In a reference to the upcoming “nine days” which culminate in Tisha B’Av, the rabbis tell Obama that “during these days, in which the Jewish people mourns the destruction of Jerusalem and marks the disgraceful memory of its destroyers, we are certain that you, Mr. Barack Obama, do not want to enter that disreputable list of those who raise their hand to strike Jerusalem and those who live in it.”

The rabbis note that during his visit to the Middle East, Obama showed “impressive erudition” in the Koran. “As one who is familiar with the Koran, you surely know that the city of Jerusalem is not even mentioned in it once,” they said.

“The Arab and Muslim world never recognized Jerusalem as belonging to it,” the letter went on. “On the other hand, all of the world’s nations knew for thousands of years that the Jews pray towards one place only – the holy city of Jerusalem.”

The rabbis added that even putting aside the city’s enormous sanctity and importance for the Jewish people, there is no realpolitik logic behind any concession to the PA. “Since Israel began negotiations, withdrawals and concessions to the Palestinians, the entire world is witness to the justice of the Jewish Law (Halacha) which determines that any such concession will entail another round of bloodshed and deepen mistrust and dangers,” they agreed.

The rabbinical letter ends with a clear request: “If you, Mr. Obama. Wish to leave any chance at all for peace and quiet in the Middle East, take your hands off the Holy City of Jerusalem right now!”

Two hundred and fifty rabbis have signed the appeal, and efforts are being made to collect the signatures of almost every single rabbi in Israel before the letter is sent to Washington.


Link to story here

Natanyahu defies Obama: Won't stop housing project!!!

Read the story here


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JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected Sunday the Obama administration's demand that Israel halt the planning of a Jewish housing project in a predominantly Arab East Jerusalem neighborhood.Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu consults with an advisor regarding the controversial construction project.

"Our sovereignty over [Jerusalem] cannot be challenged. This means that residents of Jerusalem may purchase apartments in all parts of the city," Netanyahu said at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting.

"We cannot accept the idea that Jews will not have the right to live and purchase in all parts of Jerusalem."

In a meeting last Thursday with Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren, U.S. State Department officials had demanded the project be stopped, Israeli officials said.
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"I can only describe to myself what would happen if someone would propose that Jews could not live in certain neighborhoods in New York, London, Paris or Rome," Netanyahu said. "There would certainly be a major international outcry. Accordingly, we cannot agree to such a decree in Jerusalem."


What right or authority does Obama have to tell the sovereign nation of Israel what she can or cannot do? His demands are equivalent to some foreign country saying we can't build a new office building in Chicago. Way to go, Bibi!!!

Don

Jordan expects Obama to announce Mideast peace plan by end of July

AMMAN - US President Barack Obama is expected to announce by the end of July a plan to achieve peace in the Middle East, the government said on Wednesday.

"Based on our contacts and discussions with US officials, we believe that the plan is still in the making," Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Judeh told The Jordan Times yesterday, adding that all signs coming from the US administration indicate that the peace plan is expected to be declared within the coming few weeks. Judeh reiterated the Kingdom's position on the peace process, which “His Majesty King Abdullah has made clear on many occasions”. The top diplomat reasserted that the only solution is the two-state formula which leads to a viable Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, as well as finding a just solution to the Palestinian refugee problem.

Last Friday, US Mideast envoy George Mitchell said that the US hoped Israelis and Palestinians would soon begin "meaningful and productive" peace negotiations, according to Reuters.

"We believe we are making progress in these efforts and we hope very much to conclude this phase of the discussions and to be able to move into meaningful and productive negotiations in the near future," Mitchell told a news conference following a meeting in Italy of the Middle East Quartet which comprises the UN, EU, US and Russia.

President Obama, in an address to the Muslim and Arab worlds last month, vowed that the Middle East peace process would be resumed and that a Palestinian state would be established.

Also last month, King Abdullah said during a meeting with Mitchell that Obama's stance on the Middle East has created a positive atmosphere that paves the way for a comprehensive and lasting solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

The Monarch added that it is important that all stakeholders play a positive role to help realise peace and stability in the region.

Story source here

Will Obama Take Jerusalem from the Jews?

When I read articles like this one, chills run down my spine, the hair stands up on the back of my neck, and my blood pressure readings go crazy. These people know not what they do.

Hebrews 10:31 KJV
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Don



Reported: 22:17 PM - Jun/30/09

(IsraelNN.com) The Center for American Progress, an American think tank which has served as a source for several of the Obama administration’s policies, issued a report recommending that control of Jerusalem be taken away from Israel. Operating with the premise that the Old City of Jerusalem is the central problem in the peace process, the report discusses various options for a third-party entity that would replace Israel as its administrator.

A liberal political policy research and advocacy organization, the Center for American Progress’s reports have frequently stated the thinking of the Obama Administration, according to One Jerusalem. Recent articles from the center predicted Obama’s Cairo speech to the Muslim world and attempts to re-establish diplomatic relations with Iran.

Article here

Israel now stands alone in the world

WHY PERILOUS TIMES ARE NOW IN OVERDRIVE
By Jan Markell
www.olivetreeviews.org


You may think that headline is a strong statement so let me defend it. We have now entered the most serious “perilous times” (II Timothy 3:1) in history. President Obama’s speech in Cairo was a total surrender to Islam and a drastic turn against one of our best allies, Israel.

Because of this one-two punch, America and the rest of the world will never be what it once was. Why? Because Obama is the acknowledged leader of the free world as all American presidents are. And he sent the world of Islam a dramatic message that America wants to be their friend and that America respects Islam—even though they continue to be at war with us.

In his speech in early June in Cairo, there was not a single word about Islam’s well known and checkered past of conquering by the sword. There was no reference to the indoctrination by Islam of her youth to steer them toward violence. There was no reference to the fact that Islamic suicide bombers are blowing themselves up around the world and beheading innocent people. No mention of the “honor killings” against family members who prove to be an embarrassment. And he gave a pass for Muslims to keep stoning their women for various offenses. He also signaled the world that we could go back to a 9/10 mentality.

As Bill Koenig states in his weekly e-newsletter, “Obama complimented them (Islam) for their religion. Both moderates and radicals heard the speech through the lens of Islam and they will use it for their benefit to further their religion throughout the world.” The speech sent a message to the world that Islam should be respected even though as he was speaking, radicals were likely planning evil deeds.

The president stated that Israel has no business attacking Iran. This stretches credulity when you think about it. Who do we think we are to dictate policy that involves Israel’s survival? But this foreign policy statement signaled to the radical Islamic world that they need not fear America! It also emboldened North Korea to continue its escalation of nuclear weapons and to ignore all the West’s warnings, as we’re now paper tigers. So while America fiddles, these evil powers are planning a full-scale nuclear showdown with the West perhaps sooner than we imagine.

It was clear from the Cairo speech that America has taken a new direction with one of its best allies, Israel. The president would rather focus on his Islamic-friendly agenda. Israel is obviously an inconvenience and again, shouldn’t even think about striking Iran who wants her to be history just as Hitler did. Obama went on to rewrite history, suggesting there was a Muslim connection to Jerusalem (and the president will no doubt try like crazy to divide it.)

He then showed his disconnect with reality by equating Holocaust horror with Palestinian rights and alleged mistreatment. He did not chastise the corrupt Palestinian leadership as the root of Palestinian suffering.

Concerning the endless “peace process” in the Middle East, there was no mention of Israel’s efforts via “land for peace.” There was no mention that her Arab/Muslim neighbors tried to wipe her off the face of the map in 1948, 1956, 1967, 1973, 1982, 2006, and 2008. In that speech, the president made it clear that America will stand with the Muslim world and craft policies that will lead to Israel’s destruction—although God will not allow that.

Obama signaled to Israel that she is on her own now. She got the message that her welfare is no longer a priority to American leadership. What matters is holding hands with the Arab/Muslim world—the new focus of American foreign policy.

The world is a far more dangerous place because of that speech. The radicals will plot even more, knowing they will not be held accountable. America will look the other way just like we did when a soldier was killed at a recruiting office in Arkansas a few weeks ago. The killer was a man who had converted to Islam. The press and the Obama administration ignored the story.

What happens when Islam strikes terror on America again? The delusional state of our current leadership thinks that such an incident will never happen now that we are friends with Islam. And now that we’ve turned on Israel, will God remain our Homeland Security Director?

Fasten your seat belt. Extremely perilous times are ahead. Evil was given a green light to go in Cairo. Now would be a very good time to go out and win the lost for Jesus Christ while there is still time. When more than just the economy crumbles around us, hearts will be much more open!

Story link here

U.S. demands Israel halt construction in East Jerusalem market

Washington is furious over the Interior Ministry's anticipated approval of a plan to build a new hotel in East Jerusalem, just 100 meters from the Old City's walls. The plan, which would see the demolition of a wholesale market and kindergarten, is slated to be approved today.

In conversations with Israeli officials, senior American officials have made it clear that they want Israel to freeze all plans for expanding the Jewish presence in East Jerusalem, and especially in the Holy Basin - the area adjacent to the Old City.

The regional planning and building committee for Jerusalem will discuss the plan Tuesday. It was submitted by the Jerusalem municipality, which owns the land on which the hotel is slated to be built, and the state-owned Jerusalem Development Authority, which will actually construct it. The site in question is in the wholesale market, just east of the Rockefeller Museum.

The Interior Ministry's district planning office told Haaretz that it will recommend the plan's approval.

The plan calls for a 200-room hotel that will be nine stories tall on its eastern face (where the ground is lower). It will also include a commercial building, which will be five stories tall on its eastern face, plus another three stories underground.

The plan will require the existing wholesale market to be demolished, along with a Palestinian kindergarten.

The hotel plan is only one of several proposals for expanding the Jewish presence in East Jerusalem. Another, which would involve evicting hundreds of Palestinians from King's Valley, on the outskirts of Silwan, was approved Monday by the Jerusalem municipality's planning committee despite the opposition of the city's legal advisor, Yossi Havilio.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1089730.html


You go Bibi!! WHO CARES what the American officials want. The US doesn't own Israel and has no right to tell them what to do!! Israel needs to tell the whole world that "Jerusalem is theirs and nobody can have any part of it - period"!

Unconfirmed rumor???:
Perhaps Bibi might promise to halt construction, but only if Washington stops expanding its Virginia 5 Points Mall and the new Interstate in Texas.

Don

Obama "crowned" in Messianic imagery!

This story isn't directly related to Israel, but it does show the depth of the pit the world has fallen into today. Is there no limit to the depravity of the human mind? Fear of the Lord does not exist in these last days. Dear God, forgive them! They know not what they do!

Don


On his 100th day in office, President Obama will be "crowned" in messianic imagery at New York City's Union Square.

Artist Michael D'Antuono's painting "The Truth" – featuring Obama with his arms outstretched and wearing a crown of thorns upon his head – will be unveiled on April 29 at the Square's South Plaza.


Read the story here

Obama To Roll Out His Vision For Middle East

Obama To Roll Out His Vision For Middle East

This article explains how Obama is waiting for Netanyahu (to be sworn in?) so he can roll out his vision for the Middle East. Ten people helped create this plan, it includes final status issues such as Jerusalem being the capital of Israel and Palestine.

Somehow I can't picture Netanyahu sharing Obama's vision.

Don

Article here

While aides to Benjamin Netanyahu and Ehud Barak were busy formulating the coalition agreement and dividing up ministerial portfolios, Barack Obama's men were working on a bipartisan document and burrowed through files.

The document they produced is waiting for the new Israeli government to be sworn in. The American president is due to use it as the basis of a special speech in which he will present his vision for the Middle East.

Of prime importance among the files on the desks of those who composed the document is a report drawn up at the end of 2008 by 10 senior figures from the two principal political parties in the United States.

One of them, former Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker, has in the interim been appointed a senior economic adviser to the president.

The authors of that report recommended to the president that he replace "the conditions of the Quartet" with a readiness to recognize a Palestinian unity government, on condition that that government would agree to a cease-fire with Israel, authorize Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas to conduct negotiations on a final-status solution, and bring the agreement to a referendum. Since Netanyahu refuses to accept the principle of a Palestinian state being established alongside Israel, he would have some difficulty complaining about the U.S. relieving Hamas of the same demand.

The report's authors proposed that the president adopt the following positions with regard to the components of a final-status agreement: an Israeli withdrawal to the 1967 borders, with the exception of large settlement blocs; Jerusalem being the capital of both Israel and Palestine, and divided on a demographic basis; adoption of a special regime in the Old City; the rehabilitation of refugees within the Palestinian state, with Israel accepting a degree of responsibility for the problem; and the stationing of a multinational force in the territories during an interim period.
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Full story at link.

Obama win will lead to America's demise~not Israels

FromStan Goodenough
Barack Obama’s platform, his policy agenda, his world view, his religion, his associations, his immaturity, his carefully-hidden depths - all comprise a clear and present danger to the security of the United States and the security of the world.

Conservative Americans - Christians and Jews - are rightly fearful of what an Obama victory November 4 will mean for their great nation.

And I would want to blast it as loudly as I could in the ears of every true American: It’s good that you are afraid. Be very, very afraid. And get everyone you can to get out to vote on November 4.
As Ann Coulter said on the Fox News Channel’s O’Reilly Factor last night. If Obama becomes president on November 4, things will never be the same again. There will be no going back.

Will an Obama win lead to Israel’s destruction? The biblical answer is a resounding “no!”

A more immediately important question for Americans should be: “Will an Obama win lead to the demise of the United States?”

For the answer to that one, see Isaiah 60:12