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)
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
OTHER FRIDAY NEWS
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2017/08/eyeing-russia-us-military-shifts-toward.html
China pushes four-point Israeli-Palestinian peace plan-Beijing’s UN envoy calls on international community to adopt proposal by Chinese leader Xi Jinping for establishment of Palestinian state-By AP and Times of Israel staff August 1, 2017, 10:25 am
China’s UN ambassador urged the international community on Monday to support Chinese President Xi Jinping’s new four-point proposal to end the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict and establish an independent Palestinian state.Liu Jieyi said at a news conference that China’s future diplomatic efforts will focus on trying to move toward a negotiated solution based on the proposal.Xi signaled China’s stepped-up engagement in the Middle East when he met about two weeks ago in Beijing with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and outlined the plan.The four points are: — Advancing the two-state solution based on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as the capital of a new Palestinian state. — Upholding “the concept of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security,” immediately ending Israeli settlement building, taking immediate measures to prevent violence against civilians, and calling for an early resumption of peace talks.— Coordinating international efforts to put forward “peace-promoting measures that entail joint participation at an early date.”— Promoting peace through development and cooperation between the Palestinians and Israel.China views both Israel and the Palestinians as “important partners” in its “One Belt, One Road” initiative, a mammoth Chinese-funded push to develop transport routes including ports, railways and roads to expand trade in a vast arc of countries across Asia, Africa and Europe, the ambassador said.China has also proposed launching a “China-Palestine-Israel tripartite dialogue mechanism in order to coordinate the implementation of major assistance programs in Palestine,” he said.But the gaps between Israeli and Palestinian leaders remain wide, preventing any meaningful talks since 2009.Liu said China plans to hold a seminar for Israeli and Palestinian “peace activists” this year, seeking “to contribute wisdom for the settlement of the Palestinian question.”He urged the international community to “respond positively to the proposals made by China because we believe these four proposals once fully implemented will really go a long way towards helping the issue to be solved through negotiations, and also contribute to stability of the relations between the two sides.”
Netanyahu: No government has done more for settlers than mine-At ceremony for a new neighborhood in Beitar Illit, PM boasts of his efforts on behalf of Netiv Ha’avot and Amona residents-By Jacob Magid August 3, 2017, 4:28 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
BEITAR ILLIT, West Bank — Speaking at a cornerstone-laying ceremony for a new neighborhood in this ultra-Orthodox settlement south of Jerusalem on Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted that his government has been doing everything in its power to address the problems faced by Israelis over the Green Line.“There is no government that does more for the settlement [movement] in Israel than the one under my leadership,” he said to a crowd of some 100 people.Netanyahu cited his chief of staff, Yoav Horowitz, who was in the Netiv Ha’avot illegal outpost hours earlier, speaking with residents of the neighborhood — in the settlement of Elazar — where 15 homes are slated to be demolished after the High Court of Justice ruled that they had been constructed on private Palestinian land.The prime minister said he was looking to find solutions “within the framework of the law that would minimize the damage” for the residents of Elazar, which is in the Etzion bloc south of Jerusalem.While visiting the homes slated to be destroyed, Horowitz promised Thursday morning to the settlers present that he would “fight for Netiv Ha’avot as if it is my own home.”Dozens of residents of the illegal neighborhood stood outside the entrance to Beitar Illit holding signs calling on the prime minister to prevent the impending demolition, as his motorcade sped by for the ceremony.Further vaunting his government’s efforts on behalf of settlers in front of the friendly crowd, Netanyahu cited his convention of cabinet ministers for a Wednesday meeting “in order to expedite the renewal of the construction work” on the Amichai settlement for evacuees of the illegal Amona outpost.Construction for Israel’s first new settlement in a quarter century had been halted last week due to lack of funds. However, ministers, led by Housing Minister Yoav Galant, agreed to double the project’s budget from NIS 60 million ($18 million) to NIS 120 million ($36 million) in order to jumpstart the construction.Netanyahu also made a point of lauding his relations with representatives of ultra-Orthodox communities in his government. He described weekly meetings with Haredi MKs “that are held simply in good spirits.”What went unmentioned, however, was the Machpela House in Hebron, where roughly 120 settlers have been illegally squatting since July 25, claiming to have legally purchased the property from the original Palestinian owners.The group of some 15 families has more than once attempted to appeal the 2012 decision blocking their purchase, and last month a Defense Ministry committee agreed to re-hear the settlers’ claim. However, the inquiry has not yet taken place, and the army order banning their living in the building remains in effect.Nevertheless, Netanyahu instructed Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman to hold off on any eviction plans, and representatives from both of their offices have met with leaders of the Machpela House residents in an effort to reach a solution. Sources close to the prime minister said that Netanyahu was looking to avoid having to evacuate the families.In Beitar Illit, each of the six speakers addressing the virtually all-male crowd praised Netanyahu and his government’s efforts on behalf of the ultra-Orthodox. At the conclusion of the ceremony, Beitar Illit Mayor Meir Rubenstein presented the prime minister with an engraved shofar horn before the two exited the air-conditioned tent to stand at a lookout point of the new neighborhood, labeled “Hill C.”Also present were Interior Minister Arye Deri (Shas) along with four lawmakers from the United Torah Judaism faction. Deri lauded the Beitar Illit residents and the city, but called for more to be done to address the housing problems within the broader ultra-Orthodox sector.“There are many mayors who refuse to open up neighborhoods for Haredim. We’ve become asylum seekers,” he said. “But those who have [opened up] Haredi neighborhoods [in their cities] have quickly learned what a blessing they are.”
EU says all parties sticking to Iran nuclear deal-Rejecting Tehran’s claims that new US sanctions violate 2015 agreement, Mogherini declares all sides implementing their commitments-By AFP August 3, 2017, 6:32 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
BRUSSELS, Belgium — All the parties to the Iran nuclear deal are abiding by its terms, the European Union said Thursday, despite Tehran’s charges that new US sanctions breach the agreement.Tehran says the new measures violate its 2015 deal with world powers that eased sanctions in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program, an agreement which US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to tear up.“So far we consider that all parties have been implementing their commitments under the deal,” Catherine Ray, a spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, told a press briefing in Brussels.“We expect their continued adherence,” Ray said when asked to comment on the Iranian charges.Ray based her expectation on a July 21 meeting in Vienna of the Mogherini-chaired commission that brings together Iran and the other parties to discuss the deal’s implementation.Mogherini’s office issued a statement at the time saying the meeting’s participants confirmed their continued adherence and “stressed the need to ensure its full and effective implementation in a constructive atmosphere.”Ray said the joint commission allowed for the Iranian view on new US sanctions to be widely discussed.The United States enacted Wednesday new sanctions targeting Iran’s ballistic missile programme, alleged human rights abuses and its support for the Lebanese Hezbollah, which Washington calls a terrorist group.Following the nuclear deal, Washington and the EU lifted sanctions related to Iran’s atomic programme that the West alleged was for military purposes but Tehran said was peaceful.Mogherini is due in Tehran on Saturday for the inauguration of Hassan Rouhani, who was re-elected to a second term as president in May.EU countries Britain, France and Germany — which signed the deal along with Russia, China and the United States — remain firm backers of the agreement and have criticised the Trump administration for threatening to scrap it.
Senate panel okays bill cutting PA funding over terrorist salaries-Taylor Force Act approved by Foreign Relations Committee 16-5, will move to full vote in Senate-By Eric Cortellessa August 3, 2017, 7:51 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
WASHINGTON — The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved a bill Thursday to cut US funding to the Palestinian Authority if it does not stop paying salaries to terrorists and their families.The Taylor Force Act, named after a former US army officer who was stabbed to death by a Palestinian assailant while visiting Tel Aviv in March 2016, will now advance for a full Senate vote.Passed by a vote of 16-5, the legislation received bipartisan support. Every Republican member of the committee supported the measure, as well as several Democrats, including Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin, the panel’s ranking member, New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez and Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, a J Street darling.One amendment was added during the markup session that helped attract the former vice presidential candidate’s support, which was to establish an escrow fund for the aid that would be cut. The language requires that escrow period to last one year.Democrats who voted against the motion included Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico, Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon.On Tuesday, the panel unveiled a revised version of the bill to garner wider support. The text included provisions that call on “all donor countries” to “cease direct budgetary support until the Palestinian Authority stops all payments incentivizing terror” and requires the PA to revoke any laws that result in terrorists being compensated.The State Department would also be mandated to put out an annual, declassified report detailing the PA’s practices regarding cash payments that reward terrorism.Responding to concerns that were voiced during the bill’s negotiations, the updates included allowing for continued funding for humanitarian efforts and security cooperation. It does not, however, include a waiver that would grant the US president the ability to disregard the law on national security grounds.One day before the markup session — in which the committee would ultimate decide whether to advance this legislation to the full chamber — the most powerful pro-Israel lobby in Washington came out in support.“We are hopeful that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee markup will produce a strong, bipartisan bill that will send a very clear message to the Palestinian Authority: Stop these payments to terrorists and their families or your assistance will be cut,” the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) said in a letter sent to senators, urging them to vote yes.Since South Carolina Gov. Lindsey Graham (R) introduced the bill in February, the group had wavered on the legislation, saying only that it supported its principle objective.That is a position similar to what US President Donald Trump has taken up to this point. He announced last month that he supported the bill’s goals but did not unequivocally endorse it. That was, however, before the latest version was released.“While the administration agrees with the high-level goals of the Taylor Force Act, it is currently in Congress’s hands and we will continue to closely monitor the specifics of the legislation,” a White House official told The Times of Israel last month.Initially, the administration was quiet on the bill, leaving some on Capitol Hill questioning whether Trump and his team feared it would disrupt their attempts to broker a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians, a “top priority” for the White House.Trump did reportedly confront PA President Mahmoud Abbas about Palestinian terror payments during their May meetings in Washington and Bethlehem.There had also been speculation that the Israeli government did not actually support the measure. Israel’s Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer tried to quell those suspicions during his address to the annual conference of Christians United for Israel (CUFI) two weeks ago.“Israel believes that the United States should end economic assistance to any government that pays people to kill Jews,” Ambassador Dermer told the CUFI crowd in Washington. “Period.”“I can assure you that Israel is not the slightest bit concerned that the Taylor Force Act will pass,” he added. “Israel would be concerned if the Taylor Force Act didn’t pass.”Some Jewish community leaders who backed the bill argued that this measure wouldn’t hurt ordinary Palestinians if their leadership heeded the American warnings.“The bottom line here for people who are concerned for what is this going to do to the Palestinian people and worthwhile humanitarian projects and things like that is that, at the end of the day, it’s in the end of the Palestinians of whether this money gets cut off or not,” said Nathan Diament, executive director of the Orthodox Union.“Not one dollar of American support will get cut off if they do the right thing and end this terrorist stipend program,” he told The Times of Israel Thursday, moments after the bill passed committee.According to a recently published Israeli report, the Palestinian Authority’s 2017 budget for payments to inmates in Israeli prisons and so-called “families of martyrs” is equal in sum to about half of the foreign aid Ramallah expects to receive this year.Moreover, the PA Finance Ministry’s 2017 budget, published on its website earlier in July, said that salaries to incarcerated and released Palestinian prisoners, many of whom are convicted for terrorism, will amount to NIS 552 million ($153.4 million) this calendar year.The United States currently gives the PA nearly $500 million in annual aid. The legislation would allow only the portion designated for security assistance — roughly $60 million — to remain in place.
Jerusalem gears up for gay pride parade under banner ‘LGBTQ and Religion’-4,000 expected to take part in annual event under heavy security; police to allow small anti-protest by far-right activists-By Times of Israel staff August 3, 2017, 10:16 am
Thousands of people were expected to march through central Jerusalem Thursday afternoon in the city’s 16th annual LGBTQ pride parade.This year’s March for Pride and Tolerance will be held under the banner of “LGBTQ and Religion,” and is expected to draw some 4,000 participants to the capital city.“In a city that has known bloody wars of religion, we have seen and borne the price of hatred against the backdrop of religion,” organizers wrote on their Facebook page. “We will shed light on the complex, deep connections between [various religious groups] and the struggles for partnerships, conflict and dialogue.”Parade-goers will begin congregating at Liberty Bell Park from 4:30 p.m. At 6, the march will begin, heading up Keren Hayesod and King George streets, before turning onto Meir Shaham, Rabbi Akiva and Hillel streets, and congregating at Independence Park for a closing event at 8 p.m.Organizers have asked participants to bring flowers that they can place at the site on Keren Hayesod where 16-year-old Shira Banki was murdered at the march two years ago by a religious extremist.The parade is predicted to snarl downtown traffic for hours. Several major arteries through the capital’s center will be shut to traffic starting at 4 p.m., including the parade route from Keren Hayesod through King George and on to Hillel. Many key streets leading to the parade route will also close at that hour, including Agron Street.-Extra security-Security officials were criticized in 2015 for failing to keep anti-gay extremist Yishai Schlissel away from the parade despite the fact that he had just been released from prison for a similar though nonfatal attack against gay pride marchers in 2005 in which he stabbed three people.Days before he stabbed Banki to death at the parade and wounded several others, Schlissel penned a handwritten anti-gay manifesto in which he called the pride march “shameful” and “blasphemous,” and alluded to plans to perpetrate another attack.The following year, police introduced additional security measures for the Jerusalem march. This year, hundreds of extra officers and border guards will be deployed to the area, police said.Like last year, participants cannot join or leave the parade along the route, police said in a statement Wednesday, but only at the starting location in Liberty Bell Park and at Paris Square, where all participants will undergo security checks.A demonstration against the march by the far-right Lehava organization will take place some distance from the march’s route, outside the police cordon.Police have informed the group their protest — headlined “Don’t give them children,” a reference to the recently reignited national debate about same-sex adoption in Israel — would be limited to 100 participants.Earlier this week, several known anti-gay activists received calls from police officers warning them to stay away from the march or telling them they were banned from the city for all of Thursday.Several hours before the event kicked off, police said they arrested a 33-year-old man from central Israel after he posted threats against march participants online.
Police okay anti-gay protest during Jerusalem pride march-Ultra-nationalist Lehava group to stage demonstration against LGBT community during Thursday’s parade-By Times of Israel staff August 1, 2017, 2:24 am
Israel Police gave the final okay on Sunday for the ultra-nationalist Lehava group to hold a protest against Jerusalem’s annual LGBT pride march during the event on Thursday, against the wishes of a gay pride group for parents.Police will allow for 100 Lehava members to stage the protest, several hundred meters away from the marchers and under heavy guard from police officers.This year’s Lehava protest will be held under the banner “Don’t give them children,” a reference to the national debate about same-sex adoption in Israel.Lehava said it planned to hold a “humanitarian” demonstration against the pride parade, scheduled for Thursday evening. The march will run from the capital’s Independence Park to Liberty Bell Park-Lehava’s primary platform is opposition to relationships between Jews and non-Jews. Some of its members were convicted of setting fire to a bilingual Hebrew-Arabic school in Jerusalem in 2014. The group has also taken aim at the LGBTQ community whom it has accused of “defiling” the holy city.Police were bracing for this year’s march which comes two years after 16-year-old Shira Banki was stabbed to death by an ultra-Orthodox man during the 2015 parade. The assailant was the same attacker who — 10 years prior — had stabbed three pride participants, yelling that he was on a mission from God. The man, Yishai Schlissel, had completed his 10-year prison sentence and had been recently released prior to the 2015 murder. He is now serving a life sentence.Days before the 2015 stabbing, Schlissel penned a handwritten anti-gay manifesto in which he called the pride march “shameful” and “blasphemous,” and alluded to plans to perpetrate another attack.Some religious populations of the city consider homosexuality to be a sin.Police have issued warnings to some 50 individuals, including a number of settlers living in the West Bank, according to a Channel 2 report, which added that a number of them were asked not to come to Jerusalem on Thursday.Organizers anticipate that some 4,000 people will take part in this year’s parade.Last year’s Jerusalem Pride March was held in honor of Banki and drew some 30,000 people.
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
OTHER FRIDAY NEWS
http://israndjer.blogspot.ca/2017/08/eyeing-russia-us-military-shifts-toward.html
China pushes four-point Israeli-Palestinian peace plan-Beijing’s UN envoy calls on international community to adopt proposal by Chinese leader Xi Jinping for establishment of Palestinian state-By AP and Times of Israel staff August 1, 2017, 10:25 am
China’s UN ambassador urged the international community on Monday to support Chinese President Xi Jinping’s new four-point proposal to end the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict and establish an independent Palestinian state.Liu Jieyi said at a news conference that China’s future diplomatic efforts will focus on trying to move toward a negotiated solution based on the proposal.Xi signaled China’s stepped-up engagement in the Middle East when he met about two weeks ago in Beijing with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and outlined the plan.The four points are: — Advancing the two-state solution based on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as the capital of a new Palestinian state. — Upholding “the concept of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security,” immediately ending Israeli settlement building, taking immediate measures to prevent violence against civilians, and calling for an early resumption of peace talks.— Coordinating international efforts to put forward “peace-promoting measures that entail joint participation at an early date.”— Promoting peace through development and cooperation between the Palestinians and Israel.China views both Israel and the Palestinians as “important partners” in its “One Belt, One Road” initiative, a mammoth Chinese-funded push to develop transport routes including ports, railways and roads to expand trade in a vast arc of countries across Asia, Africa and Europe, the ambassador said.China has also proposed launching a “China-Palestine-Israel tripartite dialogue mechanism in order to coordinate the implementation of major assistance programs in Palestine,” he said.But the gaps between Israeli and Palestinian leaders remain wide, preventing any meaningful talks since 2009.Liu said China plans to hold a seminar for Israeli and Palestinian “peace activists” this year, seeking “to contribute wisdom for the settlement of the Palestinian question.”He urged the international community to “respond positively to the proposals made by China because we believe these four proposals once fully implemented will really go a long way towards helping the issue to be solved through negotiations, and also contribute to stability of the relations between the two sides.”
Netanyahu: No government has done more for settlers than mine-At ceremony for a new neighborhood in Beitar Illit, PM boasts of his efforts on behalf of Netiv Ha’avot and Amona residents-By Jacob Magid August 3, 2017, 4:28 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
BEITAR ILLIT, West Bank — Speaking at a cornerstone-laying ceremony for a new neighborhood in this ultra-Orthodox settlement south of Jerusalem on Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted that his government has been doing everything in its power to address the problems faced by Israelis over the Green Line.“There is no government that does more for the settlement [movement] in Israel than the one under my leadership,” he said to a crowd of some 100 people.Netanyahu cited his chief of staff, Yoav Horowitz, who was in the Netiv Ha’avot illegal outpost hours earlier, speaking with residents of the neighborhood — in the settlement of Elazar — where 15 homes are slated to be demolished after the High Court of Justice ruled that they had been constructed on private Palestinian land.The prime minister said he was looking to find solutions “within the framework of the law that would minimize the damage” for the residents of Elazar, which is in the Etzion bloc south of Jerusalem.While visiting the homes slated to be destroyed, Horowitz promised Thursday morning to the settlers present that he would “fight for Netiv Ha’avot as if it is my own home.”Dozens of residents of the illegal neighborhood stood outside the entrance to Beitar Illit holding signs calling on the prime minister to prevent the impending demolition, as his motorcade sped by for the ceremony.Further vaunting his government’s efforts on behalf of settlers in front of the friendly crowd, Netanyahu cited his convention of cabinet ministers for a Wednesday meeting “in order to expedite the renewal of the construction work” on the Amichai settlement for evacuees of the illegal Amona outpost.Construction for Israel’s first new settlement in a quarter century had been halted last week due to lack of funds. However, ministers, led by Housing Minister Yoav Galant, agreed to double the project’s budget from NIS 60 million ($18 million) to NIS 120 million ($36 million) in order to jumpstart the construction.Netanyahu also made a point of lauding his relations with representatives of ultra-Orthodox communities in his government. He described weekly meetings with Haredi MKs “that are held simply in good spirits.”What went unmentioned, however, was the Machpela House in Hebron, where roughly 120 settlers have been illegally squatting since July 25, claiming to have legally purchased the property from the original Palestinian owners.The group of some 15 families has more than once attempted to appeal the 2012 decision blocking their purchase, and last month a Defense Ministry committee agreed to re-hear the settlers’ claim. However, the inquiry has not yet taken place, and the army order banning their living in the building remains in effect.Nevertheless, Netanyahu instructed Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman to hold off on any eviction plans, and representatives from both of their offices have met with leaders of the Machpela House residents in an effort to reach a solution. Sources close to the prime minister said that Netanyahu was looking to avoid having to evacuate the families.In Beitar Illit, each of the six speakers addressing the virtually all-male crowd praised Netanyahu and his government’s efforts on behalf of the ultra-Orthodox. At the conclusion of the ceremony, Beitar Illit Mayor Meir Rubenstein presented the prime minister with an engraved shofar horn before the two exited the air-conditioned tent to stand at a lookout point of the new neighborhood, labeled “Hill C.”Also present were Interior Minister Arye Deri (Shas) along with four lawmakers from the United Torah Judaism faction. Deri lauded the Beitar Illit residents and the city, but called for more to be done to address the housing problems within the broader ultra-Orthodox sector.“There are many mayors who refuse to open up neighborhoods for Haredim. We’ve become asylum seekers,” he said. “But those who have [opened up] Haredi neighborhoods [in their cities] have quickly learned what a blessing they are.”
EU says all parties sticking to Iran nuclear deal-Rejecting Tehran’s claims that new US sanctions violate 2015 agreement, Mogherini declares all sides implementing their commitments-By AFP August 3, 2017, 6:32 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
BRUSSELS, Belgium — All the parties to the Iran nuclear deal are abiding by its terms, the European Union said Thursday, despite Tehran’s charges that new US sanctions breach the agreement.Tehran says the new measures violate its 2015 deal with world powers that eased sanctions in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program, an agreement which US President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to tear up.“So far we consider that all parties have been implementing their commitments under the deal,” Catherine Ray, a spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, told a press briefing in Brussels.“We expect their continued adherence,” Ray said when asked to comment on the Iranian charges.Ray based her expectation on a July 21 meeting in Vienna of the Mogherini-chaired commission that brings together Iran and the other parties to discuss the deal’s implementation.Mogherini’s office issued a statement at the time saying the meeting’s participants confirmed their continued adherence and “stressed the need to ensure its full and effective implementation in a constructive atmosphere.”Ray said the joint commission allowed for the Iranian view on new US sanctions to be widely discussed.The United States enacted Wednesday new sanctions targeting Iran’s ballistic missile programme, alleged human rights abuses and its support for the Lebanese Hezbollah, which Washington calls a terrorist group.Following the nuclear deal, Washington and the EU lifted sanctions related to Iran’s atomic programme that the West alleged was for military purposes but Tehran said was peaceful.Mogherini is due in Tehran on Saturday for the inauguration of Hassan Rouhani, who was re-elected to a second term as president in May.EU countries Britain, France and Germany — which signed the deal along with Russia, China and the United States — remain firm backers of the agreement and have criticised the Trump administration for threatening to scrap it.
Senate panel okays bill cutting PA funding over terrorist salaries-Taylor Force Act approved by Foreign Relations Committee 16-5, will move to full vote in Senate-By Eric Cortellessa August 3, 2017, 7:51 pm-THE TIMES OF ISRAEL
WASHINGTON — The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved a bill Thursday to cut US funding to the Palestinian Authority if it does not stop paying salaries to terrorists and their families.The Taylor Force Act, named after a former US army officer who was stabbed to death by a Palestinian assailant while visiting Tel Aviv in March 2016, will now advance for a full Senate vote.Passed by a vote of 16-5, the legislation received bipartisan support. Every Republican member of the committee supported the measure, as well as several Democrats, including Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin, the panel’s ranking member, New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez and Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, a J Street darling.One amendment was added during the markup session that helped attract the former vice presidential candidate’s support, which was to establish an escrow fund for the aid that would be cut. The language requires that escrow period to last one year.Democrats who voted against the motion included Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico, Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon.On Tuesday, the panel unveiled a revised version of the bill to garner wider support. The text included provisions that call on “all donor countries” to “cease direct budgetary support until the Palestinian Authority stops all payments incentivizing terror” and requires the PA to revoke any laws that result in terrorists being compensated.The State Department would also be mandated to put out an annual, declassified report detailing the PA’s practices regarding cash payments that reward terrorism.Responding to concerns that were voiced during the bill’s negotiations, the updates included allowing for continued funding for humanitarian efforts and security cooperation. It does not, however, include a waiver that would grant the US president the ability to disregard the law on national security grounds.One day before the markup session — in which the committee would ultimate decide whether to advance this legislation to the full chamber — the most powerful pro-Israel lobby in Washington came out in support.“We are hopeful that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee markup will produce a strong, bipartisan bill that will send a very clear message to the Palestinian Authority: Stop these payments to terrorists and their families or your assistance will be cut,” the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) said in a letter sent to senators, urging them to vote yes.Since South Carolina Gov. Lindsey Graham (R) introduced the bill in February, the group had wavered on the legislation, saying only that it supported its principle objective.That is a position similar to what US President Donald Trump has taken up to this point. He announced last month that he supported the bill’s goals but did not unequivocally endorse it. That was, however, before the latest version was released.“While the administration agrees with the high-level goals of the Taylor Force Act, it is currently in Congress’s hands and we will continue to closely monitor the specifics of the legislation,” a White House official told The Times of Israel last month.Initially, the administration was quiet on the bill, leaving some on Capitol Hill questioning whether Trump and his team feared it would disrupt their attempts to broker a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians, a “top priority” for the White House.Trump did reportedly confront PA President Mahmoud Abbas about Palestinian terror payments during their May meetings in Washington and Bethlehem.There had also been speculation that the Israeli government did not actually support the measure. Israel’s Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer tried to quell those suspicions during his address to the annual conference of Christians United for Israel (CUFI) two weeks ago.“Israel believes that the United States should end economic assistance to any government that pays people to kill Jews,” Ambassador Dermer told the CUFI crowd in Washington. “Period.”“I can assure you that Israel is not the slightest bit concerned that the Taylor Force Act will pass,” he added. “Israel would be concerned if the Taylor Force Act didn’t pass.”Some Jewish community leaders who backed the bill argued that this measure wouldn’t hurt ordinary Palestinians if their leadership heeded the American warnings.“The bottom line here for people who are concerned for what is this going to do to the Palestinian people and worthwhile humanitarian projects and things like that is that, at the end of the day, it’s in the end of the Palestinians of whether this money gets cut off or not,” said Nathan Diament, executive director of the Orthodox Union.“Not one dollar of American support will get cut off if they do the right thing and end this terrorist stipend program,” he told The Times of Israel Thursday, moments after the bill passed committee.According to a recently published Israeli report, the Palestinian Authority’s 2017 budget for payments to inmates in Israeli prisons and so-called “families of martyrs” is equal in sum to about half of the foreign aid Ramallah expects to receive this year.Moreover, the PA Finance Ministry’s 2017 budget, published on its website earlier in July, said that salaries to incarcerated and released Palestinian prisoners, many of whom are convicted for terrorism, will amount to NIS 552 million ($153.4 million) this calendar year.The United States currently gives the PA nearly $500 million in annual aid. The legislation would allow only the portion designated for security assistance — roughly $60 million — to remain in place.
Jerusalem gears up for gay pride parade under banner ‘LGBTQ and Religion’-4,000 expected to take part in annual event under heavy security; police to allow small anti-protest by far-right activists-By Times of Israel staff August 3, 2017, 10:16 am
Thousands of people were expected to march through central Jerusalem Thursday afternoon in the city’s 16th annual LGBTQ pride parade.This year’s March for Pride and Tolerance will be held under the banner of “LGBTQ and Religion,” and is expected to draw some 4,000 participants to the capital city.“In a city that has known bloody wars of religion, we have seen and borne the price of hatred against the backdrop of religion,” organizers wrote on their Facebook page. “We will shed light on the complex, deep connections between [various religious groups] and the struggles for partnerships, conflict and dialogue.”Parade-goers will begin congregating at Liberty Bell Park from 4:30 p.m. At 6, the march will begin, heading up Keren Hayesod and King George streets, before turning onto Meir Shaham, Rabbi Akiva and Hillel streets, and congregating at Independence Park for a closing event at 8 p.m.Organizers have asked participants to bring flowers that they can place at the site on Keren Hayesod where 16-year-old Shira Banki was murdered at the march two years ago by a religious extremist.The parade is predicted to snarl downtown traffic for hours. Several major arteries through the capital’s center will be shut to traffic starting at 4 p.m., including the parade route from Keren Hayesod through King George and on to Hillel. Many key streets leading to the parade route will also close at that hour, including Agron Street.-Extra security-Security officials were criticized in 2015 for failing to keep anti-gay extremist Yishai Schlissel away from the parade despite the fact that he had just been released from prison for a similar though nonfatal attack against gay pride marchers in 2005 in which he stabbed three people.Days before he stabbed Banki to death at the parade and wounded several others, Schlissel penned a handwritten anti-gay manifesto in which he called the pride march “shameful” and “blasphemous,” and alluded to plans to perpetrate another attack.The following year, police introduced additional security measures for the Jerusalem march. This year, hundreds of extra officers and border guards will be deployed to the area, police said.Like last year, participants cannot join or leave the parade along the route, police said in a statement Wednesday, but only at the starting location in Liberty Bell Park and at Paris Square, where all participants will undergo security checks.A demonstration against the march by the far-right Lehava organization will take place some distance from the march’s route, outside the police cordon.Police have informed the group their protest — headlined “Don’t give them children,” a reference to the recently reignited national debate about same-sex adoption in Israel — would be limited to 100 participants.Earlier this week, several known anti-gay activists received calls from police officers warning them to stay away from the march or telling them they were banned from the city for all of Thursday.Several hours before the event kicked off, police said they arrested a 33-year-old man from central Israel after he posted threats against march participants online.
Police okay anti-gay protest during Jerusalem pride march-Ultra-nationalist Lehava group to stage demonstration against LGBT community during Thursday’s parade-By Times of Israel staff August 1, 2017, 2:24 am
Israel Police gave the final okay on Sunday for the ultra-nationalist Lehava group to hold a protest against Jerusalem’s annual LGBT pride march during the event on Thursday, against the wishes of a gay pride group for parents.Police will allow for 100 Lehava members to stage the protest, several hundred meters away from the marchers and under heavy guard from police officers.This year’s Lehava protest will be held under the banner “Don’t give them children,” a reference to the national debate about same-sex adoption in Israel.Lehava said it planned to hold a “humanitarian” demonstration against the pride parade, scheduled for Thursday evening. The march will run from the capital’s Independence Park to Liberty Bell Park-Lehava’s primary platform is opposition to relationships between Jews and non-Jews. Some of its members were convicted of setting fire to a bilingual Hebrew-Arabic school in Jerusalem in 2014. The group has also taken aim at the LGBTQ community whom it has accused of “defiling” the holy city.Police were bracing for this year’s march which comes two years after 16-year-old Shira Banki was stabbed to death by an ultra-Orthodox man during the 2015 parade. The assailant was the same attacker who — 10 years prior — had stabbed three pride participants, yelling that he was on a mission from God. The man, Yishai Schlissel, had completed his 10-year prison sentence and had been recently released prior to the 2015 murder. He is now serving a life sentence.Days before the 2015 stabbing, Schlissel penned a handwritten anti-gay manifesto in which he called the pride march “shameful” and “blasphemous,” and alluded to plans to perpetrate another attack.Some religious populations of the city consider homosexuality to be a sin.Police have issued warnings to some 50 individuals, including a number of settlers living in the West Bank, according to a Channel 2 report, which added that a number of them were asked not to come to Jerusalem on Thursday.Organizers anticipate that some 4,000 people will take part in this year’s parade.Last year’s Jerusalem Pride March was held in honor of Banki and drew some 30,000 people.
