Iraq’s Meddlesome Neighbors
Council On Foreign Relations 2006/8/31
Iraq is sandwiched between six states that hold competing views of what its future should resemble. Where some of Iraq's neighbors see instability on their borders, others see opportunity. In Washington, the biggest worry is that the low-level civil war in Iraq might spread beyond its borders and engulf its neighbors, setting off a regional conflict or, worse, triggering a third world war. The presence of oil, millions of Kurds with no homeland, and an ascendant Shiite underclass all provide kindling for a potential regional conflagration. Below is a rundown of the foreign policies of Iraq's neighbors vis-à-vis Baghdad. ...

Contributed by Bob Anderson.

‘Abbas Slams Hamas in Anti-Government Rally
The Media Line 2006/8/31
Palestinian Authority (P.A.) Chairman Mahmoud ‘Abbas justified a strike initiated by disgruntled Palestinian workers, and implied that Hamas should rethink its strategies. ...‘Abbas said the government should think of ways to resolve the current crisis.   Implicitly criticizing Hamas, ‘Abbas said that those who cry out slogans that ‘we will starve, but we won’t cave in’ are not the ones who are going hungry. “It’s the people who are starving,” he said.   He added that Palestinians should stop firing missiles onto Israel, so as not give the Israelis an excuse to attack them. These missiles have caused immense damage to the Palestinian people, he said. ...

Abbas urges prisoners' document reply
The Jerusalem Post 2006/8/31
...Abbas launched a scathing attack Wednesday on armed groups that are firing rockets from the Gaza Strip, saying they were responsible for bringing death and destruction to the Palestinians. ...

Arab League floats new peace plan
Haaretz 2006/8/31
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan yesterday mentioned a new Arab initiative for resuming the peace process under the aegis of the Security Council, during meetings in Jerusalem. ...The initiative is expected to be presented at a summit meeting of the Arab League foreign ministers in Cairo next week. ...The letter details a new mechanism for furthering talks between Israel, the Palestinians, Lebanon and Syria. It proposes that the Security Council manage and oversee the negotiations, and that the results of these talks be brought before the world body in a year. ...

Italy warns Syria on arms to Lebanon
Reuters 2006/8/30
Italy's foreign minister said the international community would "not stand by and watch" if Syria sent arms to Lebanon, news agency Ansa reported on Wednesday.   "In Syria they should also know that if arms arrive from Syria ... the international community will know about it and won't stand by and watch," Massimo D'Alema said in a radio interview, Ansa reported. ...

Annan:Palestinian state key to ME solution
United Press International 2006/8/30
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has linked the settlement of the Middle East conflict with ending Israeli occupation and creating a Palestinian state. ...He said he encouraged Abbas to keep up negotiations with the prime minister of the Hamas-led Palestinian government, Ismail Haniyeh, for the sake of forming a national unity government.   "The U.N. will do what it can to support the Palestinians in that regard," he said. ...
Annan is parroting what Jordan's king Abdullah II told him.  See Combined Jewish Philanthropies story above.

Shiite success unsettling to Sunnis
The Record.com 2006/8/30
...If unchallenged, the Iran-Hezbollah axis of power will end the millenniums-old Sunni Arab domination of the Middle East.   The Shiite-Sunni conflict dates to the beginning of Islam, when a dispute over succession to Prophet Muhammad split the religion into two sects. Sunnis won control of the political institutions and suppressed the Shiites, often brutally. ...

Chavez Says Syria, Venezuela United
The Washington Post 2006/8/30
..."We are here in Damascus to call for peace," Chavez told Venezuela's state television by phone shortly after arriving in Syria late Tuesday. "These two countries are strongly united against the imperialistic aggression and hegemonic pretensions of the U.S. empire."    ..."We appreciate your sincere feelings toward the peoples who have their rights and are under occupation, as well as your sincere humanitarian and moral sentiments," Assad was quoted as saying ...

Chavez visits Syria, pledges solidarity against US
The Daily Star 2006/8/30
Thousands of Syrians lined the streets of their capital Wednesday waving banners welcoming Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who opened his visit with a pledge to stand by Syria in strong opposition to the US government's "imperialistic" aggression in the Middle East.   "We have the same political vision, and we will resist together the American imperialist aggression," Chavez told reporters upon his arrival at Damascus airport late Tuesday. ...

British Troops Mobilizing on Iranian Border
GlobalResearch.ca 2006/8/30
...British commanders have conveniently cited the attacks on the army base of the Queen’s Royal Hussars as motivation for the light cavalry regiment’s departure or desertion. What is noteworthy about the abandonment of the British base in Maysan is that British troops have been redeployed onto the Iranian border. ...Concerned leaders of Iraqi society are accusing the British and American forces of getting ready to attack neighbouring Iran from Iraq. ...

The Samson Strategy
Israel Insider 2006/8/30
...The story of Samson says it straight. We may have made mistakes up and down the block. We may have let ourselves be seduced. We may have squandered our assets and let ourselves to dragged by our shorthairs into danger. We may be led by the vain pride of preening idiot politicians which our foolish people somehow found fit to elect.
But chain us, blind us, and prepare us for mass death and you can bet your little red button that we're going to bring down the whole temple down with us.
And that's why the best use of Israel's presumed arsenal of nukes should be pointed not so much at the population centers of our enemies but at their symbolic centers.
Yes, Mecca. And Medina. Najaf and Qum. Mount Arafat and Baalbek. And, not to be neglected: Al-Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock on Jerusalem's Temple Mount.
The Muslim world must be convinced absolutely that even the most feeble attempt to fire even one weapon of mass destruction at the state of Israel will mean the instant eradication of every site where Muhammed, his disciples, and the various mullahs and imams throughout the twisted history of Islam every set down their feet and their foreheads in prayer and supplication. They will never pray there again without glowing. ...

‘Drastic Solutions Needed for Regional Stability’
Arab News 2006/8/29
 ...the Saudi leader referred to his talks with Jordan’s King Abdallah here last week. “Both of us were convinced that joint efforts are required to protect the region from dangers and ambitious parties,” the king told the ministers. ...

Fatah activists threaten 'intifada'
The Jerusalem Post 2006/8/29
Fatah activists and officials in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip are threatening to launch an "intifada" against veteran leaders of the party, including Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, in an attempt to force them to accept demands for internal reforms and elections. ...

Hizballah Spreading Radical Goals With Fund-Raising Drives
CNSNews 2006/8/29
Hizballah is spreading its destruction-of-Israel ideology at the same time it collects money from the local Lebanese population, an expert here said on Tuesday.   The ceasefire and the implementation of United Nations resolution 1701 does nothing to stop the indoctrination and spread of that propaganda, said Dr. Reuven Erlich, head of the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (ITIC) at the Center for Special Studies near Tel Aviv (an organization dedicated to fallen Israeli Intelligence agents).   "Hizballah is giving priority to social work and indoctrination, mainly among the youngsters," said Erlich. He said Hizballah raises money to buy weapons and combines its fundraising with indoctrination.   "They are raising funds together with indoctrination and distributing Islamic radical ideas about Jihad (holy war) to young people," Erlich said. ...

Jordanian- Iraqi Brotherhood Association Announced
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/28
...During a ceremony organized on Sunday to announce the Jordanian- Iraqi brotherhood Association, Majali underlined the intensive efforts led by His Majesty King Abdullah II to rebuild Iraq, noting to the importance of supporting the Iraqi people ...For her part, President of the Association Shankal Qader said ...'' The Association aims at providing job opportunities and scholarships for Jordanian and Iraqi students, developing business and trade, industrial, and tourist agreements, as well as supporting the cultural, scientific, and artistic activities between the two countries,'' ...
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand

The EU, Israel and International Law: a Blueprint for Peace
Washington Report On Middle East Affairs 2006/8/28
By The International Forum for Justice and Peace
The International Forum for Justice and Peace (IFJP) selected as its principal aim promoting lasting peace between Israel and the emerging State of Palestine. Its two points of departure are international law and the Israeli claim to be a Western state. ...With the adoption of these measures, Israel will listen and climb down within two years—and lasting peace will be in sight. ...
This is a lengthy article, but it shows where the world is moving regarding the middle east issue.

King Abdullah II orders sending urgent aid to Sudan
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/28
...King Abdullah II on Monday gave orders to send urgent aid to brotherly Sudan to help ease the consequences of the floods there ...JHCF General Secretary Abdul Salam Abbadi told Petra that upon His Majesty's directives JHCF will send a plane loaded with 15 tonnes of relief materials.
A benevolent king.

Royal Court Chief meets Patriarch Mar Ignatius
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/28
...Patriarch Ignatius paid tribute to King Abdullah's wise policy and unceasing efforts to realize peace and stability in the Middle East. He also commended the key role of the Hashemites over the years to safeguard and defend the holy places. ...
? 1 Thessalonians 5:3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
They keep saying 'peace and safety' (security/stability), so you know we're getting close to the liftoff point.

Old Shiite-Sunni Blood Feud Drives the Mideast's New Power Play
Los Angeles Times 2006/8/28
...The Middle East that the British created at the end of World War I confirmed Sunni hegemony, but the war in Iraq threatens to undermine it.   The fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003 has unleashed the centuries-old blood feud between Shiites and Sunnis in Iraq, which, in turn, has hardened sectarian hostilities across the Middle East. Meanwhile, Iran's bullish determination to enrich uranium and possibly acquire a nuclear capability deeply worries its Sunni neighbors, who see Iran's hand behind the Shiite drive for power in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East.   No surprise then that Sunni rulers and radical clerics reacted viscerally to Hezbollah's perceived victory in the Lebanon war. But Riyadh's and Amman's denunciations of Shiite rulers and extremist groups, coupled with a flurry of anti-Hezbollah fatwas by radical Sunni clerics, have not diverted the admiring gaze of Arabs everywhere toward Hezbollah. Reversing this situation will not be easy ...

Russia stages a comeback through Syria
The Daily Star 2006/8/28
...Over the last few weeks, Moscow has taken a very assertive position in the United Nations Security Council. Together with China (yet more vigorously), it opposed the initial joint US-French draft resolution that suited Israel. The Russians have taken it upon themselves to be the international advocates for the Lebanese and Syrian governments. ...Official ties between Moscow and Damascus are increasing rapidly. It all started with a January 2005 visit to Moscow by Syrian President Bashar Assad. The Russians announced that they were writing off nearly three-quarters of Syria's $12-13 billion debt. ...It is now beyond reasonable doubt that the Kremlin has decided to take Syria under its wing and use it to stage a "comeback" to Middle East politics. ...

Lebanese MP promises to fight Syria
The Jerusalem Post 2006/8/28
Lebanese opposition MP Walid Jumblatt accused Syria on Monday of playing a major role in the violence in the region and promised to continue to fight them as much as he could. ...The Druse leader in Lebanon spared no insult in describing Syrian President Bashar Assad and his regime, according to Avital, calling Assad deceitful and manipulative. ...

Interpol "agrees to hand over former Syrian vice president Khaddam"
The Raw Story 2006/8/28
Interpol has agreed to hand over former Syrian vice-presidment Abdul Halim Khaddam to Syrian judicial authorities to face prosecution on treason and corruption charges, a Syrian attorney claimed Monday. ...attorney Hossam al-Deen Habash, who filed the lawsuit against Khaddam, said the Interpol office in Damascus had received a response "agreeing to monitor, and launch periodical monitoring" of Khaddam.   When asked what that meant, he said that "Interpol will follow and monitor Khaddam and when he is spotted it will arrest him and hand him over to Damascus office to be turned to Syrian judicial authorities." ...

Saudi foreign minister calls for Arab League revamp
The Daily Star 2006/8/28
Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal has accused some states of compromising their Arab identities through ties with non-Arab countries and called for a revamp of the Arab League. In Saturday's news conference, Prince Saud also said that Israel must take into account its Arab neighbors' security if it wants peace in the Middle East.   "We face the threat of losing our identity. Clearly some countries establish relations with other parties at the expense of relations between member nations," the Saudi minister, a key member of the royal family, said.   "We hope to deal with this matter through improving the Arab performance," he said, referring to a Saudi proposal to restructure the Arab League.   "We hope to define our commitments toward each other in this alliance which is called the Arab League," he added. ...
This again is a reiteration of what King Abdullah II of Jordan has been saying, ..."To speak with one language" so to speak, on behalf of all Arabs.  I see this evolving into a 'United States of Arabia' if you will, that elects a representative, ...a King or President, say ...King Abdullah II of Jordan for instance.  Hmmm!  Meanwhile we'll watch and wait.

Qadhafi calls for self-reliance
Aljazeera 2006/8/28
Muammar al-Qadhafi, Libya's leader, has given a series of speeches over recent months that are increasingly supportive of free-market capitalism and critical of traditional Arab social attitudes. ..."The new phase which starts today requires that nothing be built by foreigners, and whatever is built in Libya will be by Libyans," al-Qadhafi said ...

Hezbollah charade - UN officiates at colonization of south Lebanon by Iran
Calgary Sun Canoe Network 2006/8/28
...Muslim nations -- including countries such as Indonesia who refuse to recognize Israel as a legitimate state -- have been uncharacteristically quick to volunteer the bulk of that.   It doesn't take a keen eye to see what's going on here: The UN has already legitimized Hezbollah by negotiating with them and arranging a ceasefire to save them from Israel. Now the UN is permitting Hezbollah to retrench in south Lebanon. No-one less than the secretary general of the UN has promised Hezbollah will not be troubled by UN troops.   The UN troops are not there to stop Hezbollah. They're there to stop Israel from rooting Hezbollah out. ...

France urges Iran, Syria to work with the world
Reuters 2006/8/28
..."Iran will not find security in the development of hidden (nuclear) programmes, but in its full immersion into the heart of the international community," Chirac said.   "Once again, I urge Tehran to send the necessary signals to create the conditions for trust. There is always room for dialogue," he added.   Turning to Syria, Chirac said it should: "abandon its insular mentality". ...

Germany: Syria must stop sending arms to Hizbullah
The Jerusalem Post 2006/8/28
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Monday that Syria must prevent the smuggling of arms from its own territory to Hizbullah. ...

Could this war produce a Sunni-Israeli alliance?
Haaretz 2006/8/28
...The campaign in Lebanon highlighted the dangers facing the Sunni Arab world from the Iranian-led Shia axis, from Iran to Iraq - which has a Shi'ite-dominated government - to the minority Alawite regime in Syria and Hezbollah in Lebanon. That actually provides a common interest to the Sunni Arab world and Israel. ...

Lantos: No US aid to Lebanon unless UNIFIL patrols Syrian border
The Jerusalem Post 2006/8/28
American aid to Lebanon should be held up until the country agrees to allow international forces to patrol its border with Syria, US Representative Tom Lantos of California said Sunday in Jerusalem. ..."It would be singularly unfair and inequitable in the wake of this disaster to have aid flow to one party, which basically allowed the provocation, but not to the other victims," he said. "Lebanon will get help from Europe, the Arab world and the United States. And unless the United States provides some aid to Israel, Israel will not receive aid."  ...

Kuwaiti Delegation Looks into Jordan's Privatization Experment
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/27
...The head of the Kuwaiti delegation Majed Al-Otaibi affirmed the importance to look into the Jordanian experience in the field of privatization because it is one of the most successful experiments in the Arab world and the most capable of overcoming obstacles encountered in the course of privatization. ...
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand

Jordan, UAE sign agreement to establish Int'l camel racing track
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/27
...Under the agreement, concluded at the UAE embassy in Amman, the UAE will donate the total cost of the five-million-dinar project. ...The project was discussed during a meeting between His Majesty King Abdullah II and UAE late President Sheikh Zayed al-Nahyan and a follow up was made to carry out the project, Zuabi said. Donation to establish the project signals the close brotherly ties linking Jordan with UAE, he added. ...
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand

Al Zu'bi visits 'Al Mushatta' and commends the project
AMEInfo 2006/8/27
...Al Mushatta will be officially launched in the spring of 2007. In association with Jordan Investments Board, an international promotional campaign that includes the United States, Italy, South Korea and China has been scheduled to launch during this year, to demonstrate the distinctions of the project, and to market it globally to attract more capital and foreign investments.   Established as a public shareholding company in 2002 with an investment capital of JD 30 million, the Investors and Eastern Arab for Industrial and Real Estate Investments (IEAI) was created with the aim of initiating heavy and medium high tech industries in Jordan, exploiting trade agreements which encourage foreign investment, as well as exploiting local labour and government incentives which add to the potential of investment growth.
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand

Jordan parliament OKs terrorism law
SeattlePI 2006/8/27
...Jordan's King Abdullah II, who is expected to sign the bill into law, called for the drafting of strict legislation for combating terrorism ...The terrorism law says relations with any terrorist group and organization is an act of terror, whether through direct action or indirectly through financing.   The bill states that recruiting people for domestic or foreign terror networks is a terrorist action, as well as possessing, manufacturing or transporting any raw material that can be used to make weapons for attacks.   Suspects can be detained for up to 30 days with no access to legal counsel, but after that period, they must either be released or formally charged.

UN Backs Down On Syrian Border Troop Deployment
All Headline News 2006/8/27
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Friday that an expanded international peacekeeping force in Lebanon would not help enforce an arms embargo on Hezbollah by deploying along the Syrian border unless specifically asked to do so by Beirut.   Annan's statement came just days after Syrian leader Bashar Assad warned that the stationing of UN troops on his nation's western border would be viewed as "a hostile act."   US and French officials had earlier dismissed Assad's threat, and insisted that the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) would police all of Lebanon's borders in order to deny Hezbollah the ability to rearm. ...

HM the King affirms support for Arab Joint Action
Bahrain News Agency 2006/8/27
His Majesty King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa affirmed Bahrain's support for any Arab effort aimed at enhancing Arab solidarity and unifying ranks at this current stage. ...

Al-Qaeda member: Hizbullah backed by evil
yNetNews 2006/8/27
...It is unclear whether the speaker identified as Rahman on the forum is a reference to al-Qaeda's second in command in Iraq, Abu Abdul Rahman al-Iraqi, and whether the senior al-Qaeda figure actually delivered the message from Lebanon.   The statement does, however, represent the seething resentment of Sunni al-Qaeda, directed at what it sees as an attempted Shiite takeover of the jihad campaign in the Middle East. ...

Palestine Participates in World Assembly of Religions for Peace
WAFA Palestine News Agency 2006/8/27
Palestine participates in a 4-day international conference on religions that opened Saturday in Japan. ...

Analysis: An Arab 'peace offensive'
United Press International 2006/8/26
AMMAN, Jordan ...The Arabs decided to launch a "peace offensive" at the U.N. Security Council to give the international community a larger role in resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict once and for all, but it will be no easy task.   Shortly after the Israeli-Lebanese war erupted last month, stunned Arab regimes came to the conclusion that the comatose peace process is effectively dead and should be reconceived, but under different terms and sponsorship, if wars, armed confrontations and bloodshed are ever to end in the Middle East.   Arab foreign ministers meeting in Cairo last week decided it was time to launch an international peace initiative directly engaging the international community, through the U.N. Security Council, tacitly removing the peace process sponsorship from the United States and the Quartet Committee, ...
This Arab 'peace offensive' was begun by king Abdullah II of Jordan and is a part of his 'new approach for resuming the peace process'.  (See the Monsters & Critics article of 8/10 below).

Education Minister sends letter of thanks to King Abdullah
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/26
...In a letter of thanks and gratitude to His Majesty King Abdullah II for the royal message addressed to school children marking the start of the new school year last Wednesday, Tuqan said the ministry was also working on a set of procedures and instructions to bring to light the excelling student award in every governorate in the kingdom. ...The responsibility of the ministry is not limited to teaching and increasing students' knowledge, rather it goes beyond to instill in them good ethics and noble values derived for our Islamic religion, added the minister, who thanked the King for his efforts and initiatives aimed to upgrade the educational system in the country.
There's no separation of 'religion' and state in Jordan, but rather, integration.  Perhaps we need to relearn this lesson, and hopefully not the hard way.
Psalm 9:17 The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.

"THE JERUSALEM DECLARATION ON CHRISTIAN ZIONISM" - Statement by the Patriarch and Local Heads of Churches In Jerusalem
Uruknet.info 2006/8/26
...Christian Zionism is a modern theological and political movement that embraces the most extreme ideological positions of Zionism, thereby becoming detrimental to a just peace within Palestine and Israel. ...
Reading this article will help one understand why Christ must rapture His 'body', the true church, out of this world before the antichrist can bring in his 'false peace'.
2 Thessalonians 2:6-8 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming...

World Conference on Religion and Peace Starts in Kyoto
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/26
The World Conference on Religion and Peace started in the Japanese city of Kyoto with the participation of 2000 officials and clergymen from 20 countries.   His Royal Highness Prince Hassan Bin Talal is attending the conference.

Siniora Hails King's Stands towards Lebanon
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/25
Lebanese Prime Minister expressed thanks and appreciation for King Abdullah's stands and support for Lebanon ...Lebanese prime minister also hailed the Jordanian relief and its initiative to send a field hospital to treat Lebanese who were wounded during the war.
A benevolent king.

We are All Jordan Commission holds inaugural meeting
The Jordan Times 2006/8/25
...the King said the commission’s mandate was to follow up on the recommendations of the high-ranking gathering and stage its periodic sessions, stressing that it would serve as a Royal advisory body, without transgressing the authority of any constitutional institution. ...Last week, the King met with deputies and senators and urged them to “work as one team” to implement the recommendations of the We are All Jordan Forum.   The lawmakers were members of the forum, which took its decisions through a democratic process. ...

Greek FM meets with King, says Resolution 1701 'not perfect’
The Jordan Times 2006/8/25
...King Abdullah yesterday told Bakoyianni the international community should step up efforts to find solutions to Middle East conflicts “and ensure that Lebanese crisis does not reoccur”, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.   Reiterating the need for supporting the Lebanese government, the King said “war losses were very huge”, which requires more efforts to help end Lebanese suffering. ...
A benevolent king.
? Daniel 7:20 And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.

Jordan offers PA help in restarting peace process
The Jerusalem Post 2006/8/25
Jordan's King Abdullah II promised visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday help in restarting Middle East peacemaking.   Jordan and two other US allies in the Middle East are spearheading an Arab effort to present a plan for reviving the stalled peace process and talks with Israel ...

CTA/ Toyota supports Lebanon
AMEInfo 2006/8/25
In line with His Majesty King Abdullah II's directives, Central Trade and Auto (CTA), the exclusive dealer of Toyota automobiles in Jordan, collaborated with the Jordan River Foundation, the Hashemite Charity Organization, the Lebanese Community in Jordan, and the Red Cross Society to support Lebanon through its difficult crises by taking part in a donation campaign to provide aid and support to the Lebanese people. ...
A benevolent king.

Lebanon War to Continue in Central Asia
Axis Information and Analysis - Global Challenges Research 2006/8/25
...In the Islamic world, many political commentators and spiritual figures emphasize that secular Arabian regimes, even with joint efforts, have never had such a success in confrontation with the Jewish state. Any war with Israel with the participation of regular Arab armies did not last so long - more than a month. Never before the Israeli cities were exposed to missile bombardments during so long time. Coalitions of the Arab armies were unable to expel the Israeli armies from any territory and always suffered defeat. And the Arab regimes that had concluded peace treaties with the Jewish state, failed to achieve release of almost five hundred prisoners from the Israeli prisons. In this connection the representatives of the Sunni fundamentalist movement traditionally accuse secular regimes of the Middle East of passivity, arrangement with the West and even treachery of interests of Moslems. However similar «powerlessness» in the struggle against Israel is characteristic for the Sunni fundamentalism itself. ...
This article appears to include Muslim/Arab/Islamic one sidedness.  However, it is an interesting read to help assess how great a threat the current trends are to the 'free world' as we know it.

Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan 'legitimate’ — government
The Jordan Times 2006/8/25
The government on Thursday said the Kingdom’s Muslim Brotherhood, which was reportedly included in Russia’s “terror” list, was a “legitimate” movement that works in line with the Jordanian Constitution and laws. ...“In Jordan, it’s a peaceful organisation that believes in lawful action, rejects violence and terrorism, and is keen on domestic peace and dialogue,” he added.   Judeh said the Muslim Brotherhood is a “genuine part of national political life that exercises opposition policies in a responsible way and through its deputies in the Lower House”. ...
But what happens when they're the majority?  Only time will tell.

Abbas' Party OKs Hamas Unity Government
The Washington Post 2006/8/25
...The Fatah Central Committee gave Abbas "all the powers to begin consultations with all the national factions in order to form a national unity government," Fatah member Hani al-Hassan said. ...

Chavez eyes Syria visit to strengthen ties
The Washington Post 2006/8/25
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said on Friday he planned a visit to Syria to bolster ties in a move likely to rankle Washington, which charges the Arab nation with sponsoring terrorism.   Chavez, a harsh critic of U.S. foreign and trade policies, has strengthened political and energy ties with nations at odds with the Bush administration, such as Cuba and Iran, as he seeks to counter Washington's influence. ...

War with Iran? Military Movements throughout Eurasia
Global Research 2006/8/25
...the world’s lone superpower—now a hyperpower as Hubert Védrine the former French Minister of Foreign Affairs originally termed it—the United States is resolute on establishing dominance over this area in a chess game that involves the heir to the Soviet Union—the post-Soviet Russian Federation—the Peoples’ Republic of China, and Iran. ...

Syria cuts off power flow, denies political message
The Daily Star 2006/8/25
Syria announced on Thursday it had suspended the flow of electricity it supplies to Lebanon, citing technical problems with its own power grid. Syria's state-owned electricity company issued a statement which said it could no longer provide electricity through two separate lines. ...

King Congratulates President of Uruguay
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/24
...King Abdullah II on Thursday sent a cable to President Tabare Vazquez of the Republic of Uruguay congratulating him in his name ...
? John 5:43 "I am come in my Father's name (HASHEM), and ye receive me not: if another shall come "in his own name" (HASHEMITE), him ye will receive.

King Congratulates President of Moldova
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/24
...King Abdullah II on Thursday sent a cable to President Vladimir Voronin of the Republic of Moldova congratulating him in his name ...
? John 5:43 "I am come in my Father's name (HASHEM), and ye receive me not: if another shall come "in his own name" (HASHEMITE), him ye will receive.

King Receives Palestinian President
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/24
...King Abdullah said Jordan will do its utmost during the coming stage, at the Arab and the International levels, to revive the peace process and return the Palestinian and the Israeli sides back to the negotiating table. ...King Abdullah II affirmed Jordan's support to the Palestinian-Palestinian dialogue that aims at strengthening the Palestinian front. ...His Majesty reaffirmed that Jordan will continue its communications with the international community to guarantee the continuation of assisting the Palestinian people. ...
? Daniel 7:8, Revelation 13:5 …And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things…
It appears clear that it is King Abdullah II of Jordan who is the 'one' speaking 'in one voice' for and on behalf of the Arab World to the international community of nations.

Report: Syria Readying Guerilla Attacks On Israel
All Headline News 2006/8/24
A new Syrian guerilla group modeled on Lebanon's Hezbollah is preparing itself to initiate hostilities against the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights in the near future, reported Iranian state-run television Wednesday.   In an interview with Al-Alam TV, a man identifying himself as the leader of the new Front for the Liberation of the Golan Heights (FLGH) said hundred