Right On!: An appeal of faith to President George W. Bush
The Jerusalem Post 2006/10/31
Dear Mr. President, I am writing to you because I am afraid. I have been closely following the rhetoric of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over the past few months, and I want you to know that I am gripped with a sense of fear.   I fear for the future of Israel and for that of the entire Jewish people, as the would-be Hitler of Persia readies to do battle against us with the most horrific of weapons.   I fear for the future of the West, because outside of Washington, few and far between are the leaders with the common sense and courage to stand up to the Tyrant of Teheran.   And I fear for the future of the world, because if Iran's fundamentalists get their hands on a nuclear weapon, it will only be a matter of time before their extremist allies abroad become similarly armed.   Hence, I am writing to you because I am convinced that you alone understand and appreciate the gravity of the current situation, and I pray in my heart that you will not let it stand.   I appeal to you now, not as a political analyst nor as a newspaper columnist, but as one man of faith to another: Please strike Iran hard with military force, and dismantle its nuclear weapons program, before it is too late. ...
Contributed by Bob Anderson.

On a side note:
What Is Japan's Potential Military Might?
TCS Daily 2006/10/31
...Now, imagine if Japan were to increase its defense spending to the same level of GDP as the UK or South Korea. That would push Japan's defense budget to the range of $109 to $124 billion a year. The latter figure is fifty percent larger than China's present defense spending. If Japan went to spending the same amount of its GDP as China did, it would be spending $190 billion, well over twice China's military budget. ...
COMMENT: With brand new state of the art or beyond equipment that works.
Article and comment contributed by Bob Anderson.

Crossfire War - Israel Threatens to Bombard UNIFIL Headquarters if Attacked
NewsBlaze.com 2006/10/31
This is an immediate follow up to yesterday's article on how the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has enlarged the war in West Asia by extending it into the eastern Mediterranean off the coasts of Israel-Syria-Lebanon. UNIFIL commander, French General Alain Pellegrini met Saturday, at the UNIFIL headquarters in Beirut, with the European Union foreign policy representative Javier Solana to convince him the EU should pressure Israel to halt its overflights into Lebanon, a violation of the ceasefire agreement in August. As the news has stated constantly since the ceasefire Israel conducts the flights in order to monitor Hezbollah's arms smuggling, which is also in flagrant violation. ...In response Jerusalem has just announced if UNIFIL fires on Israel's flights then Israel will bombard UNIFIL headquarters in south Lebanon. In unofficial support of that bombardment will be Damascus-Tehran who also hate the European-UNIFIL presence in Lebanon, which they probably view as Paris' way of re-establishing its control over the Levant, countries in the eastern Mediterranean that had been under Paris' control during the latter half of the 19th century. ...

Lahoud suggests changes to Hariri tribunal
The Daily Star 2006/10/31
President Emile Lahoud released a 32-page report on Monday on the formation of an international court to try those accused of assassinating former Premier Rafik Hariri. In the report, Lahoud made several suggestions, such as changing the name of the court from "special," like that of Rwanda and Yugoslavia, to "a tribunal with an international status," as it will focus on "an assassination and not war crimes." ...Responding to Lahoud, Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh said: "When was a suspect allowed to choose the court before which he will stand and the identity of the judges who will prosecute him?"   "When has the suspect, more precisely the killer, had a word to say on legal procedures that he believes adequate in a prosecution?" He asked.   He added: "Statements that are issued as presidential notes are nothing but a constitutional violation, a judicial heresy and a political scandal."   Hamadeh also said that Syrian President Bashar Assad was "using the president, whose term was extended by force, to hamper or delay the creation of an international tribunal that will prosecute Hariri's assassins."   He added: "The 30-page notes issued by [President] Emile Lahoud should be used as information against him and against his masters." ...
? Daniel 7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots
Continued justification for Assad's uprooting.

U.S. preparing Abbas guard to take on Hamas
Haaretz 2006/10/31
The Bush administration has undertaken efforts to arm and train the Presidential Guard of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas in order to prepare it for a potential violent confrontation with Hamas forces in the Gaza Strip.   According to information received in Jerusalem, the American security coordinator in the territories, General Keith Dayton, appeared before representatives of the Quartet in London last week and presented them with a program for bolstering the Palestinian presidential guard. The program calls for Egyptian, British and perhaps even Jordanian instructors to train the force loyal to Abbas. ...

US: Iran, Syria purposely breaking Hizb'allah arms embargo
Jerusalem Newswire 2006/10/31
US Ambassador to the UN John Bolton on Monday accused Syria and Iran of purposely violating an internationally-imposed arms embargo on Hizb'allah in an effort to destabilize Lebanon's government. ...
? Daniel 7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots
Continued justification for Assad's uprooting.

UN: Arms still smuggled into Lebanon from Syria
yNetNews 2006/10/31
...Lebanon regularly reports arms being smuggling into the country from Syria but the authorities are treading softly due to their fragile political situation, a senior UN Envoy said on Monday. ...US Ambassador John Bolton, quoting Roed-Larsen, said the officials were not being precise about the smuggling for fear of retaliation from Syria.   “The absence of complete cooperation by the government of Syria remains very troubling in that respect and I think it’s very courageous for any of the democratic politicians in Lebanon to go about their business under that kind of threat,” Bolton told reporters. ...
? Daniel 7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots
Continued justification for Assad's uprooting.

500 Media Persons to Discuss Role of Local Radios in Development
Jordan News Agency 2006/10/31
More than 500 media persons from 110 Arab and foreign countries will gather in Amman on November 11 to take part in a conference that would shed light on the role of local radios in development. ...

America Training and Arming PLO Militia
Arutz Sheva 2006/10/31
The Bush administration has begun arming and training the militia under the control of PLO chairman and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) under the premise that his men will clash with the ruling Hamas terror group.   When the PLO actually ruled the Palestinian Authority, a similar rationale was given as the PA security militia was armed and trained. PA troops, however, were later involved in terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians and confrontations with the IDF, using the very weapons they had been given. ...

Olmert threatens action in Gaza
Chicago Tribune 2006/10/31
Israel will take action to stop Palestinian arms smuggling and rocket fire in the Gaza Strip, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Monday, but he could not point to specific solutions.   Olmert also said any new offensive would not result in Israel's retaking Gaza, which it left a year ago after a 38-year occupation. ..."There is no doubt that we have to take steps to reduce the ability of the Palestinians to fire rockets at Israel and smuggle in weapons," Olmert told the Cabinet ...

IRAN, SYRIA CITED AS LEADING CLIENTS OF RUSSIA
Middle East Newsline 2006/10/31
Iran and Syria have been deemed the leading defense clients of Russia in the Middle East.   The Congressional Research Service said Iran and Syria were the biggest Middle East importers of Russian weapons from 2002 through 2005. In a report, CRS said the orders marked Russia's return to the Middle East weapons market. ...

King Abdullah addresses Netherland's parliament
Jordan News Agency 2006/10/30 (full text of speech)
His Majesty King Abdullah II on Monday said that track towards tolerance and respect is not restricted to Moslems only. All countries and peoples should play their role in this regard, His Majesty said in a speech addressing the Netherland’s parliament. He urged representatives of the Dutch people to raise their voice high against the stereotype images and degradation , and for cooperation to help young people in the two countries for a new future in which all differences are respected , and to understand that we are all partners in humanity. ...It is time to move peace forward. We need an international partnership of action, to encourage and support a return to negotiations and keep the parties moving towards results. And we must act now. Time is critical. With every day of delay, more lives are lost and more futures destroyed.   The partnership for peace … for development … for understanding: all reflect humanity’s common bonds. Our people, our countries, our region and our world will share earth’s destiny. We must and can make it a future of promise. ...
? Daniel 7:8, Rev. 13:5 ...And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things

Jordanian and Dutch governments sign agreement
Jordan News Agency 2006/10/30
Jordanian and Dutch governments on Monday signed an anti double taxation agreement. The signature came on the sidelines of the state visit of Their Majesties King Abdullah II and Queen Rania to the Kingdom of Holland. ...Signing the agreement comes within Jordan’s efforts to open doors with the world and afford an investment ambience capable of attracting more investment to the promising economic sectors in Jordan, in order to create more job opportunities ... .   By signing this agreement the number of countries Jordan has signed anti double taxations agreements with is raised to 24 countries.
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand
Contributed by Jody Deasy.

Jordanian Royals In Netherlands For Three-day Visit
Playfuls.com 2006/10/30
...Abdullah and Rania are in the Netherlands at the invitation of Beatrix, who has long had close relations with the Jordanian royals. They will be in the country until Wednesday. ...Abdullah is to make a total of five speeches during the visit. The first on Monday to the upper house of the Dutch parliament will be on challenges and expectations in the Middle East from a Jordanian perspective.   According to information from Jordanian officials, Abdullah is to hold talks on the latest developments in the Middle East and efforts to reinvigorate the stalled Arab-Israeli peace process.   The schedule also includes a speech to an audience of Islamic and Christian clerics in Amsterdam. ...

King, Queen Start State Visit to the Netherlands
Jordan News Agency 2006/10/30
...The visit was scheduled last November, but it was postponed due to the terrorist attacks that targeted a number of hotels in Amman.   This visit is the first official one that the King pays to the Netherlands since his assumption of his constitutional powers. ...He will urge the international community to help establish a Palestinian state.   His Majesty will also speak to a group of Muslims and Christian religious leaders about the important role of European Muslim communities in clarifying the true message of Islam.   The King will also address the International Court of Justice, talking about Jordan’s vision of justice and peace in the region.
? Daniel 7:8, Rev. 13:5 ...And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things
? Daniel 11:23 And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people.

U.S., allies hold anti-WMD drill at Iran's doorstep
Reuters 2006/10/30
Twenty five nations took part in a U.S.-led naval exercise on Monday in waters not far from Iran aimed at training forces to block the transport of weapons of mass destruction and related equipment.   The exercise comes as tensions rise between Iran and the West over its nuclear program, which critics say has as its goal the production of a nuclear bomb. ..."The message is clear: 'responsible countries will not stand aside as proliferators circumvent their international obligations'," U.S. Ambassador to Bahrain William Monroe told reporters at a Bahrain naval facility after the drill.   "Responsible countries will not hesitate to deny proliferators safe haven," Monroe said, adding that the exercise had been planned several months ago. ...

PM: Israel will stop Palestinian arms
Chron.com 2006/10/30
Israel will take action to stop Palestinian arms smuggling and rocket fire in the Gaza Strip, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Monday, but he could not point to specific solutions.   Olmert also said any new offensive would not result in Israel's retaking Gaza, which it left a year ago after a 38-year occupation. ...

Israel killed 300 Hamas operatives in three months: Olmert
ZeeNews.com 2006/10/30
Israeli security forces have killed 300 Hamas operatives in the past three months and would expand operations in the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said today. ...The premier also said he would consider allowing Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas to beef up his loyalist forces with troops stationed in neighbouring Jordan. ..."If the addition of a military force will not hurt our security, then this will be considered favourably," Olmert was quoted as saying.

Peace deal if Israel quits occupied lands: Moussa
Gulf Times 2006/10/30
ARABS are prepared to strike a peace deal with Israel provided that the latter withdraws from occupied Arab territories, Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa said in Doha yesterday. "The other conditions are that Israel should settle the problem of Jerusalem and the refugees issue, and start negotiations on the establishment of a Palestinian state," he said. ..."There are conspiracies to partition Iraq and there are forces which promote the division of Iraq," he said.   Though pressed by Tim Sebastian, the moderator, to name these forces, he refused saying that "everybody knows who these forces are".   "The Arab League has been trying to reconcile the Iraqi parties since 2003, but the effort needs the support of the UN, the US and Iraqis themselves," he said. ..."There is no honest peace broker. If it were not for the Western double standards, a solution could have been reached a long time ago. ...

How the ADC and ISM use "civil rights" to help make war on Israel and America
CanadaFreePress.com 2006/10/30
On its website, The American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) touts itself as an organization set up to protect the civil rights of not only Arab-Americans, but of "all people." Designed to appear as a carbon copy of the Jewish Anti-Defamation League (ADL), set up in 1913, which has always fought discrimination not only against Jews in America, but blacks and Hispanics, the ADC's activities have in fact not been in the interests of "all people," but rather to promote an anti-Israel agenda in the United States and promote the goals of overseas anti-US revolutionaries and even terrorist groups. ...

90 Russian school boys to spend Fall vacation in Jordan
Jordan News Agency 2006/10/29
Ninety Russian school boys due to arrive in Amman on Monday upon an invitation from His Majesty King Abdullah II to spend their Fall Vacation in Jordan.  The students belong to Russian School of Beslan, which was targeted by a terrorist act two years ago. ...The Russian Regional Social Fund issued a statement in which it praised King’s human and noble stance. ...The visit also, the statement affirmed, set a good example to be emulated for coexisting between Islam and Christian.
Contributed by Jody Deasy.

WMD intercept exercise set to begin in the Gulf
MSNBC 2006/10/29
...Monday's exercise comes as the US seeks to counter Iran's growing influence in the region by promoting a new "strategic partnership" with the oil-rich Arab Gulf states. This partnership is aimed at bolstering the states' air defences in the face of security threats, whether from terrorism or a possible military conflict with Iran.   US officials suggest Gulf Arab states have a keen interest in closer security co-operation and that all, except Saudi Arabia, had "formally endorsed" PSI, motivated by concerns over Iran's nuclear intentions. ...

Islam, Terror and the Second Nuclear Age
The New York Times 2006/10/29
...When the Arab League’s secretary general, Amr Moussa, called for “a Middle East free of nuclear weapons” this past May, it wasn’t Israel that prompted his remarks. He was worried about Iran, whose self-declared ambition to become a nuclear power has been steadily approaching realization.   The anti-Israel statements of the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, coupled with Iran’s support for Hezbollah and Hamas, might lead you to think that the Arab states would welcome Iran’s nuclear program. After all, the call to wipe the Zionist regime from the map is a longstanding cliché of Arab nationalist rhetoric. But the interests of Shiite non-Arab Iran do not always coincide with those of Arab leaders. ...

The Netherlands..one of the Most developed Countries in the World
Views with Appreciation Jordan’s Accomplishments
Jordan News Agency 2006/10/28
...Economic officials pointed to the economic and investment advantages that Jordan enjoys at the top of which are stability and security.   Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Bot said that His Majesty King Abdullah II plays an important role in the Middle East to achieve peace due to the respect he enjoys on the international level and the distinguished ties he has with world countries and the United States. ...Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Dutch Parliament Jozias Van Aartsen described the upcoming visit of His Majesty the King to the Netherlands as important, noting it will update the Netherlands on situation in the Middle East.   He also noted King Abdullah's efforts to achieve peace in the region.   "It is important that we listen to His Majesty, who has distinguished ties with the Dutch Royal family that serve interests of both the Jordanian and Dutch peoples," he added. ...
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand
? Revelation 13:3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.

New aid convoy heads for Palestine
Jordan News Agency 2006/10/28
In implementation of Royal directives, HRH Prince Rashid Ben Al Hassan saw off the new aid convoy that headed for the Palestinian territories on Saturday.   "The new aid convoy comprises 8 trucks laden with 75 tons of canned meat donated by the Charity Committee in Bahrain," Secretary General of the Jordanian Hashemite Charity Organization ...
A benevolent king?  To see what appears to be the other side of this king, read the open letter linked here.

Erikat: Palestine economy collapsing
Aljazeera 2006/10/28
...He said: "This economy is on the verge of collapse. The figures are extremely critical. The government must move to deal with this unprecedented crisis." ...Yahya Moussa, a Hamas lawmaker, said: "They destroyed the economy because it was built on the basis of international aid and Israeli goodwill gestures." ...Abbas wanted an agreement that would have at least implied recognition of Israel. Hamas, whose charter calls for Israel's destruction, said it would never recognise Israel, even implicitly. ...

Abbas hopes to import PLO reinforcements from Jordan
The Jerusalem Post 2006/10/28
The Defense Ministry is weighing a request by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to beef up his loyalist forces with Palestine Liberation Organization troops stationed in Jordan. ...As a PLO force, they would bolster Abbas in his showdown with the militantly anti-Israel Hamas, which runs the PA but does not belong to the PLO.   In the past, Israel has refused to let Badr troops enter PA areas. ...

Rice steps up pressure on Hizbullah
The Jerusalem Post 2006/10/28
...Rice urged Hizbullah to lay down its arms according to the cease-fire that ended its 34-day war with Israel last summer, and choose between being a militant group and a legitimate political organization.   Hizbullah is under heavy international pressure to surrender its weapons, but the Iranian- and Syrian-backed group - which holds 11 seats in the Lebanese parliament and two spots in the Cabinet -has refused to disarm. ...
Or what?

Crossfire War - Israel to Bomb Weapons Tunnel Network - Egypt - Gaza Border
News Blaze 2006/10/28
...according to the Israeli daily Maariv, the Israel Air Force (IAF) is seriously considering using precision guided bombs to destroy the tunnel networks being used by Islamic militants to smuggle tons of weapons into the Gaza Strip. ...The targeted area of concentration is known as the Philadelphi Corridor between the Egyptian - Gaza Strip border. Israel has admitted that ever since their withdrawal from Gaza last year they have not been able to control the vast amount of weapons smuggling routinely conducted by Palestinian groups. ...

Open Letter to U.S. Secretary of State Dr. Condoleeza Rice:
Jordanians Under Absolute Monarchical Siege
Arab Times 2006/10/27
...The great majority of Jordanians firmly believe that Jordan is governed by a ruthless clique influencing King Abdullah’s absolute monarchical decisions: his wife Queen Rania, Director of General Intelligence Directorate (GID), Director of King Abdullah Office, several unelected influential senators and bribed journalists, and many members of a rubber stamp parliament who have been elected via unlawful election means, such as “vote buying,” “ballot stuffing,” “ghost voting” and “depressing the vote share of the rival candidates” with direct assistance and official involvement of the GID officers.   According to a former GID officer, who asked to be remain anonymous, told JNM that “before Parliament elections, we summon potential candidates to the GID headquarters in Amman and we tell them that in order to be elected, they (candidates) must not oppose the king and abide later by directions and orders issued privately by the GID.” In the daily newspaper Alarab Alyawm, columnist Mohammad Al-Subaihi, wrote in an article on Tuesday, September 26, 2006, titled “Death Knell to Parliament,” “I sincerely hope that this Parliament goes home unreturned…” Another writer, Sameeh Al-Maitah, stated in an article, published in Al Ghad daily newspaper on Thursday, September 28, 2006, that the “government owns and dictates the opinions of more than 80 members (70%) of current Parliament.”   As far as the media is concerned, the regime in Jordan displays essential features of an authoritarian media system. All broadcast media are controlled and manipulated by the appointed government and royal court circles. Strict control over Jordan Radio and Television is exercised through the GID, which also oversees print media, and can act against any perceived dissension: incarceration, employment termination and newspaper closure or suspension. ...The Hashemite family is in disarray! In an invited presentation held in Amman a few weeks ago, Prince Hassan (the former Crown Prince to the late King Hussein), asked attendees to convey to the Jordanian people that he has disowned himself officially and politically from the current regime of King Abdullah. Jordanians live under a cruel dictatorial regime that refuses dialogue with the opposition (a my way or the highway kind of mentality), imposes its will on the people, uses fear and intimidation by throwing dissidents in jail, changes governments as it pleases, and resorts to bribes to enlist supporters and appoint them in key governmental and royal court positions. ...
In the content of the above referenced excerpted letter some Jordanians reveal a very stark picture of what appears to be the dark side of King Abdullah II, The Hashemite King of Jordan, and indicate that there appears to be a definite deterioration of his personality. If true, this indicates to me that he is already on the slide toward perdition, much the same as Saddam and others before him who obtained absolute power.  If what we read about him here is true, and if he IS the Man Of Peace as many already believe he will become, it is my opinion that he will now need to work real fast to make 'the peace' and obtain his kingdom before the rest of the world catches on to his 'real self'. Most understand it that from the time 'the peace covenant is confirmed' to the revelation of the 'Peacemaker' as having become the AC is only 3 1/2 years.  The time appears to be getting much nearer to the jump off point. Hold on to your seats and get ready for the ride!

Nuclear holocaust: A risk too big even for martyrs?
International Herald Tribune 2006/10/27  (A lengthy but interesting article.)
... Islamism itself shows no signs of being on the wane as a social or political force.   That means that the best we can hope for in nuclear Islamic states in the near term is a rational dictator like Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan, who sees his bread buttered on the side of an alliance with the West. Such rulers can be very strong and can bring stability, but we also know that their rule (or reign) promotes Islamist opposition, with its often violent overtones. When such rulers die or otherwise fall from power, the Islamists will be poised to use the international power conferred by nuclear weapons to pursue their own ends - ends for now overwhelmingly likely to be anti-American. ...

Pivotal Vote in Iran – Dec. 15    The Bush Military Option Hangs Largely on Its Outcome
DEBKA-Net-Weekly 2006/10/27  (story on page 3)
...The Iranian war planners also estimate that the American task force will kick off its assault mission against Iran by capturing the Abu Mussa Island, where Iran has massed a large military force made up mainly of Revolutionary Guards personnel, who are scattered in small military anchorages built on the island for Iranian military operations in the Persian Gulf.    An extremist victory would be the signal for attack.   These concerns are keeping supreme ruler Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in tight consultation with his advisers while the commanders of the military and Revolutionary Guards commanders burn the midnight oil in intensive, round-the-clock conferences on ways and means of fending off the encroaching danger.   DEBKA-Net-Weekly’s sources do not corroborate or contradict the intelligence ruffling feathers in Tehran about American intentions. But the Iranians are sufficiently impressed by its credibility to align their forces for defense against assault; war tensions in the Iranian capital and across the Arabian Gulf can be cut with a knife. Our Washington and Gulf sources attest to the ongoing build-up of US naval, air and marine might Iran in the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea to a level commensurate with a decision to strike Iran. (See attached active map - http://debka-net-weekly.com/pics/map2/AttackOnIran08.html).  But they are convinced that the Bush administration would rather hold off until it sees how the December 15 election for the Iranian regime’s key body, the Council of Experts, turns out. ...

Exploring Jerusalem, the holy city of three religions
The Seattle Times 2006/10/27
... I ended each day on the fourth-floor roof terrace of the Hashimi Hotel. It was a full-moon week, and each night as the sun set, the moon rose from behind the Mount of Olives. From the terrace, I listened to the call to prayer — Allah being praised in a dozen voices from a dozen different minarets — and watched the lights come on in a thousand windows.   From that vantage point, it was easier to see Jerusalem as one sacred city, and not a place of competing realities and simmering resentment. From the rooftop, the people in the windows were just people making dinner — not Jews, Muslims or Christians.   The stones of Jerusalem have been sanctified in prayer in nearly every language on Earth. Hope for the future lies in recognizing that those prayers have much in common, no matter who gives them voice.
The statement 'no matter who gives them voice' is a key factor in how the antichrist is enabled to come to power.  The world is so fearful of terror that they want peace no matter who it comes by, be it God or devil who promises delivery of it.

Palestinian 'humiliation'?
The Washington Times 2006/10/27
... Comparing the Palestinian cause to her own civil rights struggle growing up in "segregated Birmingham, Alabama," Miss Rice reminded the activist audience that if she could overcome such tremendous odds to become Secretary of State, Palestinians could achieve their dream of statehood. She based this belief on "the commitment of the Palestinian people to a better future."   Where does Mr. Bush's most loyal and trusted aide find evidence of this "commitment?" She offered none in her speech. Even if she had wanted to, though, such proof is in short supply. Poll after poll has indicated majority Palestinian support for suicide bombings. Even the term used for bombers, "shahids," is one of glorification, the equivalent of calling someone a saint. And whereas children across the world have posters in their room of sports stars or famous artists, Palestinian youths decorate their living space with posters celebrating "shahids." ...Miss Rice was right on at least one count: Palestinians "have suffered too long." It is sadly simplistic, however, to lay blame squarely on Israel, as she implicitly did. The "daily humiliation of occupation" referenced by Miss Rice is something most Israelis were ready to end through the creation of a Palestinian state. It has been unrelenting terrorism that has made that impossible.   And with the Islamic indoctrination that continues largely unabated, the sad reality is that Palestinians are likely to move further and further away from accepting peaceful coexistence with the Jewish state.

Is There Now a Muslim Caliphate?
ChronWatch.com 2006/10/26 (by Pete Fisher)
...For years I have been wondering who on this Earth could handle a task that large, as well as gain the trust of Israel and the West. Who could make a claim to be able to accomplish this, but also begin this with the consent of the entire globe?   Enter King Abdullah II of Jordan, son of Hussein, 43rd direct descendent of Mohammed in a long line of Hashemites. The Hashemite Kingdom once controlled the Middle East as well as having had the task of maintaining all Muslim sacred places and shrines, Mecca, Medina, and of course the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. ...
Contributed by Rob Thompson.

Boiling Point: Jordan, Syria in Water War
The Media Line 2006/10/26
...Syria is yet to comply with past agreements on sharing resources of Yarmouk River, according to officials in Amman. ...insiders say officials from Amman were furious that Syria refused to release water from its dams on the Yarmouk River to the newly built Wehda dam, one of the main arteries that would be feeding the kingdom with much-needed drinking water in the summer. Officials say Syria owes Jordan at least 15 million cubic meters of water. ...Officials are also accusing Syria of drilling 360 wells on the banks of the Yarmouk River in violation of the 1987 water agreement.   The wells are drying up the volatile underground water resources, which supplies Jordan with most of its needs.   Some officials said the government could go for international arbitration if further talks hit a snag. Other extreme measures are up for discussion including lodging a complaint to the International Court of Justice to settle the issue once and for all. ...
? Daniel 7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots
Continued justification for Assad's uprooting.

'Hamas doesn't want to destroy Israel'
The Jerusalem Post 2006/10/26
Hamas wants to "liberate the Palestinians," not to destroy Israel, Javier Solana, the European Union's foreign policy chief, told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday.   In an interview following his talks in Tel Aviv with Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Solana insisted that it was "not impossible" for Hamas to change and "recognize the existence of Israel." History had shown that people and nations "adapt to reality," he said. "I don't want to lose hope." ...
It is clearly obvious by his own words that Solana does not believe his own ears, but rather is a wishful thinker.  He definitely needs to get a life and believe what they say or soon it will be too late.

Bush Warns Syria And Iran Against Creating Instability In Iraq, Lebanon
All Headline News 2006/10/26
..."Iran and Syria understand full well that the world expects them to help Iraq. And we've made that very clear to them," the American President said at a news conference focused on the Iraq war.   "Our message to Syria is consistent: Do not undermine the Siniora government in Lebanon. Help Israel get back the prisoner that was capture by Hamas. Don't allow Hamas and Hezbollah to plot attacks against democracies in the Middle East. Help inside of Iraq. They know our position, as well," ...
? Daniel 7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots
Continued justification for Assad's uprooting.

Israel, Syria heighten alert for possible war - Military presence boosted as Assad warns of looming conflict over Golan
WorldNetDaily 2006/10/26
Israel has visibly beefed up its military presence here in the Golan Heights while neighboring Syria reportedly has placed its army on high alert and has warned it is preparing for a possible war with the Jewish state. ...
? Daniel 7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots

Kurdistan – The Quest for Statehood
Kurdish Aspect 2006/10/26
The Kurds are prone to repeating the mantra that they are the largest nation in the Middle East without a state, though not for lack of trying, fighting, and sacrificing. After decades of struggle, the Iraqi Kurds appear to be finally in a position to live in peace and prosperity within the safe boundaries of Iraqi Kurdistan, whether it is a de facto state, a de jure state, or just simply a broadly autonomous "federated region" within the greater federation of Iraq. In the words of MEMRI's Baghdad analysts, the Kurds are "the luckiest horse likely to collect the prizes of the American war to bring down the Saddam regime," and it is among the Kurdish people that the Americans are most likely to find true friends and allies. ...

Is Mahmoud Abbas planning a coup?
The Jerusalem Post 2006/10/26
Hamas has instructed its followers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip to be on high alert following unconfirmed reports that Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah party are planning a coup against the Hamas government on Saturday. ...

Ahmadinejad, Jordan's King Abdullah talk on phone
Islamic Republic News Agency 2006/10/25
Jordan's King Abdullah II, in a telephone conversation Tuesday evening, expressed felicitations to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the nation on the advent of Eid-ul Fitr.   Stressing the importance of stronger ties between Iran and Jordan as two major Islamic states in the region, the Jordanian king called for efforts to promote Tehran-Amman cooperation in all areas.   Congratulating world Muslims, particularly the Jordanian people, on this auspicious occasion, the Iranian president emphasized that greater unity and cooperation among Islamic states would ensure the dignity of the Islamic world. ...
? Daniel 11:21 ...but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries

Is There Now a Muslim Caliphate?
Pete Fisher 2006/10/25  (Pete is a frequent guest on CHNRadio.com's Middle East Intelligence Report on Monday evenings.)
...For years I have been wondering who on this Earth could handle a task that large, as well as gain the trust of Israel and the West. Who could make a claim to be able to accomplish this, but also begin this with the consent of the entire globe?   Enter King Abdullah II of Jordan, son of Hussein, 43rd direct descendent of Mohammed in a long line of Hashemites. The Hashemite Kingdom once controlled the Middle East as well as having had the task of maintaining all Muslim sacred places and shrines, Mecca, Medina, and of course the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. ...He has been called The Great peacemaker by the Jews, he ahs been praised by the E.U., U.N., and the Unites States. He has visited about every single nation on Earth pushing his agenda, and seems to find wide acceptance in his plans for peace.   Now he has outlawed terrorism in Islam. Flying the Hashemite flag over countries in his coalition, as well as his plans to build a 400 some foot tower on the Temple Mount emblazoned with Hashemite symbols. He has shown that he will not tolerate terror, he has basically redefined Islam to the West, and he has gained the trust of the world. ...
Contributed by Pete Fisher.

President Bush, Listen to Iraqis
The Washington Post 2006/10/24
...Iraq must be partitioned. The U.S. can advance its ultimate goal of spreading democracy in the Middle East by doing so. In a partitioned Iraq, ethnic and religious minority groups can take a breath and protect their own rights. With autonomy and some ability to determine local education, culture, and economic development, ethnic minorities will grow increasingly secure. They will be more willing to accept the authority and legitimacy of the larger national state. ...

U.S. blames Iran, Syria for Iraq violence
Reuters 2006/10/24
America's civilian and military leaders in Iraq linked Iran and Syria with al Qaeda on Tuesday as forces trying to tear the country apart and prevent the United States from establishing a stable democracy.   The comments from ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and General George Casey were among the strongest U.S. officials have levelled against Iraq's two neighbours over alleged support for armed groups behind much of the bloodshed. ...
? Daniel 7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots
Continued justification for Assad's uprooting.

Splitting Iraq into three- solution or fresh nightmare?
Scotsman.com 2006/10/24
...more than half of Iraq's 26 million citizens live in just four cities; three of those have an ethnic mix.
Q: Why are these plans being considered now?
A: They are not new. As early as 2002, before the invasion, the US vice-president, Dick Cheney, and deputy defence secretary, Paul Wolfowitz, were drawing up plans for the break-up of Iraq. Their vision involved joining the Sunni west with pro-US Jordan into one large Hashemite kingdom. ...New but similar plans are being floated by James Baker, the former US secretary of state, who is advising President George Bush. ...

Olmert greets Abbas on Eid
Times of Oman 2006/10/24
...Olmert also thanked Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak yesterday for help in trying to secure the release of a soldier seized by Gaza-based fighters.

Why Arabs won't assist Palestinians
The Register-Guard 2006/10/23
...Israel, the United States and the European Union continue to withhold funds as long as Hamas refuses to recognize the state of Israel.   Why, then, any reasonable person could be expected to ask, don't the Arab nations pick up the slack and help the Palestinians? Why indeed?   According to Al Jazeera, the Palestinian Authority needs $140 million monthly in order to function; it has thus far received $50 million, with about $40 million more pledged by the Arab League.   The truth is that the Palestinians have never fared well at the hands of the Arab nations.   According to Islam Online: "Arab regimes have always demanded that the international community come to the aid of Palestinians and force Israel to accept the return of refugees. Arab states did not consider it their moral or financial responsibility to take the weight of the Palestinian refugee crisis." ...

Syria now paying Golan Heights public officials
yNetNews 2006/10/23
Syrian President Bashar Assad, who has recently been directing his citizens to move to the Golan Heights, has now started paying scores of local Golan residents official state salaries.   Israeli officials interpret Assad's latest moves as attempting to underscore Syria's "ownership" of the Heights and pressure the Jewish state into giving up the strategic territory. The officials said there are some indications Assad may stage a provocation aimed at restarting negotiations with Israel over relinquishing the Heights. ...
? Daniel 7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots
Continued justification for Assad's uprooting.

PA Educational Campaign to Detach Jews from Jerusalem
Arutz Sheva 2006/10/23
..."One significant message that has been strongly emphasized by repeated broadcasting of the same programs," write PMW's Itamar Marcus and Barbara Crook, "is the denial of Israel’s right to exist. One program, which recently appeared on PA TV three times in the course of a single week, features Dr. Hassan Khader, founder of the Al Quds Encyclopedia, who argues that the Jews have no ancient historical connection to the Western Wall of the Temple." ...
ref: www.PalestineMediaWatch.com

High Priestess of the Palestinian State
FrontPageMag 2006/10/23
If the State Department has a religion, it’s Palestinian statehood. On its altar, diplomats are eager to sacrifice the security of America’s only reliable Middle East ally and, ultimately, our own security as well.   Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has become the high priestess of this cult – muttering mystic incantations about Palestinian suffering under the brutal Israeli occupation and how a Palestinian state would be the crowning achievement of American foreign policy, much the way the Munich pact was the Olympic gold of British diplomacy. ...

Disarm the militias and take control - White House issues demands to embattled PM
Guardian Unlimited 2006/10/23
...General George Casey and US ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, the senior US military and civilian officials in Iraq, are drafting a document that will require Mr Maliki and his government of national unity to commit to a schedule of measures designed to foster reconciliation, reconstruction and stability ...

Khaddam on Future TV: Assad Regime is on Brink of Collapse
Naharnet 2006/10/23
Former Syrian vice president Abdul-Halim Khaddam has said that President Bashar Assad's regime is on the brink of collapse and called on Syrians to prepare for the day when he will be overthrown.   Khaddam, who is wanted in Syria on treason charges, said in an address to the Syrian people that Assad's "oppressive" regime will soon be replaced with a democratic civil government, but he did not elaborate. ...
? Daniel 7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots

Judah: Jordan Welcomes Mecca Document
Jordan News Agency 2006/10/22
...Judah said that the contents of the Mecca Document harmonize with the Jordanian stand, which is always expressed by His Majesty King Abdullah II and recently expressed during a meeting with Iraqi Vice-President Tareq Al Hashemi.
In other words, The Hashemite King, Abdullah II of Jordan, has been saying the same thing all along.

Arab League welcomes Mecca Document on Iraq
Kuwait News Agency 2006/10/22
...A statement by Moussa said that the document which was signed on Friday in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, resembles the ultimate submission to the teachings of Islam which call for peace among Muslims brothers.   He welcomed the efforts to unite the Iraqis which was led by the Saudi Government and Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, and thanked them for their contribution for peace. ...
Again, another show of 'moderate' Arab Muslims falling in line with The Hashemite King, Abdullah II of Jordan, and his Amman Message.  However, saying is one thing, doing is another.

Exiled former Syrian vice president says Assad regime is on the brink of collapse
International Herald Tribune 2006/10/22
..."Ask yourselves, my brothers, after six years of his taking over the administration of the country, what has Bashar Assad done except spread corruption, increase suffering and (take) wrong decisions that have led to weakening national unity and subjecting Syria to Arab and international isolation," Khaddam said.   "I assure you that the corrupt and tyrannical regime is on the brink of collapse and in the near future, the ruler will see the opportunists and hypocrites that rallied around him fleeing. He and his corrupt family and entourage will find themselves in the hands of justice," he added ...
? Daniel 7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots
Continued justification for Assad's uprooting.

DEBKAfile Exclusive: Saudis bring over to Jeddah hardline Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal for last-ditch try to avert Palestinian civil war
DEBKAfile 2006/10/22
The Hamas politburo chief traveled from Damascus disguised as a pilgrim. Saudi rulers offered him and his movement generous terms for breaking away from the Damascus-Tehran bloc, freeing the kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilead Shalit and signing a cooperation pact with Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas.   In a back-up move, the Saudis last week invited to Mecca the heads of the Syrian opposition in exile: former Syrian vice president Khalim Haddam, today a sworn foe of Syrian president Bashar Asad, the leader of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood Sader e-Din Ali Bayanouni and Bashar’s uncle, Rifat Asad, who aspires to oust his nephew and take his place.   This act is seen as Riyadh’s warning to Asad of dire consequences ...
? Daniel 7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots

Report: Syria relinquishes aspiration to sit on the Galilee
Israel Today 2006/10/22
A senior Syrian official who is close to the upper echelons of the Syrian regime told Channel 2 News Arab analyst Ehud Yaari that Syria has agreed to give up sitting on the Galilee in any future peace agreement with Israel. ...The official said that President Bashar Assad sees a peace agreement with Israel a preferable option for a better Middle East. In exchange for a peace agreement with Israel, Assad will agree to break his alliance with Iran and Hizballah and even sever relations with them completely. Syria, on their side, are demanding to receive the entire Golan Heights but will relinquish its desire to sit on the Galilee, which means Israel will withdraw to the cliff line and Syria will have no access to the waters of the Galilee. ...

Hamas: Shalit release moving along, Israel readying for prisoner swap
Haaretz 2006/10/22
Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh's chief adviser said on Saturday that talks on the release of abducted IDF soldier Gilad Shalit were moving along due to Israel's expressed readiness to free Palestinians jailed in Israel, including central Hamas activists. ...

Syria Panics as Tribunal for Hariri's Assassins Takes Shape
Naharnet 2006/10/22
Syria has accused the United States, France and Lebanon of conspiring to frame it in Rafik Hariri's assassination, indicating increasing panic in Damascus as an international tribunal to look into the crime began to take shape. ...The Syrian allegations are based on a French book recently published which pointed to a French, American and Lebanese contrive to frame Syria in Hariri's killing, intimidate it and abort the resistance methodology in the region. ...
? Daniel 7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots

DEBKAfile Exclusive: A heavy influx of foreign-based Palestinian, Syrian, Iranian, Lebanese and Hizballah fighters swells Hamas strength for internecine showdown
DEBKAfile 2006/10/22
Senior IDF officers told DEBKAfile that the foreign fighters are slipping into Gaza through large gaps in the Gazan-Egyptian border. Among the arrivals are scores of bomb experts and commando combat instructors. They are coming to augment and upgrade Hamas’ “Rapid Deployment” unit and the Popular Resistance Committees terrorist coalition. Mingled among them are al Qaeda operatives from Sinai. ...

Gifts to Bush include $1,120 paperweight
Chron.com 2006/10/21
...King Abdullah II of Jordan gave the president a jaunty, custom-designed Desert Ranger motorcycle worth about $4,500 and a $500 Bible. ...

Abbas seeks to curb Hamas in West Bank
Chron.com 2006/10/21
The Palestinian president brought a security commander out of retirement Saturday to block Hamas from building up its forces in the West Bank, the latest sign that the standoff between the Islamic militant group and Fatah could erupt into widespread violence.   The commander, Ismail Jaber, has been tainted by corruption but is respected by thousands of gunmen loyal to Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement and holds sway over key West Bank commanders. ...

Israel must prepare for Iran to push the button - chief of staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz Friday
DEBKAfile 2006/10/21
Iranian president said earlier there is no reason for Israel “the greatest insult to human dignity” to exist and it would soon disappear.   Halutz also warned Israel to prepare for possible war with Syria, whose missile threat to Israel's population is similar to that of Hizballah. ...In further inflammatory remarks, Ahmadinejad said “the world knows the US and Britain are enemies of the Iranian nation.” He warned European nations not to harm Iran, saying that if anger in the region boiled over, Europe would get hurt because of its support for Israel. “Europe must distance itself from Israel at once. That is Iran’s ultimatum.“  He went on to brand the UN Security Council and its decisions “illegitimate.” ...

Security men block road to Abbas house
Chron.com 2006/10/21
Members of the Palestinian security forces fired in the air in Gaza City's main shopping district and burned tires near President Mahmoud Abbas' home Saturday to press demands for payment of salaries.   Smoke wafted from the area of Abbas' home in Gaza City. Protesters also stopped cars from entering the area. The shots in downtown Gaza, packed with shoppers ahead of a major Muslim holiday ...
It's commonplace that we hear so much about Islam being a peaceful and pious religion, but almost never do we hear about Moslems praying to their god to resolve their problems that they themselves created as a result of their violent ways.

A Secret Regional Alliance Against Iran
The Intelligence Summit 2006/10/20
Intelligence Online has learned from diplomatic sources that Israel and four Sunni Moslem countries - Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey - decided last month to form a regional intelligence alliance to counter Iran both with regards its attempts to build a nuclear weapon and its efforts to create a “Shi’ite Crescent” stretching from Tehran to Beirut. The move was initiated by Jordan’s king Abdallah II. ...
Contributed by John.

Diamonds and coal
The Brown Daily Herald 2006/10/20
A cubic zirconium to King Abdullah II, who is commissioning a prep school in Jordan modeled after his American alma mater, Deerfield Academy. Though we like the idea, we wonder if tuition covers weekly airfare from the Middle East to Massachusetts - we're pretty sure you can't replicate the Deerfield experience without weekends at the Vineyard. ...

Hashemite Islamic Councils Conclude Deliberations
Jordan News Agency 2006/10/20
...The fourth council, organized by Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs, was patronized by HRH Prince Asem Bin Nayef deputizing for His Majesty King Abdullah II.   A number of scholars talked in the fourth council which was entitled "tolerance and humanity of Islam" and said that Islam is the religion of power and tolerance and that changing atrocity actions is the authority's responsibility and scholars.

King Abdullah opens Al Jafr Knowledge Station - Jordan
MENAfn 2006/10/20
...King Abdullah on Thursday visited the poor southern town of Jafr where he inaugurated the Al Jafr Knowledge Station, established to enhance the ICT skills of local residents and improve their employment prospects. ...The initiative, launched by the King Abdullah II Fund for Development in September 2000 in the remote desert town of Safawi, aims to bridge the digital divide and spread ICT learning among all segments of society. ..."I will personally follow up on your demands with the governor and the government to reduce the problems you face and help you overcome the challenges," said the King.
A benevolent king.
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand
? Daniel 12:4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

MK Yuval Steinitz: Abbas Same As Arafat
ZOA 2006/10/20
Yuval Steinitz, Member of Knesset (Likud) and former chairman of Israel’s Foreign Affairs, and Defense Committee, said yesterday in a meeting with Jewish leaders in New York City, “Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the Palestinian Authority, is the same as Yasser Arafat, maybe worse, and should be treated like Arafat.” ...

Egypt, Under Stress, Sees U.S. as Pain and Remedy
The New York Times 2006/10/20
Faced with twin political threats — a rising Islamic movement at home and diminished influence throughout the region — Egypt is pressing the United States for an aggressive promotion of Palestinian statehood as a means of strengthening itself and other Arab governments allied with Washington, senior officials say. ...

Fateh and Hamas reach an agreement in Gaza, Abbas to take decisions regarding new government
Aljazeera 2006/10/20
Egyptian security efforts have succeeded in reaching an agreement between Hamas and Fateh, which is hoped to contain the tension in the Gaza Strip.   Sources in the Gaza Strip said that a 'memorandum of understanding' has been reached, and which the two factions will be committed to, in order to end the tension.
The memo contains ten items:
1• Respect for national symbols.
2• An immediate end to all acts and practices which are against law and order.
3• Prohibition of assaults on public and private property.
4• An end to all acts of incitement. ...
There are ten points to the MOU.  History tells me that it will be short lived.

Israel's UN envoy: Iran bribed Hamas to block Shalit's release
Haaretz 2006/10/20
...Ambassador Dan Gillerman told the UN Security Council that "we heard news" earlier in the day that Tehran had paid $50 million to Hamas leader Khaled Meshal, who lives in the Syrian capital Damascus, "to sabotage the negotiations on the release of Corporal Gilad Shalit and prevent his release."   "We have every reason to believe that the Iranian regime has bribed Khaled Meshal," he later told reporters. ...

Saudi king meeting Syrian dissidents?
United Press International 2006/10/20
...A London-based diplomat told United Press International on condition of anonymity Friday that the Saudi monarch and crown prince met Tuesday with Khaddam, who lives in self-exile in Paris. ...In another development, the official said the NSF "is planning to open an office in Washington in order to establish contacts with the Syrian community in the United States, as well as with the U.S. administration to explain the front's views and objective of replacing the existing Baath regime with a democratic one in a peaceful and democratic way." ...
? Daniel 7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots

PM Olmert: PA’s Moment of Truth Rapidly Approaching
Arutz Sheva 2006/10/20
...The prime minister stated that PA (Palestinian Authority) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) must make some critical decisions. Decisions, he said, that will determine the future of the region. "If Abu Mazen does not take the required steps, we will all be losers," Olmert said. ...Regarding Iran, Olmert added the clock is running out, adding that today, things are happening and the situation has changed.   While stating “I did not threaten Iran,” the prime minister added, "Iran must not realize who it is up against . . . Iran should be afraid.” ...

Iraq's religious figures issue edicts
SunHerald.com 2006/10/20
BAGHDAD, Iraq - In a bid to stop sectarian bloodshed, Shiite and Sunni religious figures met in Mecca, Islam's holiest city, and issued a series of edicts Friday forbidding violence between Iraq's two Muslim sects.   It is uncertain, however, whether the edicts, or fatwas, will find resonance among the country's Sunni and Shiite militants whose tit-for-tat attacks have created a deadly cycle of violence that gains momentum and brutality daily. ...

"Mr. Erdogan's Turkey"
Middle East Forum 2006/10/19
...as Turkish politicians and officials work to defend the Turkish constitution, U.S. diplomats interfere to dismiss Turkish concerns and downplay the Islamist threat. ...
COMMENT: Every step Turkey takes towards Sharia governance is a step towards GOG.
Article and comment contributed by Bob Anderson.

Spiraling out of control
The Jerusalem Post 2006/10/19
...So the Jordanians certainly want to be in the picture, and it is also in the interest of Israel that King Abdullah II and not some radical Muslim organization will call the shots in this Gordian knot. ...
The myth goes, as who ever unties the knot, goes on to conquer.
Article and comment contributed by Tim Trimble.

Jordan, Iraq open talks
Jordan News Agency 2006/10/19
..."Jordan was and will be under its Hashemite leadership fervent for the Arab issues and the foremost is Iraq," Fayez said.   The Minster said that Jordan and under the directives of His Majesty King Abdullah offers all facilities for all Iraqis who cross the boarder or stay in Jordan. Moreover, the Minister stressed that there must be a high level of coordination between Jordan and Iraq in the field of security in line with King's directives. ...
It appears King Abdullah II is positioning himself ever closer to a transition to ruling in Iraq.

Jordan's King Abdullah orders release of 8 alleged Hamas operatives
The Raw Story 2006/10/19
Jordan's King Abdullah II on Thursday ordered the release of eight alleged Hamas operatives, five months after they were arrested on terrorist charges, government sources said. The special royal pardon covered 236 prisoners ahead of next week's Islamic feast of Eid al-Fitr, scheduled for Tuesday to mark the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. ...
Yep, that's the friend of the US in the middle east.

4th Jordan ICT Forum 2006 slated for December
MENAfn 2006/10/19
...The conference, said Qattan, is part of a broader effort by His Majesty King Abdullah to liberalise the country's telecommunications industry, promote foreign direct investment and transform the Kingdom into a technology hub.
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand

Israel's Olmert: Action against Iran might be necessary because of nuclear threat
International Herald Tribune 2006/10/19
...Israel cannot reconcile itself to a nuclear Iran, he said — and "there comes a time when you have to do damage control."   "A red line must be drawn that cannot be crossed," he said, without specifying what that line was.   "Time isn't standing still," he added, "and perhaps there will be a need to do something in the future." ...

One on One: 'Our rejection of Israel is our demise'
The Jerusalem Post 2006/10/19
...Ghadry, a Sunni Muslim who escaped his native Syria and immigrated with his parents and siblings to the United States from Lebanon at the age of 21, knows he's got his work cut out for him. In fact, the 52-year-old father of four says that the "wave of extremism" that has swept across the Arab world "has been going on for 30-40 years, and it will probably take another 30-40 years to reverse it."   But Ghadry and his reform party - established by a core group of five former Syrians a few days into the war in Iraq, and "which has since mushroomed to include people from Europe and the Arab countries" - have a grand plan: to wrest the holy cities of Mecca and Medina from the Saudis and "vaticanize" them under an international council of moderate Muslims. ...
Hmmm, ...sounds familiar.  And just who might you suppose then oversee Mecca and Medina? ...ahh let me see ...perhaps Abdullah II the Hashemite king of Jordan, the 43rd generation direct descendent of Mohammad pray tell.!?

Bush Tells Mubarak Syria Still Interfering in Lebanese Politics
Naharnet 2006/10/19
U.S. President George Bush has told Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak that Syria is interfering in Lebanon and hurting Mideast peace prospects by backing the radical Palestinian group Hamas, the White House said Thursday. ...Bush "made clear his view that Syria is continuing to interfere in Lebanese politics and is also standing in the way of progress in Israeli-Palestinian affairs through its support of Hamas," ...
? Daniel 7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots
Continued justification for Assad's uprooting.

Mexico strikes cooperation deal with Arab League
Kuwait News Agency 2006/10/19
The Arab League signed on Thursday a protocol with Mexico on launching League-sponsored fund for cooperation programs between the two sides in the cultural, academic and economic fields. ...
Perhaps the US border concerns must be given more urgent attention?

Disarming the Mullahs
FrontPageMag 2006/10/19
...The United States and its friends could hedge against these threats, and should already be doing so. The first move is to reduce the vulnerability of energy exports from the Persian Gulf. Oil experts have determined that all but the 2 to 3 million barrels a day that Iran itself ships through the Strait of Hormuz could be piped instead to ports on the Red Sea and the Sea of Oman. Pipelines from Iraq, past Kuwait, through Saudi Arabia to the Red Sea, the UAE, and Oman are already in place; they only need to be connected. ...
Contributed by Bob Anderson.

Abbas threatens Hamas with elections, referendum
yNetNews 2006/10/19
In shadow of reports that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is considering establishing transitional government in preparation for early elections, Abbas meets Central Elections Commission. Message to Hamas: Referendum or elections on agenda. Hamas enraged: This will result in coup ...

The New Middle East
Foreign Affairs (Published by the Council on Foreign Relations ) 2006/11-12
Just over two centuries since Napoleon's arrival in Egypt heralded the advent of the modern Middle East -- some 80 years after the demise of the Ottoman Empire, 50 years after the end of colonialism, and less than 20 years after the end of the Cold War -- the American era in the Middle East, the fourth in the region's modern history, has ended. Visions of a new, Europe-like region -- peaceful, prosperous, democratic -- will not be realized. Much more likely is the emergence of a new Middle East that will cause great harm to itself, the United States, and the world. ...

PM: Abbas must act, or all hope lost
The Jerusalem Post 2006/10/19
"The problem with the Palestinians is reaching a critical point," Olmert said. "Either Abbas will take courageous steps, or all shreds of hope will be lost." Abbas, Olmert said, must "put his house in order."   He said that there have been countless contacts between his office and Abbas's.   A senior official in Olmert's office said that Abbas wants Israel to release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners before the release of Cpl. Gilad Shalit, something Israel will not do. ...He said that even the Qataris, whose foreign minister, he said, was quite far from Israel's position, had come to the conclusion during the attempts to get Hamas to change its policies that they are "cheats and liars." ...

'Dramatic change of direction' coming for Iraq
The Washington Times 2006/10/19
...Leaks from a U.S. task force headed by former Secretary of State James A. Baker III are contributing to the widespread sense that the Bush administration is preparing for a "course correction" in the coming months.   The options cited most frequently in Washington include the partition of Iraq into three ethnic- or faith-based regions, and a phased withdrawal of U.S. troops, with some remaining in neighboring countries to deal with major threats.   Another scenario is being discussed -- and taken seriously in Iraq -- by many of Iraq's leading political players, under which the U.S.-trained army would overthrow struggling Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and replace him with a strongman who would restore order while Washington looks the other way. ...

American ambassador offers grants to country societies in Balqaa
Jordan News Agency 2006/10/18
Within the American government’s support to country societies in Jordan in the field of keeping water resources, the American ambassador to Jordan David Hale on Wednesday offered $100 thousand value grant to ten societies in Balqaa governorate. ...He hailed His Majesty King Abdullah II’s vision and wise stands which will help set Jordan within a global competitive position.
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand
? Revelation 13:3 ...and all the world wondered after the beast.

PM: Jordan supports political process in Iraq
Jordan News Agency 2006/10/18
Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit said on Wednesday Jordan will spare no effort to support the current political process in Iraq and reconciliation project among Iraqi people which ensures the unity of Iraq. ..."Jordan is keen on easing the access and the residence of Iraqis coming into Jordan through Al Karama crossing border or living in Jordan.", Bakhit said.   Bakhit stressed the Iraqi Vice President's visit aims for consultation and coordination on current issues in Iraq. Moreover, Premier said that we held talks on the bilateral relations. ...Al Hashemi called for supporting the Iraqi government to forge ahead with national reconciliation projects and to stop Iraqi bleeding. Iraq will never forget Jordan's stance during its plight, Hashemi remarked. ...

Jordan jails eight over terror plots
Aljazeera 2006/10/18
A Jordanian military court has convicted eight Islamists for plotting attacks on US and Jewish targets in the country and for planning to send fighters to Iraq. ...

Iraqi official to hold talks in Jordan
Aljazeera 2006/10/18
Tariq al-Hashimi, Iraq's vice president, arrived in Amman on Tuesday for talks with Jordanian officials that will focus on Iraqi security developments and bilateral ties.   Aljazeera reports that the Iraqi official's visit is aimed at winning over tribal chiefs of Anbar province against a backdrop of opposition voiced by the US administration and Saudi Arabia to the idea of Iraq's division along sectarian lines. ...Al-Hashimi told the Petra state news agency that his visit to Jordan "comes in the framework of consultations and exchanging points of view on mutual issues mainly the situation in Iraq".   He also said that during his previous visit to Jordan he "perceived a great concern from King Abdullah II and al-Bakhit about the situation in Iraq and a sincere and serious desire to help the Iraqis and get them out of the current deadlock and ordeal". ...

The King orders formation of a royal committee for handicapped affairs
Jordan News Agency 2006/10/18
...King Abdullah II gave instructions to form a royal committee to be chaired by the Chief Chamberlain His Royal Highness Prince Raad Bin Zeid for setting a national strategy on handicapped in order to work out sustainable solutions for the problems such people face. ...On his part, Prince Raad said that the accomplishments Jordan has achieved in the field of care for handicapped put us in front of great challenges that drive us to keep and further develop them. The latest accomplishment is winning Roosevelt award which His Majesty received in March 2005 ...
A benevolent king.  Hmmm.  It's interesting that Prince Raad now shows up in the Jordanian news with this 'task' assigned him by the king after so soon failing to obtain the UN Secretary General post.

Armed resistance demand that Abbas to stop attacking the resistance and apologize
International Middle East Media Center 2006/10/18
...The press release was signed by Salah Ed Deen brigades, the armed wing of  Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), the Al Aqsa brigades, the higher council, an armed wing of Fateh, and Ahmad Abu Al Rish brigades- Saif Al Islam, also an armed wing of Fateh.   The resistance groups demanded that Abbas, and other leader, to stop attacking the resistance and to stop defaming them.   The groups added that resistance is the only logical way to fight the occupation after all peace talks have failed, and peace agreements collapsed. ...
Some of these are branches of Abbas' own Fatah group.  Anyone thinking they can give Abbas more arms that will not be used against Israel needs to wake up and smell the coffee.

Congresswoman: Safeguard US aid to Abbas
yNetNews 2006/10/18
...Ros-Lehtinen was responding to a WND exclusive interview last week in which Abu Yousuf, a Force 17 officer, said weapons and aid the US may provide to his group could be shared with the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror organization, the declared "military wing" of Fatah. ..."With the representation within the ranks of Abbas' Fatah party of militants with ties to the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, there is a potential that our own weapons could later be used against our ally, Israel and potentially against US priorities in the region. ...
Duh!  You can reasonably bet your bottom dollar that the arms will end up in the hands of Israel's enemies no matter what anybody says.

THE COMING MIDDLE EAST WAR
Dafka 2006/10/18
...The conflict may be just weeks or even months away, or perhaps a bit longer. How it will start is anyone's guess, but make no mistake, a major outbreak of hostilities is almost certainly around the corner. ...For whichever direction one chooses to look, be it north, south or east of us, trouble - major trouble - is brewing. ...HOW SHOULD Israel react to this growing threat? First, we must learn the lesson of this summer's Lebanon war, which was disastrous precisely because we sat back and allowed our enemies to build up their military infrastructure over time.   Instead of making this same mistake once again, Israel should take whatever steps are necessary to interdict weapons shipments to the terrorists, seal off their supply routes, and hit hard at those who are sending them the weapons in the first place. ...
? Daniel 7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots
Continued justification for Assad's uprooting.

Rabbis tout Jewish option to courts
The Jerusalem Post 2006/10/18
With a vision in their hearts of an Israeli state run in accordance with Jewish legal tradition, a group of leading religious Zionist rabbis and experts in Jewish law met in Jerusalem Tuesday evening for the official launch of a chain of rabbinic courts that aspires to replace the civil court system. ...why do you prefer Israeli law to Jewish law?" asks the PR notice, chastising those unfaithful Israelis who forsake Judaism's rich legal tradition for Israel's mishmash of British and Ottoman law.   The initiative is called Gazit, which was the name of the historic venue of the Sanhedrin on the Temple Mount before the destruction of the Temple. ...

Israeli Ambassador to Spain: Hizbullah Still Armed Thanks to Syria
Naharnet 2006/10/18
Hizbullah is still armed because Syria is providing the group with weapons after the recent war in Lebanon, Israel's ambassador to Spain said Wednesday.   "We have evidence that Hizbullah has received more weapons from Syria," Victor Harel said in a breakfast meeting with political analysts and journalists in Madrid. ..."We don't trust Hizbullah. They continue to be armed in order to achieve their dream, which is the disappearance of the Zionist identity," Harel added.   "Syria continues to work against the Lebanese government of (Fouad) Saniora to weaken him or even replace him," Harel said. ...
? Daniel 7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots
Continued justification for Assad's uprooting.

Olmert's gamble
Haaretz 2006/10/18
...At the end of the summer of 2006, Olmert made a strategic decision that retaining the Golan Heights is worthwhile for Israel, even at the price of war with Syria, and that there is no point in exploring diplomatic options with Syria ("delusional talks about peace," as he put it). Olmert's assessment is that Bashar Assad will not dare to attack; and if he does, "we'll break his bones," as then chief of staff David Elazar promised during the Yom Kippur War.   Olmert is in good company. All of his predecessors since 1967 have preferred the Golan Heights to any arrangement with Syria. ...This summer, however, circumstances changed. The younger Assad is proposing an arrangement, and unlike his father, is also warning of war and "resistance" on the Golan Heights if his proposal is rejected. The Israel Defense Forces takes his threats seriously, but Olmert has responded with provocative scorn, in the style of Menachem Begin's 1981 election campaign: "Assad, beware! Yanosh and Raful [Israeli generals] are waiting for you!" ...
? Daniel 7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots
Continued justification for Assad's uprooting.

Hamas Says It May Back Abbas Plan for Cabinet of `Technocrats'
Bloomberg 2006/10/18
...Hamas, which is locked in a struggle with Abbas's Fatah movement for control over the Palestinian Authority, gave its backing to the plan hours after Abbas announced his proposals during a meeting with reporters in the West Bank city of Ramallah late yesterday.   ``A trend is beginning to develop inside the Hamas movement to accept a national unity government that includes professionals, experts and independents from across the Palestinian political spectrum,'' Hamas spokesman Ghazi Hamad told the Palestinian Maan news agency. ...
Hence, ...pro.?  Seems they always send mixed signals, except when it comes to the annihilation of Israel.  This again appears to be all a semantics ploy to get around their funding problems.

Abbas Backs Cabinet of Professionals
CBS News 2006/10/18
...Abbas addressed reporters for more than an hour at his headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah Tuesday evening. In his strongest endorsement yet of the technocrat idea of a Cabinet made up of professionals instead of politicians, he said it should be "considered seriously" as a way out of the current deadlock. ..."I prefer it as a solution, because it does solve the problem, but there should be an agreement how long it should serve," Abbas said.   Hamas, ruling with an absolute majority in the parliament, did not appear eager to adopt the idea. ...
Hence, ...con.?  (Also see story above.)

PA minister: US trying to topple Hamas
The Jerusalem Post 2006/10/18
The interior minister of the Hamas-led Palestinian government said Wednesday that efforts were under way, with help from the US, to remove the group from power.   "There is American support for whoever wants to topple the government," Palestinian Interior Minister Said Siyam told reporters in Cairo. "Why don't they want Hamas in the government? ...

DEBKAfile reports: The American Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group joins US build-up opposite Iran
DEBKAfile 2006/10/17
...The Iwo Jima group is now cruising 60 km from Kuwait off Iran’s coast. As DEBKAfile and DEBKA-Net-Weekly reported exclusively two weeks ago, three US naval task forces will be in place opposite Iran in the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea by October 21. The other two are the USS Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group and the USS Enterprise Strike Group.

Ramadan realities

The Jerusalem Post 2006/10/17
...the reaction of Sayyid Qutb, a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and a guiding spirit of today's Islamists, to president Harry S Truman's support for bringing Holocaust refugees to Palestine: "I hate those Westerners [for wanting to bring European Jews to the Arab Middle East] and despise them! All of them, without any exception: the English, the French, the Dutch and finally the Americans, who have been trusted by many."   SO WHAT do we do in the face of such relentless religious hatred, which has not abated?   What I like to call the irrational Right would have Israel take an adversarial position: Don't "appease." Confront.   That's the idea encapsulated in National Union-National Religious Party MK Uri Ariel's call for building a synagogue on the Temple Mount.   A new group with the apparent backing of Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz claims to have reestablished the Sanhedrin, originally an august assembly of venerable, God-inspired sages. Their seeming mission is to hasten the rebuilding of the Third Temple. ...One thing we can do is bolster that rare commodity, the Arab moderate. It's in that context that I support Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's decision to allow King Abdullah II of Jordan the privilege of constructing a fifth minaret on the Temple Mount. ...

The enemy of your enemy is NOT your friend.  We can see here the kind of thinking that finally ushers in the 'tribulation period'.  It appears that this commentator is relying on King Abdullah II for his peace, and not the God of Israel.
? 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.
Proverbs 3:5-6  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

US grants Jordan 25 million dollars to finance reforms
The Raw Story 2006/10/17
The United States and Jordan on Tuesday signed an agreement worth 25 million dollars under which the US, through its Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), will support political and economic reforms in the Hashemite kingdom, according to a US embassy statement. "The programme will foster Jordan's reform efforts by broadening public participation in the political and electoral process, increasing government transparency and accountability, and enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of customs administration," the statement said.   The Millenium Challenge Corporation administers the Millenium Challenge Account which funds development in countries "that rule justly, invest in their people, and encourage economic freedom." ...
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand

Abdali Psc partners with Project Jordan 06 and Ikar Invest 06 Exhibitions as diamond sponsor
AMEInfo 2006/10/17
These are the most ambitious exhibitions of their kind to be held in Jordan, with Project Jordan focusing on the business and financial side of things and Ekar Invest aiming for the real estate side of the business. The ideal coupling brings together establishments from all sides of the business: Banks, financial advisors, investment houses, as well as the world of architectural firms, contractors, land owners and all the other industries that make up the real estate market, for a massive gathering in one space. ...The market in the Middle East in general, and specifically in Jordan, has experienced a surge in recent years; exhibitions such as these give a chance for regional and local companies to get acquainted with and invest in a market with a recent real estate annual turnover of $4.24 billion. ...
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand

New carpet for the Dome of the Rock Mosque
Jordan News Agency 2006/10/17
New carpet for the Dome of the Rock Mosque will be laid today in implementation of His Majesty King Abdullah II's recent initiative to renovate the mosque's interior.   The new carpeting covers approximately 2,000m sq (meters) and was chosen with extra care in terms of color and specifications to concur with the nature and sanctity of the mosque. ...The King also announced the creation of a special waqf fund to support the holy places and ensure the continuity of maintenance and protection of Islamic shrines, foremost of which is Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. The restoration projects as well as plans pertaining to the building of a fifth minaret at Al Aqsa and the new furniture are estimated to cost around JD5 million.   Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Abdel Fattah Salah said the King's move stems from his keenness to follow up on all issues pertaining to religious sites in Jerusalem and their preservation. He commended the Hashemites for their special and continued care for the mosques over the past decades. "His Majesty's continued offering is part of his love for and commitment to his great grandfather the Prophet Mohammad (p.b.u.h) and the sacred place where the Prophet ascended to heavens," Salah said. ...In 1969, the government restored the Minbar Salaheddine (the pulpit of Salaheddine) of Al Aqsa after it was damaged in a fire. ...On July 25, 2006, King Abdullah unveiled at Balqa University the completed minbar, marking the beginning of the minbar's return to Al Aqsa Mosque as a testament to the Hashemites' commitment to the renovation and construction of Muslim holy sites.
Also see article on Saladin Pulpit.

King Arrives in Jeddah
Jordan News Agency 2006/10/17
...King Abdullah II arrived in Jeddah on a visit to Saudi Arabia where he will perform Umra (lesser pilgrimage).   His Majesty will also hold talks with the Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz on bilateral ties and developments in the Middle East. ...

Two Jordanian Islamists stripped of their status as lawmakers
The Raw Story 2006/10/17
Two Islamist deputies jailed for extending condolences to the family of the slain al-Qaeda leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, have been informed by the lower house secretariat that they had lost their seats after an appeals court confirmed their jail terms, parliamentary sources said Tuesday. ...The two condemned lawmakers were freed earlier this month after King Abdullah II pardoned them in a special amnesty. ...

Fatah meeting in Jordan cancelled
The Jerusalem Post 2006/10/17
...A senior Fatah operative in the West Bank told The Jerusalem Post that the meeting was also called off in protest of the leaking of an official US document that pledges pledges $42 million in financial aid to opponents of the Hamas-led government.   "Some committee members announced their intention to boycott the meeting in Amman because they did not want to be viewed as conspiring with the Americans and Israelis against the Palestinian government," he said. "President Abbas and many Fatah leaders are very angry with Washington for leaking the document."  ...

To Condi; Who is Humiliating Whom?
Gamla 2006/10/17
...You maintain that you are "a student of international history." International law, the UN Charter, and Article 80 of the UN Charter implicitly recognize the Mandate of the League of Nations [Mandate for Palestine]. This Mandate granted Jews the irrevocable right to settle in the area of Palestine - anywhere between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.[2]   You must be familiar with Professor Eugene V. Rostow, a world renowned expert of international law who served as the Dean of Yale Law School (1955-66), that later became the U.S. Undersecretary of State, and in 1967 was a key draftee of UN Resolution 242. He explains:[3]   "The Mandates of the League of Nations have a special status in international law. They are considered to be trusts, indeed 'sacred trusts.'   "Under international law, neither Jordan nor the Palestinian Arab 'people' of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip have a substantial claim to the sovereign possession of the occupied territories. ...

Abbas doesn't get approval to dissolve PA gov't
The Jerusalem Post 2006/10/17
...The Fatah Central Committee was set to convene on Monday in Jordan but the meeting was cancelled at the last moment and an enraged Abbas returned to Ramallah after his proposal to dissolve PA Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh's government was rejected. ...

Iran Will Follow North Korea, Part I
Family Security Matters 2006/10/17
Just like India and Pakistan, North Korea is now a nuclear power. Iran will soon join the club. The irony is that it seems that nobody can do anything about it. The direction in which things are moving suggest that the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty will soon be a thing of the past as more and more of its members will choose not to fulfill their obligations under Article VI of the Treaty to engage in good faith efforts to achieve nuclear disarmament. ...

New J'lem Mufti endorses suicide bombers
yNetNews 2006/10/17
The Media Line news agency conducted an exclusive interview with the newly appointed Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and the Palestinian Lands Sheikh Muhammad Ahmad Hussein. During the interview the mufti said he endorsed the phenomenon of the suicide bombers, as it was part of the Palestinian people's legitimate resistance. ...Asked to express his view with regard to suicide bombing, the mufti answered: "It is legitimate, of course, as long as it plays a role in the resistance." ...

Egypt to Hamas: You undermine our strategy for Israel’s demise
Jerusalem Newswire 2006/10/17
...Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, who visited with Syrian-supported Hamas leader Khaled Mesha’al in Damascus, told him Hamas needed to get out of the PA if the “Palestinians” are to see progress in their efforts to squirrel more land out of Israel through negotiations before the violent phase two of their plan kicks in.   While Suleiman’s arguments were not disclosed, the understanding between the various Arab groups which, although divided on many fronts, are united in their determination to see Israel expunged from the Middle East means it is probable that the Egyptian promised Hamas a future when it would be able to take what was left of Israel by force. ...

Shia-Sunni religious leaders to meet in holy Mecca to usher in reconciliation
Islamic Republic News Agency 2006/10/17
...A prominent Iraqi Sunni cleric, Harith al-Dhari, who leads the influential Association of Muslim Scholars has expressed his readiness to meet with top Shia religious leaders as part of an initiative to stop bloodshed in the war-torn Islamic country.   The religious leaders are expected to issue an edict (Fatwa) in the context of holy "Mecca Covenant" prohibiting further bloodshed, the waves reprisal killings which cost 100 lives of Iraqi innocent people every day, IRNA reporter in Baghdad said. ...

Olmert says ready to meet with Abbas 'immediately'
ZeeNews 2006/10/17
"I am ready to meet with him immediately if he wants to talk about the roadmap," Olmert told the Knesset at the opening of its winter session.   He was referring to a peace roadmap drafted by the quartet of the United States, European Union, Russia and United Nations that envisions an independent Palestinian state living side by side in peace with Israel.   A day earlier, the Israeli leader said efforts to set up a meeting with Abbas, whom he last met in an informal setting in June, were at a dead end with the Palestinian President conditioning such talks on the release of prisoners. ...

Our World: The debasement of law
The Jerusalem Post 2006/10/17
...ISRAEL'S GENERAL policy of appeasement towards its Arab minority is nowhere more apparent than on the Temple Mount.   This week, a Jordanian government official let it be known that without debating the issue in public, the Olmert government has approved the construction of a fifth minaret on the Temple Mount. On the face of it, this is not something the general public should care about. What does it matter to Jews if the Muslims build a fifth minaret?   The problem is that the Islamic Wakf, which effectively acts as the sovereign on Judaism's holiest site, has for years been systematically destroying the remains of Jewish temples on the Temple Mount and intimidating the police and political authorities not to apply Israel's law - which mandates free access and religious worship by all religions to sacred sites - on the site. The construction of a fifth minaret is a clear attempt on the part of the Wakf to fill the Temple Mount with mosques and so prevent all Jewish worship and block any attempt to build a synagogue on the site.   Rather than deny the request, or condition its approval for the construction of a fifth minaret on the parallel construction of a synagogue or, at the very least, the permanent opening of the Temple Mount to all worshipers from all religions in accordance with Israeli law, the government has apparently agreed to the building request. ...The authorities' actions in Acre and Jerusalem expose a dangerous reality: Without notifying the public, Israel's political and law enforcement leadership have enabled the establishment of two separate rules of law exist side by side in Israel today - one for Jews and one for Arabs. The police in Acre over the weekend, who enforced the law against the soldier who shot his rifle in the air, refused to enforce the law against the Arab rioters. ...

IDF: Hamas trying to create 'balance of terror' with Israel
Haaretz 2006/10/16
...Senior IDF officers told Haaretz recently that Hamas is working to improve its offensive capabilities, with an emphasis on Qassam and Katyusha rockets, while at the same time establishing a solid defensive position in order to prevent the IDF from entering built-up areas within the Strip. By increasing the range of its missiles, the deadly force of their warheads and above all, by using high-quality blast explosives, Hamas hopes to heighten the threat to the northern and western Negev from the direction of Gaza. ...

King allocates housing lands for Sharea Judges
Jordan News Agency 2006/10/16
...The King said that in appreciation to the key role Sharea Judges play in keeping society and the citizens’ rights, instructions have been given to improve their standards of life and to offer them all support in order to enhance their role in judging, including granting them a 500 sq.m. piece of land each for housing. ...
A benevolent king.  Hmmm.  500 square meter = 0.123 552 691 acre = 5 381.955 219 96 square foot which is a smaller lot in almost any town in America.

XPress receives digital trunking licence
TeleGeography 2006/10/16
The Ministry of Telecom and Information Technology (MTIT) for the Palestinian Territory has handed the region’s first digital trunking service licence to XPress Telecommunications of Jordan, according to local sources. XPress made the highest offer for the concession in a tender process launched in June, bidding USD3.1 million. ...
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand

The New Secretary General
National Review Online 2006/10/16
...In the end, there was no real alternative to Ban Ki-moon at all. Only three candidates got enough votes in the last “straw poll” to keep them in the running. India’s nominee was disqualified because the Secretary-General must come from a small country. Thailand’s was disqualified because, after the recent coup d’etat in Bangkok, most of his colleagues in the government were either under arrest, in hiding, or in exile. And Jordan’s was disqualified because putting an Arab prince in charge of an organization that already spends most of its time abusing Israel didn’t seem like a great idea even to Israel’s 180-or-so “soft” enemies in the General Assembly. ...

ZOA Condemns Sec'y Rice For Making Most Pro-Palestinian Speech In Memory By U.S. Administration Official
Zionist Organization of America 2006/10/16
The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) has condemned the Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice’s keynote speech last week to the American Task Force on Palestine as the most pro-Palestinian Arab, anti-Israel speech in memory by a major US Administration official ( State Department, October 11). Secretary Rice condemned Israel’s “daily humiliation of occupation” of Palestinian Arabs; stated that there “could be no greater legacy for America than to help to bring into being a Palestinian state ...

Peretz: Flyovers to Persist Due to Syria-Lebanon Arms Smuggling
Naharnet 2006/10/16
Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz said Monday that Israel would continue all surveillance flights over Lebanon as long as arms smuggling between Syria and Lebanon continued in violation of a U.N. resolution.   We intend to carry out all our aerial surveillance flights as long as the arms embargo on smuggling between Syria and Lebanon is not fully implemented," he said after briefing parliament's defense and foreign affairs committee. ...

Olmert calls for direct peace talks with Lebanon
Al Bawaba 2006/10/16
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Monday invited Lebanon's prime minister to start peace talks, but Olmert ruled out peace talks with Syria, saying President Bashar Assad isn't a suitable negotiating partner. ...Olmert said that Israel made significant gains in its battle against Hizbullah. Thus, he urgrf Lebanon's prime minister, Fuad Saniora, to enter peace talks, saying the time has passed for indirect mediation between the nations.

Syria Continuing To Smuggle Arms to Hizbullah
Arutz Sheva 2006/10/16
"Conclusive and decisive evidence" proves that Syria continues to smuggle arms into Lebanon for Hizbullah terrorists despite the United Nations Security Council ceasefire resolution, the head of the IDF intelligence research department told the Cabinet. Arming Hizbullah is in direct violation of the U.N. resolution. ...
? Daniel 7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots
Continued justification for Assad's uprooting.

Arab League Chief urges Arabs to help rebuild Lebanon
YaLibnan 2006/10/16
Amr Mousa, Secretary General of the Arab League has urged all Arab nations to help Lebanon with the massive task reconstruction following Israel's devastating offensive that left the country in ruins. ...

PM: Abbas is a 'legitimate partner'
The Jerusalem Post 2006/10/16
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, speaking Monday at the opening of the Knesset's winter session, said that Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas was a "legitimate partner" in the peace process. ...

Iraq rebels say they will only negotiate with US
Middle East Times 2006/10/16
...In the northern oil city of Kirkuk, an Iraqi calling himself Abdel Rahman Abu Khula said that his movement, a group of former Baath party officials and army officers known as the Islamic Army, would not meet the Iraqi government. "In reality, we only negotiate with the ruling power in Iraq and that is the occupier," he said. "Today it is us and the Americans who are controlling the situation in Iraq." ...

Lebanon Suspects Syria Involved in Beirut Terrorist Attack
Arutz Sheva 2006/10/16
Lebanese security officials suspect that Syria is involved in a Sunday attack near United Nations offices in Beirut, according to the Beirut Daily Star. However, they discounted the possibility that the attack, which wounded six people, was aimed at the U.N. offices. ...
? Daniel 7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots
Continued justification for Assad's uprooting.

High oil prices swell the coffers of Arab nations
HeraldNet 2006/10/16
A sharp rise in oil prices has led the gross domestic product of Arab states last year to increase to more than $1 trillion for the first time, an Arab official said Sunday.   The GDP of the 22-member Arab League countries reached $1.05 trillion at the end of 2005, a $180 billion increase from the previous year ...

Group: Thousands of Iraqi Christians Flee Iraq
First Coast News 2006/10/16
The leader of an Iraqi Christian group says more than 35,000 Iraqi Christians have now fled to Syria to escape the violence that has erupted since the beginning of the US-led invasion.   Christians, who make up three percent of Iraq's 26 million people, are leaving because of individual threats from Muslim extremists ...

Saudi Arabia Resurrects Idea of Negotiating With Israel using 2002 Formula
News Blaze 2006/10/16
In an effort to jumpstart the peace process, Saudi Arabia has resurrected the idea of negotiating with Israel on the basis of a formula outlined by then Crown Prince Abdullah in 2002. Abdullah's ideas were revised and adopted by the Arab League as a peace initiative that offered Israel "normal relations" in exchange for a withdrawal to the 1967 borders and resolution of the Palestinian refugee issue.   This initiative is a restatement of the Arab interpretation of UN Resolution 242. The problem is that 242 does not say what the Saudi plan demands of Israel. The resolution calls on Israel to withdraw from territories occupied during the war, not "all" the territories in exchange for peace.   In addition ...

Root Canal
TCS Daily  2006/10/16
...There is an old Buddhist parable about blind men asked to describe an elephant by feeling portions of its body to extrapolate the whole. One man holds the leg and concludes it's a pillar while another grabs the tusk and thinks it's a plough. Groping blindly, each man is able to describe a piece of the elephant but all fail to extrapolate correctly.   It has been five years since the September 11th terrorist attacks, and we are still struggling desperately to describe the elephant that is radical Islam. Nothing demonstrates this more clearly than the fierce reaction to the recently declassified National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iraq and terrorism. ...
? Daniel 7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots

Olmert blames Abbas for impasse over summit
The Daily Star 2006/10/16
..."We offered Abu Mazen [Abbas] a meeting and he seemed uninterested," Olmert was quoted as telling a Sunday meeting of MPs from his Kadima party. "He is conditioning a meeting on the release of prisoners and we will not release any prisoners until [captured soldier] Gilad Shalit is released," a senior official, who attended the meeting, quoted Olmert as saying. ...

Minister: Damascus bent on destabilising Lebanon
Gulf News 2006/10/16
Syria is bent on destabilising Lebanon, whose security forces are not yet strong enough to prevent more possible assassination attempts, Lebanese acting Interior Minister Ahmad Fatfat said.   Fatfat said in an interview on Saturday that he had recently received a message from someone close to the Syrians, telling him and Prime Minister Fouad Siniora to 'take care'. ...
? Daniel 7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots
Continued justification for Assad's uprooting.

President Holds Talks with King of Jordan
Palestine News Agency 2006/10/15
President, Mahmoud Abbas, held on Sunday, in Amman, talks with the King Abdullah II of Jordan. ...He hailed the continued efforts of the Jordanian king to support the Palestinian people and their issues on the Arab and international levels and valued the continued assistance provided by Jordan to the Palestinian people. ...For his part, King Abdullah stressed on the importance of intensifying efforts to organise the internal house of the Palestinians and to find the national consensus which contributes in strengthening the international community's understanding of the Palestinian's just cause. ...

King congratulates Professor Yunus
Jordan News Agency 2006/10/15
King Abdullah II on Sunday sent a cable to Bangladeshi economist Professor Muhammad Yunus and his German Bank 'Grameen Bank' over receiving Noble Prize 2006.   His Majesty said "Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah shares me in extending our warmest congratulations and best wishes to you." ...His Majesty said that "We in Jordan will continue to support financing small enterprises, which have proved to be effective in the fight against poverty. In collaboration with the private sector and the local community, the local communities in Jordan today managed to fund financial sources and to actively participate in the march of development." ...
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand

King congratulates Ban Ki-Moon
Jordan News Agency 2006/10/15
King Abdullah II on Sunday sent a cable to South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon on the occasion of his appointment as the next U.N. secretary-general.   The King said in his cable "I am confident that you, through this important office, will promote the role of the international organization to perform its mission and its lofty goals in the conservation and consolidation of peace and security." ...

Jordan-Iraq Upgrade Border Security Measures
Asharq Alawsat 2006/10/15
Jordan has taken unprecedented security measures to prevent car bombs from entering the Hashemite kingdom in the wake of the car bomb explosion that took place at the Iraqi Al-Qadisiyah border post two days ago. ...The sources also revealed that the two sides agreed to exchange information on the spot about attempts by people to carry out terrorist actions, and emphasis was placed on the need to pursue bilateral meetings to secure the smooth flow of goods and travelers in accordance with new measures that seek to offer the necessary facilities to the Iraqis. ...

Israel threatens to step up Gaza offensive
The News International 2006/10/15
Vowing not to let the Gaza Strip become a “second Lebanon”, Israel warned on Sunday it would step up an offensive that has killed 22 people in three days in a bid to stop rocket fire and arms smuggling.   “Our policy is clear, we will deploy all our efforts to prevent these firings and this contraband,” senior defence ministry official Amos Gilad told army radio.   This will include “ground and air attacks on terrorists and their infrastructure,” he added. “Hamas, which is reinforcing itself, constitutes a threat to Israel’s security,” Gilad said, referring to the Islamic militant movement which dominates the Palestinian government.   “Our priority is now to make it more and more difficult for the continuation of terrorism.” Israel says that militants in Gaza are amassing stockpiles of arms smuggled into the impoverished territory through tunnels from neighbouring Egypt. ...

IRAN, SYRIA CONTINUE TO HELP INSURGENTS
Middle East Newsline 2006/10/15
The U.S. military has determined that Iran and Syria continue to help insurgents in Iraq. ...Gen. George Casey, the commander of the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq, said Syria continues to harbor the leadership of the former Saddam Hussein regime. Casey said Syria also remains the primary route for foreign fighters coming into Iraq. ...
? Daniel 7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots
Continued justification for Assad's uprooting.

Olmert: Iran nukes could reach Hizbullah
yNetNews 2006/10/15
..."If the atomic bomb reaches Iranian hands it will reach other hands. International fears – not only Israel's – are that these weapons reach other players like Hizbullah," Olmert said, adding that the international community should take seriously the North Korea's claimed nuclear test. ...

Olmert dismisses Syrian President Assad's call for peace talks
International Herald Tribune 2006/10/15
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Sunday rejected the possibility of talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad, saying Assad was responsible for harboring terrorists and was attempting to destabilize the entire region, an official said. ..."It is not by chance that there is a Syrian decision together with Hezbollah to bring down the Prime Minister of Lebanon, (Fuad) Saniora," Olmert was quoted as telling ministers in Sunday's Cabinet meeting. "This is the same Assad with whom we are supposed to have a diplomatic process while Khaled Mashaal operates freely in his land?" he said. "This is the same Assad with whom we are supposed to have delusional talks about peace?" ...
? Daniel 7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots
Continued justification for Assad's uprooting.

Minaret that can't rise above politics
Times Online 2006/10/14
The new addition would, the King said, “reflect the Islamic significance and sanctity of the mosque”.   The scheme is likely to cost £200,000. The plans are for a seven-sided tower — after the seven-pointed Hashemite star — and at 42 metres it would be 3.5 metres (11ft) taller than the next-largest minaret. It would not overlook the Western Wall sacred to Jews; instead, it will face east, overlooking the Mount of Olives. ...a Jordanian engineer and acting president of the restoration committee of the al-Aqsa mosque, told The Times that in spending half a billion dollars in restoration, maintenance and administration since the 1920s the Hashemite monarchy simply wanted to establish an architectural heritage in line with the Umayyads, Abbasids, Ayyoubis, Mamluks and Ottomans before them. ...

Jordanian telecommunications company receives operations license from Palestinian Ministry
Palestine News Network 2006/10/14
XPress Telecommunications, Jordan’s exclusive provider of wireless and mobile technology, was recently granted a Digital Trunking license in Palestine similar to the license it holds in Jordan.   XPress was granted this license after placing the highest bid of over three million USD ($3.1 million) on a Radio Trunking Tender issued by Palestinian Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology in June 2006. ...
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand

Report: Hamas weighs targeting US
yNetNews 2006/10/14
According to Time magazine report, Hamas commanders holding secret meetings debating whether to target United States interests in the Middle East, to oppose US policies against Hamas. Hamas commander: ‘We shouldn't stand by idly while the Americans are plotting against us’ ...

Succot record at Western Wall
Cleveland Jewish News 2006/10/14
...An estimated 65,000 worshipers attended Monday's prayers at Judaism's most important site, which included the traditional blessing of the Cohanim, or high priests. Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, director of the Western Wall and Holy Places authority, described it as the largest turnout in a quarter-century.

Iraq to replace police commanders
Aljazeera 2006/10/14
Iraq's interior ministry - which is in charge of the country’s police force - is to replace top commanders in an attempt to counter the growing sectarian violence. ...

Hamas: US trying to topple our gov't
The Jerusalem Post 2006/10/14
...Hamas leaders accused the US of meddling in Palestinians' internal affairs by seeking to overthrow the Hamas-led government.   PA and Fatah officials, on the other hand, expressed concern that the reports would damage the credibility of Abbas and make him appear to be a "collaborator" with the US and Israel. ...

Musharraf asked to decide by 2007
Despardes 2006/10/13
In a virtual ultimatum to President Pervez Musharraf, Commonwealth today said the year 2007 was the "outer limit" for him to give up either Presidentship or control on armed forces failing which the country's re-admission to the world body would be reviewed.   Musharraf has been the West's best ally in its war against terrorism. But lately, he is under increased pressure to let the "liberal forces" play more active role in Pakistan politics, observers say. ...
Contributed by Pete Fisher.

US Supplies Fatah With Arms, Rice Decries "Occupation"
Arutz Sheva 2006/10/13
...United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday America could have no greater legacy than to have divided the Land of Israel and established a Palestinian state to end the "humiliation of occupation." Rice made the statements at a dinner marking the third anniversary of the American Task Force on Palestine. ...
Contributed by Pete Fisher.
Joel 3:2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.
Condoleezza Rice should know better than to be a partaker in parting God's land.  This is a very great blunder for America, not a legacy.

US sowing Iraq strife, says Iran
BBC 2006/10/13
...In a speech broadcast live on television, Ayatollah Khamenei said: "Making Sunnis and Shias suspicious of one another... is the policy of the Americans in Iraq. ...In his speech, Ayatollah Khamenei also accused Jordan's leader King Abdullah II of being a "dependent" spokesman for the US.   King Abdullah, a Sunni, accused Iran in 2004 of trying to create a "Shia crescent" of power from Iran to Lebanon.

The Enemy of My Enemy: Israel, Jordan in a Rough Neighborhood
Combined Jewish Philanthropies 2006/10/13
..."Jordan's strategic support is Israel," said David Hacham, an Arab affairs expert at the Israeli Defense Ministry. "We are the factor that enables the survival of the regime in Jordan." Jordan's relationship with Israel provides the Hashemite kingdom with the Western security blanket it needs to keep its economy strong and fend off enemies both foreign and domestic, critics and supporters of the regime say. ...The king hasn't made things any easier for himself by railing against nearby regimes, Khalafat added, including Iraq, Iran and Syria, with whom Jordan has a border dispute. Such rhetoric could invite belligerence against the kingdom from powerful neighbors, he warned. Abdullah says he isn't worried. "Nobody scares me," the king said in his interview with Time. ...

38 Muslim scholars have accepted Pope's apology over remarks on Islam, says Islamic journal
International Herald Tribune 2006/10/13
...The scholars have signed an open letter to this effect that will be delivered to a Vatican envoy in the hope of engaging the pope in a dialogue to counter prejudice against Islam, said the Jordanian-based editor of Islamica Magazine, Sohail Nakhooda.   Nakhooda said the leading clerics behind the letter were Sheik Habib Ali of the Taba Institute in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, and Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad, the special adviser to Jordan's King Abdullah II. ...

U.S. Delegation to Visit Gulf to Discuss Defenses Against Iran
Bloomberg.com 2006/10/13
The U.S. is sending a high-level delegation to the oil-rich Persian Gulf next week to discuss how the U.S. might better protect Arab allies from an Iranian missile attack. ...Among the measures to be discussed on the visit is the possible sale of U.S.-made defenses against land- and sea-based missile attacks as well as other hardware, a senior defense official said yesterday on condition of anonymity. ...

Assad's push for a Golan realignment
The Jerusalem Post 2006/10/13
...Since it is inconceivable that Syria would agree to a peace treaty with Israel unless it recovered the Heights, that would appear to mean President Bashar Assad is wasting his breath with his repeated recent mix of pleas for peace laced with threats of war. ...
? Daniel 7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots
Continued justification for Assad's uprooting.

Rice's visit and Erdogan's visits
The New Anatolian 2006/10/13
...In the words of career Indian diplomat, M. K. Bhadrakumar, "Washington hopes to play a 'regional and situational game' with several players at the same time. By virtually conceding reciprocity between Turkish concerns about the PKK and U.S. concerns over Lebanon [including Syria and Iran, F.B.], Washington is dealing one card to Ankara while securing a card for itself. A modus vivendi is always possible between Turkish interests and those of the U.S. and Israel." (Asia Times Online, July 7.)   That is why the Bush administration is pushing all those countries to surround the "Shiite crescent." It means also that, apart from building a new era in Turkish-U.S. relations seriously damaged by the Iraq war, Erdogan has began to participate in a new alliance in our region.

Is Israel in America’s Interest?
FrontPageMag 2006/10/13
Most supporters of Israel, when pressed to go a bit deeper, will give two prime rationales for why the United States should back Israel. One is a moral obligation to the Jewish people, grounded in the history of Jewish persecution and culminating in the Holocaust. ...Another powerful rationale is the fact that Israel is a democracy, even an outpost of democracy, in a benighted part of the world. ...And there is an important segment of opinion in America, comprising evangelical Christians, who probably do not even need these arguments. Israel is, for them, the manifestation of a divine plan, and they support it as a matter of faith. ...

Tibi Demands PA Residents be Permitted into Jerusalem
Arutz Sheva 2006/10/13
Arab lawmaker MK Dr. Ahmed Tibi on Friday condemned Israel’s closure policy which prevents PA (Palestinian Authority) residents from entering pre-1967 Green Line Israel, making it impossible for them to attend Temple Mount Ramadan prayers. ...

Christians and Zionists: apocalypse row in Jerusalem
Open Democracy 2006/10/13
Like a fractured mosaic that can crumble under stress, the ancient walled city of Jerusalem often feels as if it might be on the verge of destruction. The place is held holy by Christians, Muslims and Jews and it attracts fervent believers of every possible stripe. For centuries, the sacred city on the hill has been bedeviled by its extremely potent sects' appeal. Mutual mistrust and old grudges routinely set off pious fury between religious rivals whose holy sites overlap.   Now, apocalyptical politicking has brought the squabbles of prominent Christian clergymen into the public arena, too. It's no wonder that some devout Christians suspect the "time of tribulations" is nigh and that doomsday soon will follow. ...

Khatib receives EU ambassadors and Palestinian officials
Jordan News Agency 2006/10/12
Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdul Ilah Khatib on Thursday discussed with EU ambassadors in Jordan the situations in the region and the Jordanian efforts lead by His Majesty King Abdullah II to show the central position of the Palestinian issue in the region’s conflicts. ...
The peace process in the middle east is clearly led by king Abdullah II who has made himself the voice for the Palestinians and the main voice of the Arabs to the rest of the world.

Jordan plans new Temple Mt. minaret
The Jerusalem Post 2006/10/12
Israel has not objected to Jordanian plans to construct a fifth minaret on the Temple Mount, and the Hashemite Kingdom is pressing ahead with plans to do so early next year, a senior Jordanian official said Wednesday.   The minaret, which will be constructed on the eastern wall of the Temple Mount near the Golden Gate, will at 42 meters be the highest of the minarets on the Mount and the first to be built in more than 600 years ...He said he spoke with Israeli authorities about the plan last year and did not hear any objections to the proposed construction. He revealed that he toured the intended site with a top Jerusalem police commander, a senior government official and the head of the Antiquities Authority and none of them voiced any opposition.   "Even though the political situation has changed, I do not think they will refuse to construct such a thing," he said. ...
Contributed by Jody Deasy.

King warns Palestinian statehood at risk
The Jordan Times 2006/10/12
King Abdullah warned feuding Palestinians on Wednesday that their hopes of statehood could be permanently wrecked within months unless they step back from the brink of civil war. ...“All of us have to work to reach out to our Palestinian brothers and get them to take a step back and see that this is not the time for infighting,” the King told Reuters in an interview at the Royal Court.   “A lot is at stake today and if we fail now, we risk pushing Palestinian aspirations so far behind that it will take a long time to bring us back to where we want to be, and in the process, risk the future of Palestine,” the Monarch added. ...“I really think that by the first half of 2007 we might wake up to the reality and realise that the two-state solution is no longer attainable, and then what?” ...
Contributed by Jody Deasy.
What is so significant about the first half of 2007?  Does he know something that the rest of the world does not?  Could we be raptured by then?  Did Condy Rice relay some important information to the king last week on her night flight through the middle east?

How To Talk To A Dictator
CBS News 2006/10/12
Forget condemnations and Security Council talks. It's "Richard Armitage time" for North Korea and Iran. Kim Jong II and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad need a phone call from the White House warning them that unless they surrender their nuclear program and fully cooperate they'll be "bombed back to the Stone Age." This type of tough talk quickly brought Pakistan onside in the war on terror. The Neville Chamberlain-like behavior known as diplomacy, meantime, has only brought us broken deadlines and a greater threat from Iran and North Korea. ...

Rice's Remarks on Palestinian 'Humiliation' Offend Israelis
CNS News 2006/10/12
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has offended some Israelis with her call to free Palestinians from "the daily humiliation of the occupation." ...In a speech in Washington Wednesday night, Rice said she knows that the "idea of a Palestinian state living side by side in peace must seem like a very distant dream," but she suggested it could happen -- given that history is full of "impossible" events that now seem "inevitable."   "By all rights, the United States of America should never have come into being...[nor] survived our civil war. I should never have grown up in segregated Birmingham, Alabama to become the Secretary of State of the United States of America," Rice said. ...

James Baker prepares the exits in Iraq
The Daily Star 2006/10/12
...an article in The Times of London suggested a different plan. The group would recommend breaking Iraq up into "three highly autonomous regions." According to "informed sources" cited by the paper, the Iraq group "has grown increasingly interested in the idea of splitting the Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish regions of Iraq ... His group will not advise 'partition,' but is believed to favor a division of the country that will devolve power and security to the regions, leaving a skeletal national government in Baghdad in charge of foreign affairs, border protection and the distribution of oil revenue. The Iraqi government will be encouraged to hold a constitutional conference paving the way for greater devolution. ...

An excuse to attack Israel
Gamla 2006/10/11
Carl Jung, the renowned analyst made a keen observation regarding aggressors: In order to justify the attack, the aggressors are planning against their selected victim, they first blame the victim for aggressive intentions. Then, the aggressor has every excuse to attack the victim because the aggressor is merely acting in self-defense. ...In the case of Syria, President Bashar Assad - urged on by Russia’s President Vladimir Putin is building the case that Israel is about to attack Syria. Since Israel has no intention of opening up a North Eastern front with Syria, Bashar is nevertheless building up a public case for protection through pre-emption. That speaks to a combined attack by Iran and Syria with Putin safely on the sidelines applauding the actions of his protegees. ...

King Abdullah II warns Palestinians of sliding towards civil war
Jordan News Agency 2006/10/11
...the King said that Palestinians should put aside their internal disputes and confront other challenges , including a growing rightist camp in Israel that adopts the castle mentality rather than merging into the region. ...His Majesty said that time available for solving the Arab Israeli conflict on the bases of two states conception is passing rapidly. He expressed his belief that such a solution could fade away by the end of the first half of 2007. ...
Hmmm.  Now what specifically do you think he bases that belief on?

Masa'deh Presents Credentials to Belgium, European Commission
Jordan News Agency 2006/10/11
...The ambassador stressed on the fact that Jordan has become role model in economic growth, sustained development and political reforms. He also underscored the importance of the European Commission’s role in enhancing peace and stability in the region.   Barroso for his part expressed his great respect and admiration for His Majesty King Abdullah II ...
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand

Al-Ali: King's vision towards modernization Jordan economy constitutes real launch for economic reform program
Jordan News Agency 2006/10/11
Minister of Planning and Int'l Cooperation Suhair Al Ali said that His Majesty King Abdullah's vision towards modernization and development of Jordan economy constituted a real launch for economic reform programs and made Jordan a good example for modernization and development in the region. ...
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand

Iraq passes regional autonomy law
BBC 2006/10/11
The Iraqi parliament has approved a law allowing provinces to merge into regions which would enjoy a measure of autonomy.   The law is controversial as many Sunni Muslims and others fear it would lead to the country's partition. ...Mr Hakim said that the Iraqi people would have the last word.   Any provinces wanting to join together into a federal region will have to seek popular approval though a referendum.
Contributed by Ken Saylor.

DEBKAfile: US Consul-General in Jerusalem outlines all-out effort to boost Mahmoud Abbas, blames Hamas for the Palestinian people’s suffering
DEBKAfile 2006/10/11
...On the advice of US Lt.-Gen Keith Dayton, the Bush administration is investing $10 million to expand Yasser Arafat’s old Force 17 from 3,500 to 6,500 men and equip them with arms, a fleet of vehicles - some armored – and communications systems. The Americans have also hired Palestinian contractors to upgrade the Palestinian Jericho facility as a central training base and the Palestinian Authority’s most modern military installation. Training and living conditions will be on a par with Israel’s special operations forces’ installations. Palestinian security officers will act as instructors under the guidance of British military personnel.

Palestinian Militant: We'll Use American Weapons Against Israel
The Jewish Press 2006/10/11
...The militant, Abu Yousuf, hinted that any new weapons provided by the U.S. to his group could be shared with the affiliated Al Aksa Martyrs Brigades terror organization. Abu Yousuf, like several Force 17 members, is also a member of the Brigades.   "There is no chance that we will use force and violence against our brothers in Hamas unless they will endanger [Abbas]. There is a chance that Israel will attack the Palestinian territories and in this case these weapons and others provided [by the U.S. to Force 17] will be directed toward the [Israeli] occupation," Abu Yousuf said. ...

Somalia: Islamic Courts Declare Jihad Against Ethiopia
Asharq Alawsat 2006/10/11
The Islamic courts have declared “a holy jihad war” on Ethiopia in what it being described as an Ethiopian invasion of Somali territories, threatening to launch a counterattack on President Abdullahi Yusuf’s interim government’s base in the southern city of Baidoa. ...

Synagogue Planned For Temple Mount, Hashemites to Add Minaret
Arutz Sheva 2006/10/10
...The synagogue would be build upon the Temple Mount, but in an area that is indisputably not within the areas that require immersion and other preparations, according to Jewish law.   Ariel says that the synagogue would not change the Muslim status quo on the mount, which is home to the Al-Aksa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock.   “This is not a new idea,” Ariel stressed, “it has been brought up and considered countless times since the [1967] Six Day War [during which the Temple Mount was liberated from Jordanian occupation –ed.].” ...The National Union MK, who visited the Temple Mount himself Monday, said that such a plan was an opportunity for the Muslim world to prove it is capable of rising above the violence and intolerance that have surfaced in the past year as a result of papal remarks and political cartoon portraying Islam’s founder Muhammad. Referring to Ariel's visit to the holy site, MK Talab el-Sana (Ta’al) said the “provocation” would bring nothing but “war and bloodshed.” ...

Abdullah looks to strengthen hold on Temple Mount
Jerusalem Newswire 2006/10/10
Jordan's King Abdullah II is looking to strengthen Islam's hold over Jerusalem's Temple Mount by adding a fifth minaret to the site. ...Home to the Temple of the God of Israel for some 1,000 years, the Temple Mount has been occupied since 691 AD by Islam's Al Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock.   Despite being the holiest site in the world to Jews and many Christians, non-Muslims are not permitted to pray or carry Bibles atop the Temple Mount.
King Abdullah must make it possible for Jews and possibly Christians to be permitted atop Temple Mount if he is to be a true uniter.

Foreign Minister reviews situations in region
Jordan News Agency 2006/10/10
Foreign Minister Abdullah Ilah Khatib said the Jordanian intensified diplomatic efforts led by His Majesty King Abdullah II endeavors to form a unified Arab stance enables Arab countries to have an effect on the current issues on the Arab territories. ...

Lebanese President Accepts Credentials of Jordan's Ambassador in Beirut
Jordan News Agency 2006/10/10
Lebanese President Emile Lahoud said Lebanon will never forget the assistance provided by Jordan to the Lebanese people under the directives of His Majesty King Abdullah II. ...
A benevolent king.

King Congratulates Spanish Monarch on National Day
Jordan News Agency 2006/10/10
...King Abdullah II sent a cable to His Majesty Juan Carlos I of Spain 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.

Grant special 'open' status to Jerusalem to build just peace, Holy Land church leaders say
Catholic Online 2006/10/10
...Decrying the erection of walls that deny access to “many of our faithful … from the precincts of the holy city” and security decisions by local authorities that have made the political and social environment less secure, the 13 church leaders, including six of whom represented Catholic churches, called on Palestinian and Israeli government leaders to begin negotiations and draw upon “needed international collaboration” to assure the rights of “two people and three religions … to live together in harmony, respect, mutual acceptance and cooperation.” ...

Abbas: Recognizing Israel not required    Talks of peace with Rice, but states opposite in Arabic interview
WorldNetDaily 2006/10/10
JERUSALEM – Fresh from claiming in a meeting last week with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that he will demand Hamas recognize the existence of Israel, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said in an Arabic-language interview neither Hamas nor his own Fatah party is required to recognize the Jewish state.   "Hamas is not required, Hamas is not required to recognize Israel. ... It is not required of Hamas, nor of Fatah, nor of the Popular Front (for the Liberation of Palestine) to recognize Israel," Abbas told the pan-Arab Al-Arabiya satellite television network last week according to a translation by the Israel-based Palestinian Media Watch monitor group. ...

PM: No Talks With Syria While It Supports Terror Groups
Arutz Sheva 2006/10/10
The Prime Minister’s Office has announced that Israel will not negotiate with Syria while that country still supports terrorist organizations. ...

Syria and Russia Tighten Noose Over Iran
The Conservative Voice 2006/10/10
...Russia’s initiative against Iran, taken 15 September at a high level SCO meeting, was to form an Asian Energy Club that would deny participation by Iran but which would include China, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. This Asian Energy Club would, among other initiatives, cooperate in planning and investment in Central Asian energy development including pipelines to Europe and Asia (see “Outside View: SCO Mulls Energy Club,” UPI, 26 September).   Iran’s exclusion from the Asian Energy Club creates a real headache for President Ahmadinejad because Iran is contesting claims to the Caspian Seas energy resources on the part of Russia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. Now these three countries can move ahead to exploit Caspian Sea resources, under SCO auspices, in cooperation with China, Uzbekistan and the western states and Japan, despite Iran’s claims. ...

Mideast Realignment: Could Iran Unite Arabs and Israelis?
World Politics Watch 2006/10/10
...It is this natural convergence of interests that has the potential to recast the political landscape from the traditional one of Arabs versus Israelis, which has dominated the Middle East since the late 1940s, into a Sunni vs. Shiia alignment, with Israel and Sunni governments on the same side.   During the opening salvos of the Lebanon war, the Saudi regime and other Sunni governments in the Middle East, gave us a glimpse into that dramatic realignment. In an unprecedented attack against the Arab side in a conflict against Israel, Saudi Arabia initially blamed Hezbollah's cross-border raid into Israel and its capture of two Israeli soldiers as "irresponsible adventurism." ...

The right question: Why is Judea and Samaria vanishing?
Canada Free Press 2006/10/10
...These two areas have no other names. These names were used during the League of Nations Mandate period. They appear in British government documents, United Nations documents including the UN Partition Plan of 1947. They appear in U.S. State Department documents, including a July 18, 1948 map. Even as late as 1961, the Encyclopaedia Britannica refers to "Judaea" and "Samaria" in an article on "Palestine" (Vol. 17, p. 118).   Trans-Jordan illegally invaded Judea-Samaria in 1948 and as a result of its aggression occupied that region. It then unilaterally annexed the area on April 4, 1950, which was recognized by only two nations, the United Kingdom and Pakistan.   The Arab League, their Muslim supporters, anti-Israel elements and anti-Semites, deliberately sought to rob the region of its correct political and geographic name. They had to fabricate a brand new name for they could find no other name for the territory. Mislabeling was their technique of disinformation and de-legitimization. ...

The Eurabia Code, Part 3: Islamo-Stalinism
The Brussels Journal 2006/10/10
...Mr. Solana, then Secretary General of NATO, in a speech stated that “the root cause of conflicts in Europe and beyond can be traced directly to the absence of democracy and openness. The absence of the pressure valve of democratic discourse can lead these societies to explode into violence.” The irony that he himself is now trying to curtail the democratic discourse in Europe through the promotion of Islamic censorship apparently did not occur to him.   Meanwhile, the tentacles of the vast, inflated EU bureaucracy insinuate themselves into regulations on every conceivable subject. Some of the examples of the bureaucracy are ridiculous; some are funny. But it is the sinister side to the European bureaucracy:
* The promotion of an official, “EU federal ideology” advocating Multiculturalism;
* The denunciation as “xenophobes” of all those who want to preserve their democracy at the nation state level; and
* Calling those who would limit Third World immigration “racists.”
A report from the EU’s racism watchdog said that more must be done to combat racism and “Islamophobia.” ...

Judeh Affirms Jordan’s Keenness to Forge Unified Arab Stance on Arab Issues
Jordan News Agency 2006/10/9
Government Spokesperson Nasser Judeh affirmed Jordan’s keenness, under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah II, to forge a unified Arab stance on various Arab issues, foremost of which is the Palestinian issue. ...
The king is always on the forefront to be the leader of the Arabs.  It appears that he is aiming for the Crown of a United Arab Kingdom.

Ehud Barak meets with Jordan's King Abdullah
The Jerusalem Post 2006/10/9
Former prime minister Ehud Barak headed a delegation of Israeli and American business leaders who met in Amman on Monday with Jordanian King Abdullah II.   The delegation included representatives of Price Waterhouse Coopers and Carnival Investments. ...
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand

JHCO Discusses Cooperation with Middle East Churches Council
Jordan News Agency 2006/10/9
Secretary General of the Jordanian Hashemite Charity organization (JHCO) Abdul Salam Abbadi discussed with a delegation from the Middle East Churches Council, means of promoting relations between the JHCO and the council on the local and international levels. ...

Design sought for new minaret for Al Aqsa mosque
Middle East Times 2006/10/9
Jordan's King Abdullah II Monday announced the launch of a competition to design a fifth minaret for Jerusalem's Al Aqsa mosque - Islam's third holiest shrine.   "Jordan will build a fifth minaret at the blessed Al Aqsa mosque," King Abdullah II said at a meeting of the state committee that has continued to oversee the maintenance of the shrine since Jordan's 1948-67 administration of East Jerusalem. ...

Jordan's king donates carpet to Al Aqsa Mosque
The Jerusalem Post 2006/10/9
Jordan's King Abdullah II has donated a huge carpet to the Al Aqsa mosque and is launching an architectural competition for a fifth minaret for the building, which stands in Jerusalem on the third holiest site in Islam, the palace said Monday. ...The carpet will cover 2,000 square meters (2,400 square yards), the statement said. ...

King Congratulates Ugandan President on National Day
Jordan News Agency 2006/10/9
...King Abdullah II sent a cable to the President of the Republic of Uganda Yoweri Kaguta Museveni 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.

Analysis: Watch the Syrians, very carefully
The Jerusalem Post 2006/10/9
...Damascus's emerging autumn 2006 war scenario with Israel is evolving according to the pre-Six Day War model: Border tension increases, charges are made of an imminent Israeli attack, Russian support for Syria is demonstrated and all the while Israel appears sluggish, with a weak prime minister and unimpressive government. ...

Israel on alert for Syrian attack
WorldNetDaily 2006/10/9
..."We are taking Assad's threats very seriously and are cautiously increasing our level of alertness for a possible provocation by Syria," a military official said.   The official said Israel placed troops in the Golan on heightened alert during the 34-day war against Hezbollah in Lebanon that began July 12, but the alert level was raised in recent weeks following militant statements by Assad and Israeli intelligence warnings of indications Syria may be bracing for a conflict. ...

Arab League calls for negotiations over North Korea nuclear test
The News International 2006/10/9
...Arab League Secretary General Amr Mussa called for "speedy return to political negotiations with regards the North Korean nuclear file in order to contain the situation."   "The world does not need any more nuclear tests, and does not need more tension," Mussa told reporters. ...

The Continued Misunderstanding of the Salafi Jihad Threat
ReportingWar.com  World Defense Review 2006/10/9
...The academic, expert, and journalistic assertions that Jihadists in general and Salafists in particular, are initially local, then become international, is derived from how Western scholarship monitors the Islamists actions but in many cases fail to analyze the motives and thinking process of these Jihadists. The Salafists for example, do not consider their Jihad as solely confined to a particular country, even if their actions are restricted to the boundaries of a particular country. Salafists and other Jihadis are international by essence, by ideology, and by ultimate goal. It is not the foreign policies of Western powers that "open their eyes" on the necessity of initiating action internationally, but it is their analysis of the feasibility of such action, in conformity with their ideology.   "La hudud lil jihad illa qudrat al mujahideen" is in the center of their strategies: "There are no frontiers to the capacity of the Mujahidin." The decision to go global, regional, or to stay local, depends on a calculated process, not on an emotional reaction. ...

Qatar takes new, aggressive role in Israel-Arab tensions
International Herald Tribune 2006/10/9
Qatar's foreign minister headed to Gaza on Monday for talks with Hamas leaders as part of a new and aggressive role for the tiny Gulf nation: pushing Arab mediation efforts on Mideast issues from Sudan to Palestinian peace talks to the stalemate over Israeli prisoners.   Qatar's efforts are expected to infuriate regional heavyweights such as Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, which the United States had been relying heavily on to try to stifle Hamas and other radical groups. ...The new initiatives come at a time when Qatar has been at odds with many Arab neighbors.   At an Arab foreign ministers' meeting in June, al Thani fiercely opposed Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, which had accused the Lebanese Hezbollah of triggering the summer war with Israel. ...

Largest Priestly Blessing Crowd Since Temple Mount Liberation
Arutz Sheva 2006/10/9
A record number of Jews gathered Monday at the Western Wall of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City for the traditional massive Birkat Kohanim, priestly blessings. ...

Official says Israel won't attack Syria
United Press International 2006/10/8
An Israeli official Sunday said Jerusalem has no "hostile intentions" toward Syria, the Jerusalem Post said.   Syrian President Bashar Assad earlier said his country was prepared for an attack by Israel at any time and Israel had left the peace process, even though most issues between the two countries were resolved ...

British Historian Claims to Have Found the Temple Treasures
Arutz Sheva A7 News 2006/10/8
What happened to the 50 tons of gold, silver and sacred treasures looted from Herod's Temple following the Roman legionnaires' sack of Jerusalem on Tisha b'Av in the year 70 CE? ..."The Temple treasure remains a deadly political tool in the volatile Arab-Israeli conflict centered on the Temple Mount [the site of the Jewish Temple and the Muslim Dome of the Rock].   "The treasure's final hiding place - in the modern West Bank ... deep in Hamas territory - will rock world religions."
Contributed by Bob Anderson.

King receives British Defense delegation
Jordan News Agency 2006/10/8
...King Abdullah II on Sunday briefed the British Defense delegation on the recent developments in the Middle East and the exerted efforts to entrench peace and security in region. ...

America ponders cutting Iraq in three
Times Online 2006/10/8
...The Baker commission has grown increasingly interested in the idea of splitting the Shi’ite, Sunni and Kurdish regions of Iraq as the only alternative to what Baker calls “cutting and running” or “staying the course”.   “The Kurds already effectively have their own area,” said a source close to the group. “The federalisation of Iraq is going to take place one way or another. The challenge for the Iraqis is how to work that through.”   The commission is considered to represent a last chance for fresh thinking on Iraq, where mass kidnappings are increasing and even the police are suspected of being responsible for a growing number of atrocities. ...

US may sell 2 Black Hawks to Jordan
Trade Arabia 2006/10/7
...The total value, if all options are exercised, could be $60 million.   ...The aircraft will provide Jordan’s King Abdullah II additional security while flying throughout the kingdom and while training with the Special Operations Aviation Brigade. ...

Blocking Iran unites Israel, Arab kings
The Arab American News 2006/10/7
...Ever since King Abdullah of Jordan whined about a "Shi'a crescent" stretching from Tehran through Baghdad and Beirut, the fears from so-called "moderate" Sunni Arab states - Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan - have come to the surface.   The rise of Shi'i power in once Sunni-dominated Iraq, the success of Hizbullah in Lebanon and Iranian president Ahmadinejad's rhetoric - not to mention Iranian nuclear ambitions - serve to heighten the anxieties of the "moderates" so eloquently expressed by the Jordanian monarch. ...
? Daniel 7:8, Revelation 13:5 …And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things…

Cinema school expands to Jordan
Daily Trojan 2006/10/6
...RSICA will accept students from the entire Middle East region and place them in a three-year graduate program in Aqaba, Jordan.   The program was first envisioned by Jordan's monarch, King Abdullah II, who desired to bring new opportunities of learning to the youth of his country.   Renowned filmmaker Steven Spielberg, who is a member of the Board of Councilors at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, first recommended a partnership with USC to King Abdullah II. Elizabeth Daley, dean of the School of Cinematic Arts, wrote in an e-mail that Spielberg felt USC was "uniquely suited for this initiative." ...
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand

Condi's top priority
Guardian Unlimited 2006/10/6
...The idea is to form a "moderate" alliance in which Israel and some of the Arab countries (principally Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf states) would join forces to combat Iranian influence, and Shia influence more generally.   This is partly motivated by American/Israeli desires to "get" Iran but also an attempt to repair damage from the 34-day war in which Israel accidentally bolstered the regional standing of Iran and its Lebanese ally, Hizbullah. ...

What Assad needs to do
Haaretz 2006/10/6
...Here is what Assad could do, in whole or in part, to affirm his declared aspiration to make peace:

• Shut down the offices of the Palestinian organizations in Damascus and ban their members' activity.

• Announce that he agrees to meet with the prime minister of Israel in one of the two capitals or in a neutral place, as a first step toward peace negotiations.

• State that Syria, recognizing that no territorial gains should accrue from war, will respect in negotiations the international boundary between Syria and Palestine as it existed in May 1948.

• And, at the very least, announce that the peace negotiations will begin without mediators and without preconditions (i.e. not from the point at which they stopped four years ago, and without the "guarantee" that Yitzhak Rabin gave the Americans in 1994, which ostensibly contained a commitment to withdraw from the entire Golan Heights to the 1967 boundary), and that each side will be able to put forward its territorial, political and security demands.

Such moves would probably foment a change in Israeli public opinion, which, beyond general declarations, has seen no evidence that Syria is truly interested in peace. On the contrary, Syria's support for Hezbollah and the Palestinian terrorist organizations shows that it is interested in continuing the struggle with Israel. ...

"We refuse to divide region into extremists, moderates" -- Mubarak
Kuwait News Agency 2006/10/6
...talks were aimed to breathe life into the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks and pave the way for a comprehensive regional peace move.   Mubarak denied allegations that Rice brought up the issue of having a new Arab alliance that would comprise "moderate Arab countries." He told the newspaper that "Cairo refuses to divide the region into extremists and moderates," underlining stability in the region.

Saudi Arabia Woos China and India
Middle East Forum 2006/10/5
...Abdullah's travel was significant. His reception suggested both Chinese and Indian recognition of the House of Saud's role in regulating global oil prices and the impact that Saudi oil policy has not only on Western economies but on the Chinese and Indian economies as well. Riyadh's relations with Beijing and Delhi are not shaped by energy alone, however. There is a major political component to Saudi strategic thinking. The royal family wishes to engage China and India in order to create a political alternative to its relationship with the United States. Saudi thinkers may believe that an Asian alternative will make the kingdom less susceptible to Western pressure on such issues as democratization and terror financing. While Saudi outreach toward the Asian giants will accelerate in coming years, it will not provide Riyadh with a panacea but rather will still require all parties to confront difficult foreign policy choices they may wish to avoid.
Sino-Saudi Relations: Broad-Based Engagement
Many Saudi officials, annoyed with U.S. pressure to cease funding Islamist and terrorist groups, find Beijing's no-questions-asked policies attractive. Beijing and Riyadh are in one key way alike, in that both seek to take advantage of economic globalization without endangering their political status quo. ...
Contributed by Bob Anderson.

Second Hashemite Islamic Council Holds Session
Jordan New Agency 2006/10/5
...Participants agreed that Islam is the humanity religion which relies on reasonable approach, balance, tolerance and just values which are considered key parts in its legislations and teachings.   They also stressed that Islam depends on the oneness of God and humane sex unity and worked to root equality amongst all people regardless of their religion and granted woman all her rights and made her duties clear.   They paid attribute for the role of His Majesty King Abdullah II in showing the true image of Islam through launching the Amman Message, which King Abdullah took the responsibility to release it all over the world.

King sends message to PM
Jordan New Agency 2006/10/5
...His Majesty the King underlined the Jordan youth should play an effective role and serious participation in the home affairs, as they are the knights of changes who are capable of creating a qualitative step towards future of the country and achieve bright future for the upcoming generation.   “Our aspirations and objectives that we are working to achieve are very great and need the collaboration of every person in this precious country”, King Abdullah said ...
? Daniel 7:8, Revelation 13:5 …And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things…

Israeli PM secretly met Saudi officials in Amman: press
Khaleej Times Online 2006/10/5
The meeting, at the palace of Jordan’s King Abdullah II, lasted for several hours and focused mainly on Iran’s nuclear program and the spread of “Shia terrorism” in the region, the paper said.   The two sides agreed to share intelligence on the Iranian nuclear program.   According to the paper, Olmert flew to Amman for the nighttime meeting in a helicopter, accompanied by his chief of staff and a top military attache.   The meeting was organized by Abdullah and the chief of Israel’s Mossad spy agency ...

WCC slams Israel's refusal to recognize Greek patriarch
The Jerusalem Post 2006/10/5
The World Council of Churches (WCC) in Geneva has demanded Israel withdraw its backing of Irineos I and acknowledge Theophilos III as the leader of the Greek Orthodox church in Jerusalem.   Israel's continued support for the "duly deposed former patriarch, now monk, Irineos," was "tantamount to interference by the state in the affairs of the church," WCC general secretary Samuel Kobia wrote in a September 29 letter to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. ...

Bordering on Insanity    Does the Middle East need to be destroyed in order to save it?
MSNBC 2006/10/5
...Under the headline “Blood Borders,” Peters argued that “the greatest taboo in striving to understand the region’s comprehensive failure isn’t Islam but the awful-but-sacrosanct international boundaries worshipped by our own diplomats.” The fault for the present mess lies with the colonial powers of the early 20th century, those “Orientalist” experts from London and Paris who drew many of the present borders in the region to suit their own administrative needs and not those of the people on the ground. The solution, Peters proposes, would be to make way for the “cheated” nationalist aspirations of “the Kurds, Baluch and Arab Shia” by allowing fresh new countries to be carved out of the rotten old ones.   Unless the borders in the region are redrawn “between the Bosporus and the Indus,” Peters boldly declares, “we shall never see a more peaceful Middle East.” ...
ref: Blood borders    How a better Middle East would look, Armed Forces Journal, 2006/June

The Eurabia Code, Part 2: A Planned Sell-Out by the EU
The Brussels Journal 2006/10/5
...“The Euro-Arab Dialogue as a forum shared by the European Community and the League of Arab States arose out of a French initiative and was launched at the European Council in Copenhagen in December 1973, shortly after the ‘October War’ and the oil embargo. As the Europeans saw it, it was to be a forum to discuss economic affairs, whereas the Arab side saw it rather as one to discuss political affairs. ...

Fatah official: Abbas does not really recognize Israel
Jerusalem Newswire 2006/10/5
...Abbas only recognizes Israel "because of pressure that the Zionists and the Americans are exercising on him."   He noted that the "peace" agreement Abbas is seeking with Israel includes the right to flood the Jewish state with millions of so-called "Palestinian refugees," thus demographically destroying the Jewish state. ...

SYRIA: Kurds arrested in protest over lack of citizenship
Reuters 2006/10/5
More than a dozen Kurds were arrested on Thursday as hundreds of riot police and security officers armed with tear gas and batons prevented a demonstration calling for the restoration of citizenship to an estimated 300,000 stateless Kurds living in Syria.   "We denounce the police and security services' abnormal use of force against what was a peaceful civilian rally," Meshal Temo, spokesman for the Kurdish Future Party, said. Future Party was one of three illegal Kurdish political parties that organised the demonstration. ...

Real Negotiations With Syria? Don't Even Think About It!
Jewish Exponent 2006/10/5
...Syria has no trouble playing a double game. Back in 2004, Syrian dictator Bashar Assad told a visiting American that he was ready for serious secret negotiations with Israel. An entire conference was planned, only to be canceled by Assad at the last moment. Yet this kind of strategy serves him well, especially since Western analysts don't see through his game.   What Syria wants is the exact opposite of the things Westerners suppose it needs. Behind the political maneuvering is the ever-present threat of violence. No pro-Syrian figure has ever been assassinated in Lebanon, while leaders of all three predominantly oppositionist communities have been killed by Syria. In the last 18 months, there have been at least 14 attempted assassinations -- many of them successful -- of those criticizing Damascus. ...

Rice promotes int'l parley to help Abbas
The Jerusalem Post 2006/10/5
...The officials said that Rice's main focus at this time was how to strengthen Abbas, amid a growing realization in Washington that the situation in the PA is "catastrophic." The officials said that Rice's meetings in Jerusalem were intended to "take stock" of the situation and see what measures could be taken to forge a moderate front in the region as a counterbalance to Iran, Syria, Hizbullah and Hamas.   Olmert, according to a statement issued by his office after the meeting, told Rice that with all his interest in helping Abbas, he would not release Palestinian prisoners until abducted Cpl. Gilad Shalit was released. ...

Security Council to back Ban as prince withdraws
Taipei Times 2006/10/5
The UN Security Council will meet next Monday to formally endorse South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon as its choice to become the next UN secretary-general, its president said on Tuesday. ..."I wish Foreign Minister Ban the very best of success as he now prepares himself to meet the many challenges of tomorrow," the Jordanian envoy said in a letter to Oshima made available to reporters here. ...Prince Zeid, a cousin of Jordan's King Abdullah II and at 42 the youngest of the seven candidates to Annan's succession, failed to attract broad support from council members. His best showing in the council's informal polls was fourth place ...

Jordan, US Sign Grant Agreement
Jordan News Agency 2006/10/4
Jordan and the United States signed a grant agreement under which the US would provide $50 million to Jordan through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to support the treasury, ease Jordan’s debt burden and implement projects in the health, educational and vocational training fields. ...The US ambassador for his part described the grant as the concrete result of US commitment to longstanding partnership with Jordan. He said that Jordan had achieved numerous successes in developing various sectors and in pursuing the vision of His Majesty King Abdullah II and the Jordanian people to transform Jordan’s economy into one marked by export-led growth, open markets and a highly-educated workforce competitive on the international level.
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand

Relief Planes leave for Lebanon
Jordan News Agency 2006/10/4
A Royal Air Force plane carrying cadre of the Jordanian Field Hospital left Amman on Wednesday heading for Beirut to provide the brotherly Lebanese people with medical treatment. ...
A benevolent king.

Israel's government again vows to dismantle West Bank outposts
International Herald Tribune 2006/10/4
..."The issue of illegal outposts is one this government is committed to," government spokeswoman Miri Eisen said at a new conference with foreign journalists. "The illegal outposts will be removed."   Israel is required to take down about 100 outposts — many of them just a few trailers on West Bank hilltops — according to terms of the internationally backed "road map" peace plan the envisions a Palestinian state alongside Israel. The three-stage plan, first presented in 2003, has never been implemented. ...

Jordan briefs Arab League chief on row with Qatar
Khaleej Times Online 2006/10/4
...Khatib told Mussa in a telephone call of Jordan’s “displeasure” with Qatar for breaking ranks with an Arab decision to back Amman’s candidate to succeed UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, state-run Petra news agency reported. ...Khatib told Mussa that Qatar, the only Arab member of the 15-seat UN Security Council, was bound by a unanimous Arab decision to vote for Jordan’s UN representative, Prince Zeid Al Hussein, to succeed Annan. ...Prince Zeid has pulled out of the race.

Global leaders call for ME conference
United Press International 2006/10/4
AMMAN, Jordan, Oct. 4 (UPI) -- The International Crisis Group has released a joint statement by 135 global leaders calling for international action to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict. ..."We believe the time has come for a new international conference, ideally held as soon as possible," the statement said, adding that irrespective of how soon such a conference may convene, "support should be extended to a Palestinian national unity government, with an end to the political and financial boycott of the Palestinian Authority." ...
Hmmm.  It's very interesting that this meeting took place in Amman, Jordan.

U.S. Urging Bigger Force for Abbas
The New York Times 2006/10/4
The United States is proposing to expand the presidential guard of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to 6,000 men from the current 3,500, as part of a $26 million plan to shore up Mr. Abbas’s position and reduce the security chaos in the Palestinian Authority, according to donors who have been briefed by Lt. Gen. Keith W. Dayton, Washington’s Security Coordinator for the Palestinians. ...

Abbas accepts Qatari plan on Palestinian unity government, prisoner exchange deal
Haaretz 2006/10/4
...According to the Qatari plan, the Palestinian unity government will in effect accept the conditions that Israel and the international community have imposed - recognition of Israel and agreements made with Israel, and an end to violence - which will allow for the renewal of peace talks. The Palestinian government envisioned in the plan will be headed by an independent figure who is not aligned with any Palestinian faction, and will include ministers from Hamas, Fatah and other factions, as well as those not affiliated with any party. ...

Peretz: Syria keeping war option open
yNetNews 2006/10/4
Defense Minister Amir Peretz told cabinet ministers on Wednesday that Syria was working against the government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and is calling for peace "while keeping open the option of war." ...

Iran and Syria advance SIGINT co-operation
Jane's 2006/10/4
...The sources added that "during the coming year and not later than January 2007", two additional SIGINT stations are expected to be added to those two already operating. Located in Bab Al-Hawa' in northern Syria (near the Turkish border) and in the region of AlbuKamal in north-eastern Syria, south of Al-Jazirah, these are still under construction.   The four SIGINT bases, according to the sources, are for collecting intelligence on all countries bordering Syria. "The purpose of this multi-resourced programme is to significantly promote Syria's and Iran's SIGINT capabilities for locating and acquiring intelligence information as well as for completing intelligence 'gaps' for the IRGC." ...

Palestinian rivals on brink of civil war, Abbas aide says
The Washington Times 2006/10/4
RAMALLAH, West Bank -- Armed Palestinian factions are just "centimeters" away from civil war, a top aide to President Mahmoud Abbas said yesterday after two days of deadly factional fighting.   The violence, the worst since the West Bank and Gaza Strip won autonomy 12 years ago, has raged as Mr. Abbas' Fatah party and the militant Hamas movement, which controls the Palestinian government, have struggled to agree on a unity government that can end a crippling international aid freeze.   "If we don't reach a political solution, we are headed toward a civil war," Nabil Amr, a communications adviser to Mr. Abbas, said in an interview. "It could happen at any time." ...

Hezbollah received intel from Russian-Syrian listening post during war
Haaretz 2006/10/4
During the fighting in Lebanon, Hezbollah received direct intelligence support from Syria, using data collected by listening posts jointly manned by Russian and Syrian crews. Hezbollah was also fed intelligence from new listening posts built on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights, which are operated jointly with Iran.   This information was confirmed in recent reports by the defense journal Jane's. ...

Chinese Ambassador: King Abdullah is very Keen on developing bilateral relations
Jordan News Agency 2006/10/3
Chinese Ambassador in Amman Gong Xiao Sheng said that King Abdullah's four visits to China since his assumption of the throne in 1999 reflect the King's keenness on developing bilateral relations. ...The ambassador said that that the volume of trade exchange reached $911m in 2005, an increase of 38% compared to the year before. ...
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand

Arab states form united front to win Rice's support on talks    Seek to relaunch peace process
The Boston Globe 2006/10/3
CAIRO -- Eight US-allied Arab countries are banding together to meet with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on her trip here, in hopes of reviving the deadlocked Arab-Israeli peace process and making headway on other regional issues.   During their meeting today with Rice, the ministers of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council and Egypt and Jordan are expected to coordinate efforts to buttress the stature of the moderate Palestinian leader and stem Iran's growing influence. ...

Spain Rethinks Burning Effigies Of Muhammad
The New York Sun 2006/10/3
MADRID, Spain — Spanish villages are abandoning the centuries-old tradition of burning effigies of the Prophet Muhammad for fear of offending Muslims.   The annual festivals, across Catalonia, Valencia, and the Balearic Islands, feature locals donning medieval costumes to re-enact battles between "Moors and Christians" during the Reconquista period. ...
Contributed by Bob Anderson.

YEAH, I TOLD YOU SO... WARFARE IN SPACE
News With Views 2006/10/3
...“China has secretly fired powerful laser weapons designed to disable American spy satellites by ‘blinding’ their sensitive surveillance devices.” ... In the future, ‘preparing the battlefield' will include disrupting command and control mechanisms. With two rival GPS systems in place, we can anticipate that prior to any tanks or missiles being deployed, phase one will consist of trying to take out satellites. ‘Preparation of the battlefield' isn't going to happen just ‘on the battlefield' but also in space. And now it HAS.... ...This is a BIG honking deal!   Senior American officials report, "China not only has the capability, but has exercised it." American satellites like the giant Keyhole craft have come under attack "several times" in recent years. And still there have been no negative consequences? OUTRAGEOUS! ...
Contributed by Bob Anderson.

Fatah Fighters Threaten to Kill Hamas Leaders
Arutz Sheva A7 2006/10/3
...Fatah blames Hamas for the deadly violence, and members of Fatah's Al-Aksa Brigades, who have amassed experience in murdering Jews, say they will target Hamas leaders. An announcement released by Fatah reads, "Khaled Meshal, Said Siyam, and Yusuf A-Zahar [of Hamas] are the ones responsible for the incitement, and they will therefore be executed, to serve as an example for others... This is a natural reaction to minister Siyam's decision to sent his men to fight with protestors in the streets." ...
Contributed by Bob Anderson.

Fatah, Hamas Preparing for War With Israel
Arutz Sheva A7 2006/10/3
Hamas has smuggled up to 1,300 tons of weapons from Egypt into Gaza and is preparing for the option of launching a large-scale conflict with Israel. ...
Contributed by Bob Anderson.

Rice Joins Chorus Calling for End to PA Violence
Arutz Sheva 2006/10/3
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice added her voice to the growing chorus of leaders calling for Palestinian Authority Arabs to end the inter-faction fighting in the streets of Gaza.   “Innocent Palestinians are caught in the crossfire and we call on all parties to stop,” said Rice. “The Palestinians deserve calm.” ...

Israeli jets fly over Lebanon despite withdrawal
Reuters 2006/10/3
Israeli warplanes flew over Lebanon on Tuesday two days after Israeli forces withdrew from virtually all of south Lebanon, witnesses said.   At least two jets flew in from Israel at medium altitude and headed north towards central Lebanon, the witnesses said. ...

King, Queen visit Elderly Guest House of Jweideh
Jordan News Agency 2006/10/2
...King Abdullah II and Queen Rania on Tuesday visited the Elderly Guest House of Jweideh (EGHJ), of the White Beds Society (WBS.)   After being acquainted with the situation of the elderly people in the house, King Abdullah gave instructions to supply it with the medical equipment the elderly need, and carry out the required maintenance and ensure medical and pharmaceutical care. ...
A benevolent king.

The Small Grants Programme of the Global Environment Facility funds three environmental projects in different regions in Jordan
Jordan News Agency 2006/10/2
Three grant agreements worth US$ 110,000 to support environmental projects by non-governmental organizations were signed at the United Nations Development Programme headquarter in Amman today. ...
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand

Murad: Jordan Benefited from Trade Agreements with Arab and Foreign Countries
Jordan News Agency 2006/10/2
...Agreements that Jordan signed with other countries include the Greater Free Trade Arab Zone, the Free Trade Agreement with the United States, the Jordanian-European Association Agreement, the Free Trade Agreement with EFTA countries in Northern Europe and the Free Trade Agreement with Singapore.   “National exports rose by 13 percent over the first seven months of this year compared to the same periods of last year,” ...
order to make themselves truly competitive." ...
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand

Moderate Arab states form united front to win Rice's support for relaunching peace talks
International Herald Tribune 2006/10/2
CAIRO, Egypt Eight U.S.-allied Arab countries are banding together to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on her trip here, in hopes of reviving the deadlocked Arab-Israeli peace process and making headway on other regional issues.   During their meeting Tuesday with Rice, the ministers of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, Egypt and Jordan are expected coordinate efforts to buttress the stature of the moderate Palestinian leader and stem Iran's growing influence. ...

Jordan parliamentarians pardoned for pro-Zarqawi actions
Jurist 2006/10/2
King Abdullah II of Jordan [official website] issued a "special amnesty" on Saturday for two opposition party lawmakers who were convicted of incitement [JURIST report] in August for expressing sympathy after the death of al Qaeda Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi [CTV report; JURIST report] when they visited Zarqawi's relatives in his native Jordan. ...Both lawmakers are members of the opposition Islamic Action Front (IAF) [party website, in Arabic], the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood [party website; FAS backgrounder]. ...

Palestinian factions clash as government stops work
Middle East Times 2006/10/2
Three Palestinians were wounded Monday in West Bank clashes between gunmen from the ruling Hamas faction and its rival Fatah, the day after eight were killed in factional unrest in Gaza.   With the Hamas-led government halting work in protest at the violence, two bodyguards of Hamas deputy Prime Minister Nasser Eddin Al Shaer were shot in the northern West Bank town of Nablus ...

A letter to Abu Musab al Zarqawi from December 2005 places the al Qaeda leadership in the Waziristan region of Pakistan – not Afghanistan
DEBKAfile 2006/10/2
The letter found in one of Zarqawi’s Iraqi safe houses after his death in June was released by the US military Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. It was signed “Atiyah”, believed to be Atiyah Abd al-Rahman, a 37-year old Libyan who has climbed high in the movement’s hierarchy as an explosives expert and Islamic scholar since he joined Osama bin Laden in the 1980s.   He warns Zarqawi in the letter that he risked removal as al Qaeda’s leader in Iraq ...

U.S. Funds JD 3 million endowment to benefit KHF
Jordan News Agency 2006/10/2
...the Ambassador said the achievements of both the School and the Foundation were ''truly impressive.'' He praised the vision of Jordan's leaders, saying "It is a vision of making Jordan truly competitive in the global marketplace. And it's a vision that appreciates that the process starts with education, that it requires giving every Jordanian the skills and the experience and the opportunities that are needed in order to make themselves truly competitive." ...
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand

King, Queen visit an orphanage
Jordan News Agency 2006/10/2
...King Abdullah II an Queen Rania on Monday visited Orphans Care Society in Wadi Es-Seer, where they spent some after noon hours among those who need more tender and compassion. ...
A benevolent king.

The Eurabia Code, Part I
The Brussels Journal 2006/10/1
...“This is a matter of a total transformation of Europe, which is the result of an intentional policy,” said Bat Ye’or. “We are now heading towards a total change in Europe, which will be more and more Islamicized and will become a political satellite of the Arab and Muslim world. The European leaders have decided on an alliance with the Arab world, through which they have committed to accept the Arab and Muslim approach toward the United States and Israel. This is not only with respect to foreign policy, but also on issues engaging European society from within, such as immigration, the integration of the immigrants and the idea that Islam is part of Europe.” ...

King Congratulates President of Cyprus
Jordan News Agency 2006/10/1
...King Abdullah II sent a cable to President of Cyprus Tassos Papadopoulos 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 Nigeria
Jordan News Agency 2006/10/1
...King Abdullah II sent a cable to President of Nigeria Olusegun Obasanjo 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 Botswana
Jordan News Agency 2006/10/1
...King Abdullah II sent a cable to President of Botswana Festus G. Mogae 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 China
Jordan News Agency 2006/10/1
...King Abdullah II sent a cable to President of the People’s Republic of China Hu Jintao 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.

Replica American academy gives Jordan's king an authentic school reunion
Scotsman.com 2006/10/1
...Yet just beyond the dusty outskirts of Amman, a long-held dream of King Abdullah II of Jordan is slowly coming to realisation as builders put the finishing touches to King's Academy, directly modelled on Deerfield, an elite American prep school in New England.   The king spent three years at Deerfield, graduating in 1980 before heading to the UK and Sandhurst, then Oxford.   He has told many of his halcyon times at Deerfield, believing its secular curriculum - with an emphasis on critical thinking, respect and tolerance - are key elements in producing well-rounded pupils. Not to mention potential leadership material, badly needed in a region beset by conflict.   It will cost US$28,000 (about £14,970) a year in tuition fees, but some 30% of the student population will be on a scholarship or endowment. ...

Assad: Peacekeepers Will be Unable to Stop Illegal Arms from Reaching Hizbullah
Naharnet 2006/10/1
"If a real will exists to introduce illegal weapons (into Lebanon), neither U.N. resolutions nor military deployment will be able to stop" their entry, the Syrian leader told Spain's daily El Pais newspaper. ..."What's missing (in Lebanon) is a state in which all Lebanese consider themselves represented," the Syrian president told El Pais.   "If that's accomplished, it will then be possible" to disarm Hizbullah. ...

Jordan's King Risks Shah's Fate, Critics Warn
Los Angeles Times 2006/10/1
...the Hashemite kingdom's evident close ties with Washington and its leap into the U.S.-declared war on terrorism threaten to put the government on what some call a collision course with many of its people, especially in light of a sharp increase in anti-American sentiment after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 and Israel's recent bombing of Lebanon in the Jewish state's war against Shiite Muslim militants. ...

Jordan lashes Qatar over UN succession voteJordan lashes Qatar over UN succession vote
Khaleej Times Online 2006/10/1
AMMAN - A Jordanian government daily on Sunday launched a scathing attack against Qatar for breaking ranks with Arabs and voting against Jordan’s candidate to succeed UN chief Kofi Annan. ...The daily charged that Qatar’s envoy to the United Nations took action ‘on behalf of another candidate and exerted efforts to undermine the Jordanian candidate’.   ‘This shows the level of hatred and meanness that Qatar’s diplomacy has reached that has cost Arab interests a key opportunity,’ the newspaper said. ...

'Abbas planning coup against Haniyeh'
The Jerusalem Post 2006/10/1
Hamas officials on Saturday accused Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas of planning to stage a coup against the Hamas-led government by sending thousands of PA policemen to riot in various parts of the Gaza Strip. ...Meanwhile, sources close to Abbas revealed that he refused to meet Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal in Qatar until the latter apologized for insulting him in May. ...

Note: Biblical prophetic scripture references following some news articles are noted only as possible partial fulfillment of the prophecies noted.

You read, and you watch the stage of history, then decide for yourself.

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