A Final Magog Ruler Now Moves into Prophetic Position!
Saturday, March 31st, 2012
Final Magog Ruler Now Moves Into Prophetic Position
One who will come down to help a Meshech and Tubal Ruler
None will be able to aid him at Armageddon as Michael stands Up!
VLADIMIR PUTIN IS LIKELY TO BE FINAL PRESIDENT OF MAGOG RUSSIA.
Revelation 16:12-16 – And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. [13] And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. [14] For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. [15] Behold, I come as a thief.
tadacip cialis generika
Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. [16] And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
PLEASE CONSIDER OUR FINAL ARCHIVE PROPHECY UPDATE DIAGRAM WE PUT UP
WE ISSUED THE 2 PROPHECY UPDATES ON OUR WEB SITE 11 YEARS AGO
I FIRST BEGAN TO TEACH IT MORE THAN 35 YEARS AGO
EVERYTHING IS NOW FALLING INTO PLACE
2001 Archive Prophecy Update Number 27
Ezekiel 38:1,2 – "And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, [2] Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him." Gog (high extension) appears for the first time in Ezekiel. He is the Anti-christ of whom so much has been written. Please note that he is identified as the "chief prince of Meshech and Tubal." Many commentators, especially in the last 100 years, have not identified him as the Antichrist, but have identified him as the ruler or chief prince of the land of Magog, which I do not believe Scripture justifies. Before the 20th Century, most identified him as the Antichrist. In verse 2 Ezekiel is told to set his face against two separate things, a person and a place. The person is Gog (Antichrist), and the place is the land of the descendants of Magog where it existed in Ezekiel's day. If we do not locate the territories of Magog, Meshech, and Tubal as they existed in Ezekiel's day, then we can have no idea as to where the Antichrist will soon rear his head, or the area from which his attack will be launched. Why? Because more than 2500 years have slipped by since Ezekiel wrote his prophecies, and the bloodlines of all three men been distributed across the entire planet. In order to correctly identify the area, from whence the Antichrist will attack Israel, we must identify where the descendants of Meshech and Tubal were residing in 500 and 600 B.C. Why? Because the Antichrist is not the chief prince of Magog, he is the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. He will come from the area where their descendants were settled in 500 and 600 B.C.
But what about the land of Magog? Where were the Magogites settled in Ezekiel's day? Lord willing, we will attempt to zero in on that area in Prophecy Update Number 28.
In Prophecy Update Number 27 we established, from the Scriptures and the Assyrian stone monuments, that the descendants of Meshech and Tubal, at the time Ezekiel wrote his prophecies, were primarily located in what we know as Syria and Lebanon. We also established that the prophecy is again a person, Gog (Antichrist), and against a land, the land of Magog. I am convinced that the Antichrist will attack Israel from Syria. Now, what about the "land of Magog?" Where were the Magogites located at the time of Ezekiel's writings? Flavius Josephus, the noted Jewish historian makes the following statements concerning the Magogites in Antiquities of the Jews, Chapter VI, under the title, HOW EVERY NATION WAS DENOMINATED FROM THEIR FIRST INHABITANTS: "Japhet, the son of Noah, had seven sons." "They called the nations by their own names." "Magog founded those that from him were called Magogites, but who by the Greeks were called Scythians." The Greek writers of the Classic Age said the Scythians occupied the area which today we identify as stretching from Moldova eastward across the Ukraine, southern Russia, and into Kazakhstan, then southward into Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan – Roughly the area north of the Black Sea, between the Black and Caspian Seas, and the area northwest, north, and northeast of the Caspian Sea. I do not believe the nations in this area will join in the initial attack against Israel, but I am certain they will come down for the final battle of Gog's war, which is the Battle of Armageddon. The Battle of Armageddon, found in Revelation 16:16, is the final battle in Gog's war, which began 3 and ½ years earlier.
I am convinced this chief prince of Meshech and Tubal will come from either northwestern Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, or southern Turkey, but I will be very much surprised if his father is not a Syrian. He will be the leader of a multilateral Arab force that will carry out an attack against Israel from the north. I believe this is spoken of in Revelation 17:12,13 – "And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. [13] These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast."
Although he will have the support of ten Arab nations, I believe the nations directly involved in the initial attack will be Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Iran from without, and the Palestinians from within. I believe the other nations, which will then immediately become involved in the Jihad, are most likely Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Sudan and Turkey.
A Tribulation Charge Across the Northern Sinai by Greater Syria Horns!
A Tribulation Period Charge across Northern Sinai by Greater Syria Horns
When the Antichrist bypasses the IDF in the Negev after a truce is declared with Israel, the 10 toed forces of the Greater Syrian Antichrist will charge west across to take control of the Suez Canal and to conquer Egypt. The Egyptian Army consists of approximately 468,500 in Active Military Personnel and 479,000 in Active Military Reserve. Antichrist will move rapidly along the northern and eastern coastlines of Egypt and the Islamists, backed by the Muslim Brotherhood, from the Egyptian army from within, such that the land of Egypt will be quickly subdued, and Israel will remained trapped under a hudna (truce) in the Negev for some 3 and ½ prophetic years. During these 3 and ½ years the Islamic Antichrist will build the largest Islamic Caliphate in history, and its Capital will be at Cairo.
Daniel 11:41-43 – He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. [42] He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the l
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and of Egypt shall not escape. [43] But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.
While Israel remains surrounded in the Negev Wilderness for some 1260 days after the United Nations brokers a truce or hudna agreed to by Islam and Israel, the Antichrist will continue his military conquests. He will conquer Egypt, establish his capital at Cairo, and begin to establish a new Caliphate across all of Africa north and west of the Sahara Desert, all of the Middle East south of the Black Sea, all the land to the south and west of a line from Georgia to Kyrgyzstan to Karachi, and all of Indonesia.
The ancient boil of conflict between the descendants of Jacob, Ishmael, and the six sons of Keturah, with all its internal blend of impurities, is finally coming to a head in the Middle East. The existing world mindset toward peace will be shattered suddenly by a rapid blitzkrieg attack from the north by Syria. In league with Syria will be Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Sudan, Morocco, and Turkey.
Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Iran will move rapidly southward through the "glorious land" of Israel like a fast moving thunderstorm, bypassing the land where the people of Moab, Ammon, and Edom were settled when Daniel wrote his prophecies in about 600 B.C. The descendants of Edom (Jacob's brother), and Ammon and Moab (the sons of Lot), as found on every published map for this time period, were settled immediately to the southeast, east, and northeast of the Dead Sea, precisely in the country we know as Jordan today. Hence, we can know that the antichrist will bypass Jordan as he moves south through Israel. Why would he bypass Jordan? She has no strategic, political, or economic advantage to offer him, but the Suez Canal and Egypt do, so he will head southwest toward that area after having driven the woman Israel into the Negev Wilderness south of Beersheba. Additionally, I am convinced when he first enters the glorious land, the Palestinian terror groups in Jordan will rise up against the King, and overthrow the monarchy.
Daniel 11:42 – He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
The political, geophysical, and military positioning of Syria, Iran, and Iraq, from a prospective of having world influence, literally stinks. But the position of Egypt's Suez Canal, and Cairo, her capital, is outstanding. The antichrist is supposed to be a man of genius in all areas. That being the case, he would be worse than a military academy dropout were he not to take the Suez Canal, and then make Cairo his empire's capital.
The three most "precious things" in Egypt are: the Suez Canal, the Nile River and its Delta, and Cairo, its capital. He will conquer the Suez Canal zone and all of Egypt. So just what is Egypt? Many are inclined to establish it as the land bordered on the north by the Mediterranean Sea, on the west by Libya, on the south by Sudan, on the southeast by the Red Sea, and on the northeast by its Sinai border with Gaza and Israel's Negev. And, geographically, that is quite correct. However, in reality, that is not Egypt. The real Egypt, where her people live, is much, much, smaller. Egypt is the land along her north and east coastlines up to about two miles inland, the Nile Delta, and the land along the Nile River extending about fifteen miles either side of its banks.
The antichrist will send messages to leaders of two of the original 10 nations confederated with him, namely Libya and Sudan, requesting them to mass their troops along the northern coastal border with Libya, and along the border where the Nile enters Egypt from Sudan. This will cause the diversion of some Egyptian troops away from Cairo and the Suez Canal in order to protect their western and southern borders. And this will allow the antichrist to rapidly push across the Suez Canal into Cairo and along her western and eastern coastlines, then to quickly progress southward down the Nile with little resistance. I believe he will control Egypt within two weeks after he reaches the Suez Canal.
Once he has conquered Egypt, he will make an assessment of his geopolitical position. After having done so, he would be a military fool to return to his home country. He will establish his capital at Cairo, and will remain there for more than three years. After three years he will receive news that causes him to quickly return to Jerusalem. If a military leader plans to put down his roots for a while, what would be one of his major concerns? The relationship he has with the rulers of the nations that are on his immediate borders. That is, how sure he is they will not pull a surprise attack on him. So, through the prestigious position he has gained in the eyes of the Islamic world by this time, it will allow him to use the terrorist groups, already in Sudan and Libya, to overthrow their leaders, and in their place to install two of his stooges, where they will remain in control for some three years. He will already have plucked up the ruler of Lebanon, and replaced him with a stooge. It will surprise me if Lebanon, Sudan, and Libya are not the countries from which his stooges will rule.
Daniel 7:7,24 – 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: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things. [24] And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue THREE kings.
I believe the kings (rulers) of Lebanon, Libya, and Sudan will be subdued by being personally plucked up by the roots out of their positions of leadership in their own countries, and replaced by puppet rulers who do exactly as the antichrist directs.
"At his steps" means "companionship" (Strong's Exhaustive Concordance & Wilson's O.T. Word Studies). This expression also appears in Judges 4:10, where it appears as "at his feet."
Judges 4:10 – And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; and he went up with ten thousand men at his feet: and Deborah went up with him.
It represents an Old Testament word picture of a conquered leader or country laying yearly tribute payments before the king of the conquering country, who is setting on his throne, and the tribute is being placed at his feet on the steps leading up to his throne. So I believe the antichrist will place his puppet rulers on the thrones of Lebanon, Syria, and Sudan as those who are in "companionship" with him.
ESTABLISHMENT OF MAHDI ANTICHRIST'S GREAT CALIPHATE!
After the Antichrist conquers Egypt the initial ten Islamic countries that supported him will be quickly joined by a multiplicity of Islamic nations. His great Caliphate will include Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, all the countries that make up the Saudi Arabian Peninsula, Israel north of Beersheba, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, many of the southern states of the former Soviet Union with large Arab populations, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Having gone to military schools, lived among, worked with, and trained those of the Islamic faith as a much younger man, plus being familiar with prophecy since my youth, I have not only been waiting for many years for the true Messiah, Jesus Christ, but I have also been waiting for the arrival of the 12th Imam on the scene prior to the arrival of Jesus. I have long believed the 12th Imam Mahdi will be the 11th horn of Daniel 7, and the first beast of John's Revelation 13. His coming is the great hope of all Islam. The Iranian President is a fanatical believer of his coming, and believes Mahdi will cause universal acceptance of Allah.
I believe his Caliphate Kingdom will have Cairo as its capital.
For more than three years, with the Suez Canal under his control, he will gain worldwide recognition and acclaim in his capital city of Cairo. Israel will be trapped in the Negev for more than three years (See previous updates), and stability will have come to the troubled Middle East. He will supposedly have done what all nations say they are seeking, that is, brought stability to the Middle East. But, during last year of his rule as Caliph, something will cause him to quickly head for Jerusalem.
Begin Excerpt 1 from the Miami Herald via World News
Muslim Brotherhood clashes with Egypt's military rulers
http:www.tribulationperiod.com/
By Mahannad Sabry (McClatchy Newspapers)
CAIRO — Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood has launched an all-out verbal assault on the country's military rulers in what many fear could become a confrontation that threatens the country's political reforms, including its new Parliament.
The Brotherhood, which has emerged as Egypt's pre-eminent political group in the year since President Hosni Mubarak was toppled, opened the attack Saturday with a posting on its website that blamed the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces for the nation's deteriorating condition and accused it of hindering revolutionary efforts.
The statement voiced particular anger at the council for saying that it wouldn't recognize efforts by the Brotherhood-dominated Parliament to remove the council-appointed government of Prime Minister Kamal el-Ganzouri. The Brotherhood accused the generals of "granting immunity to a failed government against a no-confidence vote by the Parliament."
"Is this an attempt to abort the revolution, or is it an intention to defraud the upcoming presidential elections?" the statement said.
Among the government's failures, the Brotherhood said, was allowing Americans working for civil society organizations to leave the country even though they were charged with a crime, and not retrieving stolen government money stored in foreign banks.
The Brotherhood's political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party, threatened to "mobilize millions in protests to overthrow the government."
The council's head, Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, denounced the Brotherhood in a statement read on state television.
"Questioning the intentions and integrity of the coming presidential elections is nothing but defamation that tends to forget that the armed forces planned and executed the parliamentary elections with all transparency and fairness," Tantawi's statement said.
The confrontation between Egypt's military rulers and the Brotherhood is developing as it becomes clear that the Brotherhood is by far the dominant political force in Egypt.
In addition to controlling 47 percent of the Parliament's seats, it and the conservative Nour party hold 65 percent of the seats on the newly formed commission that will draft a new constitution.
Just two weeks ago, the Brotherhood said it was considering nominating a candidate for president, something it had said previously that it wouldn't do. If it does name a candidate for the May 23 vote, few here would bet against its nominee.
"The honeymoon between the Muslim Brotherhood and the military rulers has come to an end, especially after the Brotherhood showed its real intention of taking full control of the Parliament, the constitution and the presidency, if they can," said Emad Gad, a Coptic Christian member of Parliament. Gad, a member of the constitutional commission, has said he'll boycott it because of the Islamist dominance.
"After praising each other for months," Gad said, referring to the Brotherhood and the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, "we are witnessing their public clashes because they both want individual control, not a democracy."
Several Egyptian politicians said dissolution of Parliament was one possible outcome of the clash, with the military seeking such a move through the courts.
With both sides threatening to summon millions of supporters to the streets, there's a possibility of a dangerous escalation, said Mohamed Farahat, a specialist in Islamist movements at the Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies.
He said the two sides probably would hold "a behind-the-scenes dialogue and resolve their differences or gear up and confront each other."
He said a court filing by political figures seeking the dissolution of the Parliament was particularly threatening, because the country's most powerful judges felt insulted by the Brotherhood's statement, which accused them of doing the military's bidding.
An angry verdict could dissolve the Parliament in a matter of days, he said.
"If the Parliament is dissolved," Farahat said, "we will be back to what we demanded months ago: a president, a Parliament and then a constitution."
(Sabry is a McClatchy special correspondent.)
Begin Excerpt 2 from the Herald Online via World News
Published: Tuesday, Mar. 27, 2012 / Updated: Tuesday, Mar. 27, 2012 06:28 PM
Egypt's crisis deepens as non-Islamists boycott writing a constitution
By MOHANNAD SABRY – McClatchy Newspapers
CAIRO — A standoff between Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood and the country's military rulers deepened Tuesday as dozens of non-Islamist politicians said they would boycott the writing of a new constitution because Islamists dominate the panel selected to draft the document.
Some politicians called for the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, Egypt's ruling authority, to dissolve the panel, a move that would be certain to exacerbate tension between the Muslim Brotherhood, which dominates the country's new Parliament, and the military, which already has rejected Brotherhood efforts to dissolve the military-appointed Cabinet.
The Brotherhood and its conservative allies in Parliament last week selected a largely Islamist bloc to write the constitution.
"We do not want to partake in deceiving the Egyptian people," Ahmed Said, head of the Free Egyptians Party, the largest liberal bloc in Parliament, said in explaining his party's decision to boycott the drafting of the constitution.
He accused the Parliament's Islamist faction of giving "itself the right to monopolize writing the constitution and excluding the rest of the Egyptian community."
Sameh Ashour, a prominent lawyer and head of the Lawyers Syndicate, called on the military to act.
"As rulers of the state, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces has to interfere and protect the country," he said. Ashour said the crisis comes from having selected a Parliament before a constitution had been written.
"The question is: Do we want a constitution that satisfies the public or one monopolized by the Parliament's majority?" he asked.
The selection over the weekend of a mostly Islamist panel to draft the new constitution brought to a head what has been the dominant concern of liberals and other political groups in Egypt since the toppling last year of President Hosni Mubarak: What role the Muslim Brotherhood and other conservative Islamist factions would have in setting the pace for Egypt's political developments.
The Brotherhood, which was effectively banned during Mubarak's 30-year reign, had been careful to walk a moderate path, offering only muted criticism of the country's military government and pledging not to nominate its own candidate in the upcoming presidential elections, now scheduled for May 23.
But two weeks ago, the Brotherhood, which controls 47 percent of the seats in the Parliament elected earlier this year, said it might in fact name a candidate for president. Then came the selection of
the constitution commission.
On Saturday, Parliament named the panel's 50 members, handing 25 seats to the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, 11 seats to the Nour Party, which draws its membership from the puritanical Salafist strain of Islam, and 14 seats to the remaining political parties and independent parliamentarians. That division gave Islamist members of Parliament control of 72 percent of the commission's seats.
There's was no clear outcome to the political crisis. Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, head of the ruling military council, met with the heads of the 19 political parties represented in the Parliament. Egyptian Chief of Staff Gen. Sami Anan also attended the meeting. There was no word on what was said at the meeting.
Already, groups opposed to the Islamist dominance of the constitutional commission have asked a court to dissolve the panel. Judge Ali al-Fikri, head of Egypt's Administrative Courts, on Tuesday postponed a verdict until April 10.
Emad Gad, a Coptic Christian member of Parliament and a member of its foreign affairs committee, slammed the Muslim Brotherhood and its Freedom and Justice political wing. He warned Egypt's foreign partners to beware of an Islamist takeover of Egypt's government, which he said "imposes a direct threat to our foreign policy and relations with the international community."
"The West shouldn't wait for the constitution to understand the future," Gad said.
(Sabry is a McClatchy Newspapers special correspondent.)FAIR USE NOTICE: This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more detailed information go to:
A Muslim Way puts Billions under Condemnation to Wrath!
The Muslim Way leads Billions Under Condemnation to Wrath
A Mingled Way – Buying Time – Killing More – Playing Games!
Its Messiah will be believed as Savior but will be "that Wicked"
I was in my twenties and single when I first entered the turbulent Middle East in 1952 to depart a year later in 1953. It was a time of confusion, struggle, and competition between the Soviet Union and the West (particularly the U.S.) for power in world affairs. The colonial period of domination, which began in the 1450's, was ending in the Arab world, and was not completely over until the 1970's. I learned a lot about the Islamic culture while I was there, even though I was as green as grass at the time. The two things I learned by dynamic experience and observation were: (1) Their emotional and fantastic devotion to Allah, and their spiritual possession by the Koran writings and traditional writings that came from it, and (2) Their intense hatred of the Jews, which burned like a hot iron in their souls and only blood could extinguish it. It is the kind of hate the Devil must have in himself for the Jews God chose as the Olive Tree, from which to bring forth His Son as the Savior of all who would put their trust in the Son. It is Islam's fanatical rejection of Christ as the only begotten Son of the True God for the false god Allah, who they tenaciously deny has a son, that has caused the God of the Bible to send Muslims a "strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:"
It is this lie, which is the spirit of Antichrist, that will be revealed when the Antichrist, who is "That Wicked," will be revealed in Greater Syria by an attack on Israel. I cannot be certain "when" the attack will occur, but I am certain it is not a far distant event, and believers will recognize it when it happens, if they are "watching for it."
Muslims, Heretics, Agnostics, Atheists, and all other unbelievers, it is time to recognize Jesus Christ as the Only Begotten Son of the True God as the King He has set on the Holy Hill of Zion. His wrath of 7 vials awaits those who will not receive His Son as King
of Kings, and Lord of Lords.
Psalm 2:5-12 – Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. [6] Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. [7] I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. [8] Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. [9] Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. [10] Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. [11] Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. [12] Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.
Isaiah 7:14 – Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Isaiah 9:6-8 – For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. [7] Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. [8] The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it hath lighted upon Israel.
Genesis 32:28 – And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
Hosea 12:3-5 – He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and by his strength he had power with God: [4] Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him in Bethel, and there he spake with us; [5] Even the Lord God of hosts; the Lord is his memorial.
Excerpt from Irish Times via Reuters and World News
Last Updated: Wednesday, March 28, 2012, 19:32
Violence continues despite Syria plan
Syrian forces bombarded cities and towns in southern and northern Syria today and stormed villages, forcing thousands to flee after president Bashar al-Assad accepted a peace plan calling for the army to withdraw to barracks
Dr Assad's ally Iran backed the peace plan, saying Syria's crisis "should be dealt with patiently", and Russia said it was now up to Syria's opposition groups to also endorse the proposals, which do not require Assad to give up power.
However, the US, Germany and the Arab League called for action not words. UN secretary general Ban Ki-Moon said there was "no time to waste" in implementing a ceasefire
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported military action against towns and villages from the southern province of Deraa to the Hama region 320 kms (200 miles) to the north including shelling in parts of Homs, where Dr Assad toured the devastated streets of a recaptured rebel bastion yesterday.
"Military forces accompanied by dozens of armoured vehicles stormed the town of Qalaat al-Madiq and nearby villages (in Hama)," the Observatory website reported. The town and its imposing 13th century citadel had been under fire for 18 days, said one activist who gave his name as Abu Dhafer.
"Thousands of people have fled and nearby villagers have gone to homes in safe areas. They are cramming people into their homes, a dozen to a room, men, women and children."
Four rebels, four civilians and four soldiers were killed in the fighting and five civilians were killed in the shelling of the district of Khalidiya in Homs, activists said.
Western and Arab powers who have called on Dr Assad to step down were unimpressed by news yesterday that he had accepted the six-point peace plan of Kofi Annan, special envoy of the UN and the Arab League, calling for the withdrawal of troops and heavy weapons from cities ahead of peace talks.
"We will judge Assad's sincerity and seriousness by what he does, not by what he says," said US secretary of state Hillary Clinton, calling on him to pull the army back to base.
German foreign minister Guido Westerwlle said "it is actions that count not words, and not just declarations of intent".
Diplomats in New York said one of the ideas Mr Annan is pushing is a UN observer mission to monitor an eventual ceasefire. An international ceasefire monitoring mechanism for Syria would probably need a UN security council mandate, they said.
One possibility is to temporarily boost an existing UN observer mission in the Middle East and enhance its mandate to include Syria, they said. One senior diplomat said that an observer mission would probably include citizens of Arab and non-Arab countries, though it is unlikely that the Arab League would be formally involved in the creation of a mandate because Syria would oppose that.
"When the time comes, I think the Security Council will adopt a resolution (on an observer mission)," he said.
Arab foreign ministers, meeting in Baghdad ahead of an Arab summit, called for the peace plan to be put into action.
"We cannot be impartial on this matter of daily violence, killing and bloodletting," Iraq's foreign minister Hoshiyar Zebari told reporters. "The international resolution, which Syria has approved, we believe it's a positive and constructive step… But it needs implementation"
Arab states, divided over how to deal with Syria's crisis that threatens to inflame the region's sectarian fault lines, appeared to back away from their initial proposal that Assad step aside to allow his deputy to delegate and foster talks.
President Assad's government rejected in advance any initiative relating to Syria by an Arab League summit in Baghdad.
"Syria will not deal with any initiatives issued by the Arab League on the Syria situation that is issued at the Baghdad summit," a Syrian official was quoted as saying.
Assad opponents in the Syrian National Council (SNC) were skeptical of the Annan plan and his proclaimed acceptance of its terms, and continued to press for him to stand down.
"He is buying time. It means more killing. He is playing games," said SNC member Adib Shishakly. "Every hour we are losing five people. So really, time is life."
Russia, by contrast, said the "Friends of Syria" meeting due to take place in Istanbul on Sunday would just be a cloak for one-sided foreign interference. It urged Syrian opposition groups "to follow the example of Damascus and clearly declare their agreement with … the peaceful resolution proposals" of Mr Annan.
adverse reaction bactrim
Mrs Clinton urged Syria's splintered opposition to unite.
"They must be able to clearly demonstrate a commitment to including all Syrians and protecting the rights of all Syrians," she said. "We are going to be pushing them very hard to present such a vision in Istanbul."
The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said Syrian forces shot dead two freelance British journalists of Algerian descent and wounded a third during an attack on Monday in the town of Darkoush near the Turkish border.
It quoted a Syrian witness who had been helping them.
The United Nations estimates government forces have killed more than 9,000 people in the upheaval over the past year. Syrian authorities blame foreign-backed terrorists for the violence and say 3,000 soldiers and police have been killed.
UN human rights chief Navi Pillay said Dr Assad bore direct responsibility for what his troops were doing and was therefore liable for war crimes prosecution.
Ms Pillay said children in detention were being tortured.
"It's just horrendous," she said. "Children shot in the knees, held together with adults in really inhumane conditions, denied medical treatment for their injuries."
Today's Earth is actively sliding down a slippery slope toward War!
Obama reveals the cards to Russia & Iran he'll play post Election
While Iran flies Thousands of Pro-Palestinians activists to Syria
Hoping to crash the Israel borders during Friday's Earth Day
Earth's Judgment Day isn't a far distant future Occurrence
I don't believe Islam is prepared to attack Israel and drive her into the Negev at this time, so this current Earth Day Crisis will not be the beginning of the final war of the Age of the Gentiles. However, I do believe Islam will likely be ready to wage war with Israel at some point in time between 2013 and 2015. And the event sparking it will be a plan to trick the Israelis into launching a drive into Syria and Lebanon. Islam will be entrenched to meet and stop the IDF drive, and immediately launch a vicious counterattack, with the end result of eventually driving Israel to Beersheba. The king of the north represents Islam and the king of the south represents Israel.
Daniel 11:40,41 – And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. [41] He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown:
II Peter 2:9 – The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:
Begin Excerpt from DEBKAfile DEBKA-Net-Weekly
Obama tells Putin and Khamenei: Wait until after my election
March 27, 2012, 12:05 PM (02:00)
"On all these issues, particularly missile defense, this can be solved. It is important for him (Putin) to give me space. This is my last election," US President Barack Obama was "caught" telling Dmitry Medvedev on an open mike Sunday, March 26. DEBKA-Net-Weekly in its next issue out Friday reveals that almost the same message went out to Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, via Turkey's Tayyip Erdogan
Iran flies thousands of pro-Palestinian activists to Syria. IDF fortifies borders
March 27, 2012, 5:28 PM (GMT+02:00)
Israel boosted its Syrian and Lebanese border units as special flights carrying thousands of pro-Palestinian activists from Tehran touched down in Damascus Tuesday, March 27 for the international Global March to Jerusalem Friday, March 30. Before taking off, they were split into small groups and tutored by Iranian Al Qods Brigades officers in tactics for breaching Israeli border barriers, bursting through and challenging the Israeli military forces defending the border.
On arrival in Damascus, one group of activists was sent by special bus to Lebanon, where Hizballah officers stood by to lead them to villages close to the Israeli frontier; a second is assigned to face Israeli lines on the Golan.
These anti-Israeli activists from several countries are being planted at strategic points to carry out the plan hatched together by Iran, Syria and Hizballah to ignite Israel's two northern borders in solidarity with the annual Israeli-Arab Earth Day next Friday.
Earlier reports from Damascus that the demonstrators would keep the Quneitra sector of the Golan and the Lebanese Beaufort were meant to put the Israeli command off its stroke by disguising the real scope of their plans and their objective: a mass assault on Israeli borders. They are programmed to coincide with the outbreaks the Palestinian Authority is preparing for Jerusalem and the West Bank and Israeli-Arab disturbances inside Israel – all on the same day, as debkafile reported earlier Tuesday.
The Palestinian extremists of the Gaza Strip will certainly not stand aloof.
Begin Series of Excerpts from Box of Upticks via World Threat Level
Updates on changes and additions to www.debka.com
Israel boosted its Syrian and Lebanese border units as special flights carrying thousands of pro-Palestinian activists from Tehran touched down in Damascus for the international Global March to Jerusalem Friday, March 30. Before takeoff, they were split into small groups and tutored by Iranian Al Qods Brigades officers in tactics for breaching Israeli border barriers, bursting through and challenging the Israeli military forces defending the border. They go into action on Palestinian-backed Israel-Arab Earth Day to match disturbances in Israel and the West Bank.
"On all these issues, particularly missile defense, this can be solved. It is important for him (Putin) to give me space. This is my last election," US President Barack Obama was "caught" telling Dmitry Medvedev on an open mike Sunday, March 26. DEBKA-Net-Weekly in its next issue out Friday reveals that almost the same message went out to Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, via Turkey's Tayyip Erdogan. Find out what Obama offered Khamenei to smooth his passage to reelection – and much more. To subscribe to DEBKA-Net-Weekly, click here
Palestinians to fan Israeli-Arab Earth Day disorders Friday. Damascus to pitch in
Despite Israeli warnings, the Palestinian Authority is for the first time making the annual Israeli-Arab Earth Day Friday, March 30 a joint Palestinian-Israel Arab event, organizing mass anti-Israel disturbances in Jerusalem, Jaffa and other places, while also instigating West Bankers to smash through Israeli border checkpoints. Syria too will bus thousands of Palestinians to storm Israel's northern border on the Golan. Both also aim to shake up the Arab summit in Baghdad. The PA is broke after Arab aid was cut off.
Baghdad heavily secured against Syrian or al Qaeda attack on Arab Summit
The 23rd Arab summit, the first to be held in Baghdad in more than two decades, opens Tuesday March 27 after Iraq's Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki bowed to Saudi and Gulf Emirates' demand not to invite Iran and receive only a low-ranking Syrian official. Although the city is in lockdown, Western security sources doubt it is 100 percent safe from terrorists, whether al Qaeda or Bashar Assad's henchmen in revenge for the arms and aid certain Arab rulers tender Syrian rebels.
Obama's back-channel to Tehran bypasses allies Erdogan and Netanyahu
US President Barack Obama sits down with Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan in Seoul, South Korea Sunday, March 25. Earlier, Obama gave the Turkish leader – and Israel's Binyamin Netanyahu too – a lesson in political expediency: March 20, Washington awarded 11 nations exemptions from new US financial sanctions against Iran. The downscaling of sanctions caught Israel by surprise and angered Turkey, most of all as the outcome of unknown secret US-Iranian talks.
Begin Excerpt from UK Guardian via AP Foreign and World News
Syria accepts peace plan but clashes continue
AP foreign, Tuesday March 27 2012
BASSEM MROUE
Associated Press= QAA, Lebanon (AP) — Syria accepted a cease-fire drawn up by U.N. envoy Kofi Annan on Tuesday, but the diplomatic breakthrough was swiftly overshadowed by intense clashes between government soldiers and rebels that sent bullets flying into Lebanon.
Opposition members accuse President Bashar Assad of agreeing to the plan to stall for time as his troops make a renewed push to kill off bastions of dissent. And the conflict just keeps getting deadlier: The U.N. said the death toll has grown to more than 9,000, a sobering assessment of a devastating year-old crackdown on the uprising that shows no sign of ending.
Annan's announcement that Syria had accepted his peace plan was met with deep skepticism.
"We are not sure if it's political maneuvering or a sincere act," said Louay Safi, a member of the opposition Syrian National Council. "We have no trust in the current regime. … We have to see that they have stopped killing civilians."
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Assad's decision to accept the plan was only a first step.
"We will continue to judge the Syrian regime by its practical actions, not by its often empty words," he said.
In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Assad must act quickly to convince the world he is serious about peace by "silencing his guns and allowing humanitarian aid to get in."
Annan's plan calls for an immediate, two-hour halt in fighting every day to allow humanitarian access and medical evacuations. The plan also outlines a complete cease-fire, but that will take more time because Syria must first move troops and equipment out of cities and towns, government forces and the divided opposition must stop fighting, and a U.N.- supervised monitoring mission must be established.
Annan, who is an envoy for the U.N. and the Arab League, has traveled to Russia and China to shore up support for his peace plan. Russia and China have twice shielded Assad from U.N. sanctions over his crackdown, saying the statements were unbalanced and blamed only the government. Syria is Moscow's last remaining ally in the Middle East and is a major customer for Russia's arms industry, but the Kremlin has recently shown impatience with Assad.
In Beijing on Tuesday, Annan said China has offered its "full support" for his mission.
In contrast, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad offered Assad unequivocal support.
"I'm very happy that Syrian authorities are managing the situation with confidence," the official Iranian news agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying. He echoed Assad's charge that rebels are acting out a Western conspiracy. "Americans want to dominate Syria, Lebanon, Iran and all other countries through the false slogan of defending the freedom of the (Syrian) people, and we must be alert toward their conspiracy," he said. Iran is one of Syria's last true allies.
Despite the high-level diplomacy, the situation on the ground remained as bloody as ever.
There were conflicting reports about whether Syrian troops physically crossed the border into Lebanon during heavy fighting near a rural area around the Lebanese village of Qaa.
Two Lebanese security officials told The Associated Press that only bullets whizzed across the frontier.
"There is no Syrian military presence on the Lebanese side of the border," a military official said, echoing an official denial on the state-run National News Agency, which also said there was no incursion.
But two witnesses in Qaa said they saw dozens of troops enter Lebanon, apparently chasing Syrian rebels. One witness said the Syrian troops burned several homes. Another man showed an AP reporter several high-caliber bullets that he said struck his home.
The witnesses asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter. An AP reporter at the scene could not verify that any houses were burned, however, as Lebanese soldiers had cordoned off the area. The border in the area is poorly demarcated, and residents cross into each country easily and frequently.
Crackles of gunfire from Syria were clearly heard, even hours after the firefights.
Any movement into Lebanese territory would escalate a conflict that already is spiraling toward civil war. There are concerns the violence could cause a broader conflagration by sucking in neighboring countries.
The Syrian uprising began in March 2011 with mostly peaceful protests as part of the Arab Spring. It turned increasingly militarized after the government unleashed tanks, snipers and troops with machine guns to break up protests — a development that many opposition members say forced them to take up arms. The government denies there is a popular uprising, saying the revolt is being driven by armed groups and others it calls terrorists.
On Tuesday, Assad visited the third-largest city of Homs and its battered neighborhood of Baba Amr, a former opposition stronghold that has become a symbol of the uprising, in what appeared to be a show of his control over even the most rebellious areas.
A monthlong siege by the government to drive rebel fighters out of Baba Amr killed hundreds of people — many of them civilians. Assad's forces overran the rebel-held district on March 1.
In video shown Syrian state TV, Assad appeared relaxed in a blue shirt and sports coat as he pledged that Baba Amr would return "better than it was before." He was greeted by residents who shouted, "We are with you until death!"
He met with soldiers and other supporters, shaking hands and embracing women who reached out to him.
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The violent conflict has posed a serious challenge to Assad, but neither side has shown any sign of giving in. Assad still has a significant amount of support, particularly from religious minorities and others who feel they could be vulnerable if members of Syria's Sunni majority — which makes up the backbone of the opposition — take over the country.
Assad and his supporters have played on those fears, suggesting his ouster would spread chaos around the Middle East and leave the country in the hands of extremists.
The opposition, meanwhile, is riven by differences and failed to present a united front against Assad, adding to the chaos.
Opposition leaders met in Istanbul on Tuesday to try to resolve their differences and reassure international backers who are frustrated by the lack of cohesion.
A conference is scheduled for Sunday in Istanbul at which Turkey, the United States and their European and Arab partners will discuss ways to further isolate and pressure Assad, as well as measures to support the Syrian opposition. Some reports indicate that the debate among dozens of countries will include whether the opposition Syrian National Council and affiliated groups should be declared as the sole, legitimate representative of the Syrian people.
On Monday, a Turkish official indicated that a surge of Syrian refugees might compel Turkey, preferably with international backing, to establish a buffer zone on Syrian soil to guarantee the security of its own southern border as well as the welfare of civilians fleeing violence. Turkish officials have long been hesitant to create such a zone.
Establishing a buffer zone on the grounds of Turkish national security would sidestep the gridlock in the U.N. Security Council. But the move would likely lack international consensus, raise questions about Syria's territorial integrity and highlight a year of failed diplomacy.
AP writers Ayse Wieting in Istanbul, Elizabeth A. Kennedy in Beirut and Ali Akbar
All the Borders of Israel are Now Threatened by the Islamic Clay and Iron!
ALL THE BORDERS OF ISRAEL ARE NOW BEING THREATENED BY ISLAMIC CLAY AND IRON
AND OUT OF ALL THE ARAB SPRING ASSOCIATED ACTIVITY WILL COME A TEMPORARY BONDING OF IRON WITH CLAY
AND OUT OF THE BONDING OF THE TWO WILL EVENTUALLY COME AN ATTACK ON ISRAEL
WHICH I BELIEVE IS LIKELY TO BEGIN AT SOME POINT IN TIME BETWEEN 2013 AND 2015
THEN A TRUCE WILL BE DECLARED ONCE ISRAEL IS PUSHED INTO THE NEGEV WILDERNESS
AND SHALL REMAIN UNTIL A FINAL SINGLE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON ENDS AT THE SECOND ADVENT OF CHRIST
AT WHICH TIME CHRIST WILL RETURN AS THE STONE OUT OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD MOUNTAIN
TO DEFEAT THE IRON AND CLAY ISLAMIC NATIONS AND BRING IN HIS MILLENNIAL REIGN
Daniel 2:42,43 – And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. [43] And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.
All the many Islamic Sects of today are not able to cleave one to another.
IT WILL TAKE AN ACT OF GOD TO MAKE IRON & CLAY MIX!
Revelation 17:17 – For God hath put it in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
Daniel 11:41a – He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown:
Daniel 2:44,45 – And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. [45] Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.
Revelation 19:19-21 – And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
[20] And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. [21] And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
Zechariah 14:9 – And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one.
Begin Series of Excerpts from Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs/Daily Alert
Excerpt 1 – Reuters
Iran Helping Assad to Put Down Protests
Mark Hosenball
Iran is providing a broad array of assistance to Syrian President Assad to help him suppress anti-government protests, U.S. and European security officials say. Tehran's technical assistance includes electronic surveillance systems, technology to disrupt communications via social media, and Iranian-made drone aircraft for overhead surveillance, as well as lethal materiel that can be used for riot control.
Iranian security officials have also traveled to Damascus to advise Assad's entourage how to counter dissent, a U.S. official said. Some Iranian officials have stayed on to advise Assad's forces. (Reuters)
U.S. and Turkey to Step Up "Nonlethal" Aid to Rebels in Syria
Anne Barnard
Turkey and the U.S. plan to provide "nonlethal" assistance, like communications equipment and medical supplies, directly to opposition groups inside Syria, and will urge other allies to do so as well, the White House deputy national security adviser said on Sunday. (New York Times)
Excerpt 3 – Bloomberg
Israel Weighs Measures Against Palestinians over UN Inquiry
Calev Ben-David
Israel is considering measures against the Palestinian Authority for promoting a UN human rights inquiry into West Bank Jewish settlements, an Israeli official said Sunday. The UN Human Rights Council agreed on March 22 to send a fact-finding mission to investigate how Israeli settlements in the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem are affecting the rights of Palestinians.
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The U.S., which cast the sole vote against the resolution, said the council is biased against Israel.
Israel said it won't cooperate with the mission. "Since the conclusions of the future fact-finding missions are already dictated in advance by the resolution on which it is established, there is no point in working together with this travesty of an investigation," Israeli Foreign Ministry Yigal Palmor said. (Bloomberg)
Israel Considering Freezing PA Tax Transfers over UN Move
The measures against the PA being considered may include delaying the transfer of tax revenues or freezing joint economic ventures, a diplomatic source told Israel Radio. Israel wants to send the PA a message that it cannot enjoy Israel's cooperation while at the same time "acting against it in international bodies," the source said. (Jerusalem Post)
Excerpt 5 – Ha'aretz
Iranian Military Experts Active on Israel's Southern Border
Avi Issacharoff
A high-ranking official in Jerusalem said last week that Iranian military experts have been active in Sinai and Gaza. "We can see signs that Iran is building a terror infrastructure throughout Sinai," he said. The official added that although Israel has responded to every Egyptian request to beef up its forces in Sinai, no significant Egyptian operation has taken place in Sinai since the Egyptian revolution last year.
Several terror groups are now at large in Sinai: local Bedouin, who are adopting the ideology of the Global Jihad; groups supported by Iran who are trying to recruit and train militants not only in Sinai but throughout Egypt; and Palestinian organizations. Joining them are Global Jihad militants from Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen and Saudi Arabia, the official said, adding that Israel and Egypt share a common interest in combating these terrorist elements.
The official said Iranians are urging and directing Palestinians to carry out attacks, and have tried to encourage Hamas to do so as well. "A host of Palestinian organizations are using Sinai to carry out attacks," the official said, adding that since Gaddafi's fall, Libya has become a huge arms depot, with weapons transferred to Egypt and then to Gaza. (Ha'aretz)
IDF Prepares for Border Disturbances
Amos Harel
The army is making preparations to deal with demonstrations along Israel's borders in advance of "Land Day" on Friday, March 30. However, the current intelligence assessment in General Staff headquarters and at the Israel Security Agency is that demonstrators are organizing fairly limited activities at this point. On the Syrian border, there are currently no signs that authorities in Damascus will be encouraging violent demonstrations, in contrast to events in May and June of last year, when Assad's regime was behind the protests.
Despite attention on preparations for Land Day on the Internet, there is no indication on the ground of a large-scale response to the call for protests. Nonetheless, a senior defense source told Ha'aretz: "The Palestinian Authority is looking for ways to again raise the Palestinian issue on the agenda, and therefore it has an interest in protest that attracts attention on Friday." (Ha'aretz)
Excerpt 7 – Times of Israel
Israel: Don't Let Protesters Reach Our Borders
Ron Friedman
An Israeli government source confirmed Sunday a report in A-Sharq Al-Awsat saying Israel announced it would treat anyone who approaches the border as an infiltrator, and act against them decisively. Israel sent a message to Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, the Hamas government in Gaza and the Palestinian Authority calling on them not to allow marches to the border. "The Global March to Jerusalem" is to send demonstrators to approach Israel's borders simultaneously this Friday from Arab countries and the PA. (Times of Israel)
Excerpt 8 – Institute for Contemporary Affairs – Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
The Global March to Jerusalem: Part of the International Campaign to Deligitimize Israel
Ehud Rosen (Institute for Contemporary Affairs-Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs)
"Nothing Left" But Force If Next Talks with Iran Fail, Warns Ex-Mossad Chief Halevy
If upcoming international talks with Iran on thwarting its nuclear program do not quickly produce a breakthrough, there will be "nothing else left" but a resort to force, the former head of the Mossad, Efraim Halevy, said in an interview on Sunday. "The number one thing the world should be doing is investing enormous preparation into the P5+1 confrontation" with Iran, said Halevy, but "I don't detect any signs of this." Iran, he said, would doubtless try to play for time in the talks, which are likely to convene soon.
Perhaps, it was put to Halevy, Israel could live with a nuclear weapons-capable Iran? Halevy responded: "I don't think that we should countenance that as long as we can do what we can to remove it. I don't accept the notion that Israel is destructible. But I think that if Iran retains a nuclear capability, life here is going to be very tough for a very long period to come. Israel will not disappear, but Israel will go through a period which I would not like it to go through." (Times of Israel)
Excerpt 10 – CNN
Forging Syria's Opposition
Itamar Rabinovich
America and the West claim that they cannot act significantly in Syria without a UN mandate, which Russia and China are denying them. But the truth is that Western governments could do much more without a Security Council resolution. While some governments have closed their embassies in Damascus, there has been no systematic severing of diplomatic relations with Syria. Indeed, there has been no stoppage of flights to and from the country. This ambivalence can largely be explained by Western and Arab concern with the weakness and opacity of the Syrian opposition's political leadership.
The Syrian regime has been effective in spreading the fear of an Egyptian scenario, in which the weakness of secular activists leads to a takeover by the Muslim Brothers and jihadis. The opposition must build itself as a credible and attractive alternative to the al-Assad regime, and the regime's international and regional critics must assist in that process.
Al-Assad's regime is doomed. It has no legitimacy, and it is bound to fall. But that could take a long time – and come at an alarming cost. The alternative is an effective opposition that enjoys unambiguous support by the key regional and international actors. The writer is a former ambassador of Israel to the U.S. (1993-1996). (CNN)
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