Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin placed additional U.S. troops on prepare-to-deploy orders to the Middle East Sunday after speaking with President Joe Biden.
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Tag Archives: Middle East
Iranian-Backed Militias Attacking US Forces in Iraq
Rocket and drone attacks on Thursday targeted military bases in Iraq that host U.S. and coalition forces.
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Jonathan Cahn Prophetic: The Israel-Hamas End-Time Mystery
Presbyterians to divest against Israel
DETROIT — The US Presbyterian Church on Friday became the most prominent religious group in the US to endorse divestment as a protest against Israeli policies towards the Palestinians. They voted to sell church stock in three different companies whose products Israel uses in the occupied territories.
The American Jewish Committee, a policy and advocacy group based out of New York, stated that the vote was “driven by hatred of Israel.”
Israeli officials, along with many American Jewish groups, denounced the campaign as an attempt to delegitimize the Jewish state.
In a statement on its Facebook page, the Israeli Embassy in Washington denounced the resolution as “shameful.”
“Voting for symbolic measures marginalizes and removes its ability to be a constructive partner to promote peace in the Middle East,” said the statement.
Omar Barghouti, a co-founder of the BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) movement, lauded the vote as a “sweet victory for human rights.”
He indicated that Presbyterian supporters of Palestinian rights have introduced divestment into the U.S. mainstream and have given Palestinians “real hope in the face of the relentless and intensifying cruelty of Israel’s regime of occupation, settler colonialism and apartheid.”
Two other smaller U.S. religious groups have also divested in protest of Israeli policies: the Friends Fiduciary Corp., which manages assets for U.S. Quakers, and the Mennonite Central Committee.
UN General Assembly Opens in New York
The UN General Assembly opened today in New York. The annual gathering of world leaders will see 116 heads of state and government leaders meeting in New York. This year discussions will be dominated by the civil war raging in Syria as well as the heightened tensions between Israel and Iran. Also on the agenda is the continued economic crisis in Europe.
On Tuesday President Obama will address the assembly as well as the Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, and French President Francois Hollande. Wednesday will see the controversial Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in past years his speeches have seen mass walk outs of delegates, appalled by his hate-filled rhetoric. On Thursday Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will both be speaking. Last year the issue of Palestinian statehood was on the agenda, however it is believed this year the matter will be sidelined.
The gathering ends on Monday October 1st. The week will allow meetings of different delegates to discuss in detail the Middle East issues as well as the economic problems facing the world.
Fury Spreading to other Countries Following Muslim Weekly Friday Prayers
Across the Muslim world, furious protests and demonstrations are being witnessed today.
Demonstrators scaled the walls of U.S. embassies in the countries of Tunisia and Sudan, a German embassy was set alight, an American fast food restaurant was set on fire in Lebanon and demonstrators in Cairo were prevented from attacking the U.S. Embassy by police who required armored vehicles.
All in all, the manifestation of demonstrations and violence has spread to about 20 countries with the most violent incidences occurring in Middle Eastern countries. Click to see map of Protests Spread Across the Globe
Demonstrations started following the weekly Muslim prayers that occur on Fridays.
Common among demonstrators is the chant “There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet”.
Marines Now Deployed to Yemen as Protests Continue
Protests against America have continued to spread across the Arab world, over the movie by an American film maker depicting the muslim prophet Muhammad. US Marines are now deployed in Yemen as the US embassy has come under attack.
The protesters have also started to target British and other European embassies in Islamic nations. The German embassy in Sudan was stormed and partially set alight.
Protesters in Tunisa have reportedly jumped the embassy wall. It is believed three people have been killed in the protests in Tunisia, with 28 injured.
There have been protests in around 20 countries around the world, mostly peaceful. The worst of the violence has been in Middle Eastern nations.
For more information see Fox News
Why Americans Should Hope that Nicolas Sarkozy Gets Re-Elected
If Sarkozy were to loose the Presidential elections on May 6th, which looks highly likely, should we care?
Sarkozy has been more pro-American than your average French President. He played a vital role in European diplomacy with Germany, helping broker many key pieces of legislation, often at a personal political cost domestically.
Sarkozy has also brought France back into the NATO fold, and stopped French opposition to US policy in the Middle East. Sarkozy also lead the international community in the fight against the Gaddafi regime.
So if Sarkozy looses the election it is likely France will distance herself from Germany’s policy on Europe, and it is likely France will again oppose US policy in the Middle East. And in these important days both measures could have serious implications to America.
Iran Warns of Coming “Great Event”
Iran has hosted a World Conference to mark the anniversary of the Arab Spring. At the conference the supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei addressed over 600 youth from across the Middle East. He told them that, “the Zionists and the Great Satan (America) will soon be defeated”.
He went on to urge them to be vigilant, that there is a “great event coming”. Khamenei and the President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, believe they have been called by Allah to usher in the reign of the Mahdi, or 12th Imam. The Mahdi is a messianic type figure in Islam, who is said to appear during an Armageddon type war, in which Israel and her allies are destroyed.
Iran have refused to give up on their nuclear program and made no secret of their hatred for Israel and America.
U.N. About to Seize Land From Israel?
During the Washington D.C. Kalachakra ritual there was a vitally important meeting being held, with potentially global consequences.
As the Dalai Lama conducted his witchcraft in the city to bring about a change in the “age” there was another meeting taking place: with the United Nations, European Union, Russian, and American delegates – known as the Quartet, to discuss the way forward with regards to Israel.
In the meeting they proposed a plan to re-establish Israel’s borders along pre-1967 lines. This would mean the UN seizing half the Israeli land, including East Jerusalem, to establish a Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as the capitol.
The Quartet decided on a United Nation Security Council Meeting to discuss the proposals on July 26th. For land to be seized it would require a UN resolution to be voted upon. Within the UN five nations have veto rights, these are: USA, Britain, China, France, and Russia. President Obama has already spoken about his wish to see Israel’s borders set at pre-1967 lines, in his May 19th speech on the Middle East.
If the resolution is passed they plan to seize the land in September of this year. Israel would most likely refuse to recognise such a vote, thus when Palestine declares independence in September, a bloody war could ensue.
However, under previous United Nations Security Council Resolutions such a vote ought to be illegal. The Washington Times, writes, “A unilateral declaration of Palestinian statehood would be an illegal act that would violate the letter and the spirit of U.N. Security Council Resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973). Those binding resolutions called for a negotiated settlement of the dispute with Israel with ‘secure and recognized boundaries.'” This is because the pre-1967 borders were simply militarily indefensible. For the borders to be set along these lines again would leave Israel utterly unprotected.
One of the problems lies with the apparent inability of the progressive liberal left to understand that for many Arabs, the very existence of Israel is the problem. There are many Palestinians who will never recognize Israel’s right to exist, so leaving Israel with no way to defend her borders could jeopardize the very existence of Israel itself.
Furthermore, the Palestinian authority are also seeking September membership into the United Nations, in doing so they would be recognized as an independent state with East Jerusalem as it’s capitol.
To avert a war in Israel this September, any such plans must be vetoed, however Obama looks increasingly unlikely to take such a step. President Obama wrote in his book “I will stand with [Muslims] if the political winds shift in an ugly direction”.
Palestinian President Abbas, has also said, “President Obama says he wants to see an independent Palestinian state by September.” The Palestinian mood is optimistic, they see this is the best time to make their move, side-stepping any talks with Israel. Israel say they would re-enter talks with the Palestinians tomorrow, however the Palestinians are refusing to come to the negotiating table.
The coming few weeks are vital for the very existence of Israel. Those who think this move by the Quartet will bring peace to Israel, are very much mistaken. This is the time to, “pray for the peace of Jerusalem.”
The Coming of the Mahdi?
Within Islam there is a belief that there is a coming messianic figure, referred to as the 12th Imam or Mahdi. Although this belief is more or less universal across the sects of Islam, the Shiites have a particularly fundamental perspective on the Islamic teachings regarding the 12th Imam. And these teachings ought to be taken very seriously by the West and the Church.
Iran is a predominately Shiite nation, and the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is evangelical in his beliefs. He sees himself as called by Allah to usher in the reign of the Mahdi, and that the Mahdi will unite the Muslim world, ruling from Iraq and bringing peace. However, to bring forth his appearing, terrible destruction must first be in place, as well as the destruction of Israel. Ahmadinejad has made no secret of his hate for the West and Israel, and has spoken publicly of his desire to see “Israel wiped off the face of the map”.
Ahmadinejad now sees the recent unrest in the Middle East as “prophetic” signs that the Mahdi is near. However, intelligence also suggests that Iran have been manipulating the troubles to bring about their own agenda. Iran have been circulating videos throughout the Middle East calling on the people to rise up and over-throw their rulers, sympathizers of the Iranian regime have infiltrated these countries, like Egypt and Yemen, in a bid to seize power and make alliances with the Iran.
As previously stated, the Mahdi will only appear after the destruction of Israel, and seeing Jerusalem in Muslim hands. What are the West doing? Ahmadinejad sees America as weak at this time, and looks to capitalize on her weakness, by pressing forward with their nuclear ambitions. The Church is called to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem”, however half the church is anticipating the destruction of Israel. This is especially a time for the Church to stand in the gap for Israel; and pray for America, that she will once again be a friend and ally to Jerusalem.