As we pray for the peace of
Jerusalem
Prophetic News and
Commentary
Reporting on Monday, January 29, 2007
Jeremiah 6:17 Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet….
Isaiah 62:6 I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O
Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make
mention of the LORD, keep not silence,
V:7 And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise
in the earth.
Psalms
122:6 Pray for the peace of
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The following articles are compiled by:
Rick Allinson
US threatens firm response to Iranian meddling in Iraq
Source: Guardian
29 January 2006 – Tension between the United States and Iran rose sharply yesterday when president George Bush warned Tehran that America would respond "firmly" if Tehran stepped up its alleged involvement in violence in Iraq.
The Bush administration is planning to publish shortly what it claims is evidence that Iran is behind some of the violence. The state department spokesman, Sean McCormack, told reporters yesterday that no date had yet been set for publication.
The Bush administration has received a lengthy briefing from the Pentagon about an air strike on Iran but debate is continuing among the inner circle about the options. Two US aircraft carriers were deployed in the Gulf earlier this month and the rhetoric from Washington has become more threatening.
Mr Bush, in an interview with National Public Radio, said yesterday: "If Iran escalates its military action in Iraq to the detriment of our troops and/or innocent Iraqi people, we will respond firmly."
The president's comments came as Iran's ambassador to Iraq, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, in an interview with the New York Times, said Iran was taking steps to greatly expand military and economic ties with Iraq.
Comments: The war of words continues between the U.S. and Iran. The atmosphere seems almost identical to what the situation was between the U.S. and Iraq prior to the Gulf war. US forces this month detained five more Iranians in a raid on a diplomatic office in the northern city of Arbil and last month two other security officials were detained. It is almost certain that these individuals detained and documents obtained at the diplomatic office would have revealed the extent of Iranian involvement in Iraq. This could also be the source of some the evidence that the Bush administration is planning to publish shortly? Like this report indicates and according to other articles, Iran “is” expanding military, economic ties with Iraq. It should come as no surprise that Mr. Bush is warning Iran because if he didn’t, American troops are going to take more of a toll in Iraq, if Iran is given a free hand there. All it will take now is a deaf ear and a continuation of their (Iran’s) activities in Iraq and a firm response will be “on the way”.
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Israel excavation work near shrine fans Muslim ire
Source: Reuters
29 January 2006 – Israeli excavations near Jerusalem's most sensitive shrine have sparked fury among Muslims who fear such works endanger its foundations, but officials involved say they will not damage the holy site.
Israeli authorities are involved in a few excavation projects near al-Haram al-Sharif, the site of the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque where the biblical Jewish Temples once stood. The Western Wall -- Judaism's holiest site -- overlooks the shrine in the Israeli-annexed old city of Jerusalem.
In the past, Israeli work in the area has triggered violent protests. The opening of an archaeological tunnel near al-Haram al-Sharif triggered Palestinian anger in 1996. Sixty-one Arabs and 15 Israeli soldiers were killed in clashes.
On Monday, Palestinian militants who claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing in the Israeli resort of Eilat, which killed three people, said it was a response to Israeli attempts to "defile" al-Aqsa mosque.
In the latest work in the area, Israel unveiled earlier this month an archaeological site near the Western Wall where there are plans to build a new heritage centre.
The Waqf, the Islamic Trust which administers al-Haram al-Sharif, says the work has weakened structures in the area.
But Arieh Banner, an official with Israel's Western Wall Heritage Foundation, a government-created body which runs the site, said there was no chance it would cause damage.
"The site is at least 60 metres from the Wall," he said. "Everything is being done and planned with engineers."
Al Aqsa Brigades spokesman Abu Qusai accused Israel of carrying out building work underneath the mosque as well as continued archaeological digging in the area, which could undermine the foundations of the mosque.
"The attack was in response to the continued Israeli aggression and the attempts to defile the al-Aqsa mosque," Abu Qusai said. The militants added the Eilat attack was just the beginning of operations "in defence of al-Aqsa".
Comments: Update; the media is focusing on the Palestinian street battles and the suicide bombing today in Eilat was almost like a distraction to that confrontation. It almost seems like the Palestinians forgot who their real enemy was since the news has shifted from Palestinians battling Israelis to Palestinians against Palestinians but that all changed today. This suicide bombing was a wake up call that Israel can never let their guard down against the unpredictable Palestinians. What is not being reported very much in the news is that this suicide bombing was in retaliation to the archaeological digs that Israeli antiquities and Cohanim Yeshiva students are conducting under the Temple Mount. If you recall, nearly 10 years ago, (above) “In the past, Israeli work in the area has triggered violent protests. The opening of an archaeological tunnel near al-Haram al-Sharif triggered Palestinian anger in 1996. Sixty-one Arabs and 15 Israeli soldiers were killed in clashes”. I covered some of the current digging under the mount on the Jan. 22 article of this month and what it could mean. Behind the scenes, if Israel is digging under the Mount and anything was discovered, the repercussions will have a far greater impact than the incident in 1996. Keep in mind that it was Ariel Sharon that went up on to the Temple Mount compound in September of 2001. His visit triggered or served as the excuse for a wave of violence that put an end to the Oslo peace process and brought about the fall of his rival, Ehud Barak. It also triggered the latest inifada that continues today.
It seems that this suicide bombing today is a sign of real trouble that may be coming from the Mount and this time Israel is digging underneath it out of the public eyesight. Keep an eye this one!
The following articles are compiled
by:
Leo Wong
Pope Benedict calls for honest Christian dialogue
Source: YAHOO NEWS!
January 29, 2007 -- Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday called for honest dialogue among Christians as he expressed sadness over tensions between churches following centuries of divisions.
Benedict presided at a prayer service in St. Paul Outside the Walls Basilica in Rome to mark the end of a week of prayer dedicated in churches around the world to efforts aimed at uniting Christians.
"Honest and loyal dialogue constitutes the typical and indispensable instrument in the search for unity," Benedict said.
Christians were praying "so that all the disciples of Christ be one, and so ... they can give harmonious testimony to the men and women of our times," said Benedict, who is devoting much of his papacy to achieving Christian unity.
Comments: The “E” word, i.e. ecumenism, endeavors to unite all Christian denominations and sects into one. Even the Devil’s creations, the Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses would be welcomed into the unholy union. Nothing with the label “Christian” would be turned aside. For the Pope, the greatest coup will be the return of all of the “wayward” Protestant daughters of the Mother Church (Roman Catholicism) which the Vatican has termed the “separated brethren”. The Vatican wants to undo all that Martin Luther did in splitting from the Romish Church. Sola Scriptura (Scriptures only) was the rallying cry for all dissenters to leave Rome. Now, the refrain is “Yesterday Once More”. Back to the past would be more like it.
Pope Benedict is only fuelling the momentum started by his predecessor Pope John Paul II. Feelers and probes have been sent out to liberal mainline Protestant churches such as the Lutherans and even long standing evangelical denominations. The Vatican wants to know what commonalities there are so some consensus can be reached. The Evangelicals and Catholics together (ECTs) movement continues to grow like a malignant cancer. Radical surgery is out of the question now as the tumor has grown to gargantuan proportion. All’s left is to leave the patient be to run its natural course that leads to the One World Church.
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Civil wars brew in Mideast: Fatah and Hamas clash; Sunnis, Shias keep uneasy peace
Source: Matthew Fisher of CanWest News Service
January 29, 2007 -- Israel faced the possibility of civil war on both its southern and northern borders Sunday, with Fatah and Hamas gunmen and bombers hunting and killing each other in Gaza, and Sunnis and Shias struggling to maintain a precarious peace in Lebanon after deadly riots erupted in Beirut last week.
There was an assassination in Gaza on Sunday, bringing to at least 25 the number of Palestinians who have died there since fighting broke out again between Hamas and Fatah last Thursday.
Comments: As has been said here before, how can the Islamic world possibly exterminate Israel if Muslims are continually fighting among themselves? A house divided cannot expect to score victories over their common enemy, the Jews. It could be said that Arabs/Muslims hate their own brothers even more than they despise the Jews. The proof is in the pudding; more Muslims have been killed by their own kind than have died from fighting Israel. Look at modern day Iraq. The thousands of dead Iraqi civilians have been the result of suicide and marketplace/roadside bombers. The American military there hasn’t been taking pot shots at the Iraqis. In fact, innocent GIs have been bombed and killed by the same murderous bombers.
From Israel’s perspective, you would think PM Ehud Olmert and his cohorts holding court in West Jerusalem’s Knesset are hi-fiving each other in glee at seeing the Palestinians blasting each other into oblivion. The short term euphoria will give way to the stark reality that it might have to be Israel who will have to intervene in the Palestinian Civil War. The turmoil in the West Bank and Gaza Strip cannot be allowed to spill over to Israel proper or even to Jordan and Egypt. If Israel pleads that she can’t possibly handle the arduous task, then the EU must step in to stop the carnage. (The Americans are so stuck in Iraq and Afghanistan that their cavalry cannot possibly ride to the rescue.) Could the Antichrist be waiting in the wing to enter into fray to stop the Middle East madness? Stay tune, readers.
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Ontario Court of Appeal: Sperm banks can reject gay men
Source: Janice Tibbetts of CanWest News Service
January 29, 2007 -- It does not violate the Charter of Rights to restrict gay men from donating to sperm banks, says the Ontario Court of Appeal.
The ruling rejected the claim of a Toronto lesbian, known as Susan Doe, who argued that it violated her constitutional rights to exclude the semen of gay men, including that of a gay friend who was willing to help her become pregnant.
The ban, contained in the federal Processing of Semen for Assisted Contraception Regulations, is "rational and health-based," said a three-judge panel.
The federal regulations prohibit to use of semen from all men who have had sex with another man (MSMs), since 1977, to reduce the risk of infectious diseases such as HIV being spread to women and unborn children.
"The medical evidence in the record establishes that there is a higher prevalence of HIV and hepatitis among men in the MSM category," said the decision.
The ruling also upheld a restriction that also prevents men over 40 from donating to sperm banks because of an increased risk of genetic mutations.
Assisted contraception means a reproductive technique performed on a woman for the purpose of becoming pregnant.
Susan Doe, 40, wanted the court to declare that federal regulations governing semen donations violate the equality guarantees of gays and lesbians in the Charter.
She also argued they breach her right to life, liberty and security of the person by restricting her ability to determine who will be the father of her child.
Susan Doe is in a long-term relationship with her partner, J. The couple already has a daughter, born to J., with sperm donated by a gay man identified as D.
Susan Doe was unable to conceive through self-insemination with D's sperm, so she turned to clinical assistance, which is subject to the regulations.
Comments: The gay and lesbian world just gets weirder by the day. Just when you thought you heard and seen everything, out of the blue comes this convoluted case of gay sperm being rejected for insemination into a lesbian womb. Well, you haven’t heard the last words from temporarily defeated Susan Doe. She and her gang of lesbians will attempt to convince Canada’s Supreme Court to hear her case. Most likely, that Court will agree because it has in the past bent over backwards (and I’m not trying to be a pervert by using the aforementioned term) to accommodate the gay and lesbian faction of Canadian society.
For health reasons, the Ontario Court of Appeal was right on the mark. On the moral side, it was too meek to say what it should have said and that is, “You lesbians ought to give it up and have normal relations with men, not dykes”. But it was too chicken to say that because that would have rankled the lesbian movement even more than it did. For Susan Doe, she could have easily purchased a turkey baster and filled it up with the sperm of her male friend and injected it into her womb and no one (except God of course) would be the wiser. Nine months later, a child would be born and if it has the HIV virus or Hepatitis A or C in it, the Ontario health system would provide the needed care. But for reasons not yet revealed, Ms. Doe preferred to go public with her issue. Of course, the media pounced on this “horse of a different color” story. This isn’t really about her and her childless plight, but to garner legal rights for her sister lesbians. Thank you, Ms. Doe? Not!!!
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Keep watching (Matt 24:42)!
Shalom!