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

Contributed by Bob Anderson.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

IDF: Syria will try to reclaim Golan
yNetNews 2006/8/24
The head of the Israel Defense Forces Military Intelligence Maj.-Gen. Amos Yadlin told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that after the war with Hizbullah, Syria will try to reclaim the Golan Heights through either diplomatic or military means. ..."Iran is using Syria as a giant weapons cache for Hizbullah – through direct transfer or via payment to the Syrians, so that the arms are sent to Hizbullah," Yadlin said. ...

Syria Threatens to Close Border With Lebanon if Int'l Troops Deployed
Arutz Sheva 2006/8/24
Syrian president, Bashar Assad announced that he would close Syria’s border with Lebanon if international troops are deployed there in accordance with the UN-backed cease-fire between Lebanon and Israel.   Assad warned that he would consider such deployment a hostile move towards his country. ...

Vision for action
Al-Ahram Weekly Online 2006/8/24-30
"We are not going to the Security Council to get yet another [unimplemented] resolution on the Arab-Israeli conflict," said Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa. He added, "nor are we going there in the naïve thought that our mission is easy or can necessarily be accomplished."   According to Moussa and several Arab foreign ministers, the main objective of the new Arab attempt to directly engage the UN Security Council is to get the world to accept that Arabs are no longer prepared to play the game of endless negotiations with Israel through dishonest brokers. ...The objective is to have the entire UN Security Council, especially all permanent members, on board and working towards a resolution of the Middle East file. ..."Arabs will be talking to the world in one voice -- something that they have only recently started to do," he added. ...
Hmmm.  Sounds exactly like the words of King Abdullah II of Jordan last month.  Stay tuned closely folks!

Lebanon rejects Syria's UN warning
Guardian Unlimited 2006/8/24
Lebanon has spoken out against objections to the deployment of peacekeeping troops along its border with Syria, following claims from the Syrian president, Bashar Assad, yesterday that such an act would be a "hostile move". ..."The sovereignty of any state includes securing its border crossings, preventing any smuggling attempts, and this is what the Lebanese state is planning to do," he said.   "If the Lebanese government sees it needs to resort to international forces, it will do that. It's up to the government to decide." ...
? 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  (Iraq?, Libya?, Syria? - all 3 are and have been resisters to peace with Israel)

King Holds Talks with Azerbaijani President
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/23
...To increase the trade exchange, Jordan welcomed the launch of the exchange of visits between the delegations of businessmen from both countries, representing different sectors to identify and develop opportunities for investment and trade between the two countries. ...
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand

Siniora: Lebanese people will never forget Jordan's support
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/23
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora said Jordan was at the forefront of the Arab countries that stand in support of Lebanon to help the country overcome negative consequences of the Israeli aggression.   " The Lebanese people will never forget the support of Jordan's King and people to assist Lebanon in its ordeal, Siniora said in an exclusive state to Petra correspondent in Beirut. "This (Jordanian) stand has proved that Arab brotherhood still exists...and no one can doubt Jordan's supportive stand," he said.   "The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and upon directives from His Majesty King Abdullah II stood by Lebanon in its ordeal; it was the stand of a true and genuine brother," Siniora added. ...

MEA Chairman Praises Jordan's Support to Lebanon
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/23
Middle East Airlines' Chairman of the Board of Directors Muhammad Al Hout commended Jordan's support to Lebanon especially in these difficult circumstances ..."The Jordan's stand beside Lebanon is a highly appreciated and will remain very firmly in the history of relations between the two countries at present and future," Al Hout affirmed.
A benevolent king.

King Congratulates President of Ukraine
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/23
...King Abdullah II on Sunday sent a cable to President Viktor Yushchenko of the Republic of Ukraine 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 Holds Talks with Azerbaijani President
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/23
...His Majesty pointed to the importance of the visit in supporting the economic relations and in increasing the trade exchange between the two countries, affirming that Jordan will pay much more attention to the economic issue.   "We will work with the government and the embassy of Azerbaijan in Amman to translate the results of the successful visit to achieve the desired objectives into reality," the King added ...
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand

King calls for Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon
The Jordan Times 2006/8/23
...King Abdullah said he hoped the international community would help the Lebanese government “in extending its sovereignty and its control over all of its borders by ensuring the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon and finding a comprehensive solution towards a permanent ceasefire”.   ...Musharraf added.   “It is essential that Israeli withdrawal and the restoration of Lebanese sovereignty and integrity take place urgently so that the root cause of the recurring problems in the Middle East could be addressed.” ...Pakistan, which does not recognise the Jewish state, says it would consider participation in a UN force in south Lebanon if its troops were “welcomed” by all parties to the conflict. ...According to Musharraf, Amman and Islamabad have “a complete consensus on regional and international issues, especially those confronting the Muslim world”. ...
Contributed by Jody.
Although King Hussein made peace with Israel, it appears that King Abdullah II may be tiring of the constant tightrope walking and playing referee because of the Islamic world's distain for and constant fighting that they say is because of Israel.

The Hezbollah-Sunni Hoax
Family Security Matters 2006/8/23
...In the aftermath of the Israel-Hezbollah war, as is typical in such periods, the enemies of peace and the adversaries of democratization in the Middle East cling to a predictable, if false, consistency. Such elements have already advanced the claim that the “success” of the Lebanese Shia Muslims of Hezbollah in surviving Israeli military action has rallied the Sunni majority to join the Shia in the Islamic global community, or ummah.   The basis of this spurious reasoning is, of course, hatred of the Jewish state or, at least, affection for crude Arabism. In celebration of an anticipated victory over Israel, or the unification of Arabs regardless of religious identification – since not all Muslims are Arab, not all Arabs are Muslim, and not all Arab Muslims are Sunnis – certain commentators claim that 13 centuries of Shia-Sunni conflict have been wiped away by Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah. ...Rumors of a Hezbollah-Sunni alliance are yet another disinformational hoax spread in the West, where real knowledge of the Islamic world continues to be elusive. In the information age, lack of information about Islam may condemn the democracies, and the moderate Muslims, to a long war against Islamofascism.  Only firm measures against Saudi financing of Wahhabi terror and against Hezbollah provocations will hasten the victory of humanity in this conflict ...

Syria committed 'massacres' in Lebanon
Middle East Times 2006/8/23
Egypt state media Wednesday accused Syria of committing "massacres" in Lebanon, lashing out at Damascus in response to President Bashar Al Assad's recent criticism of Egypt. ..."While your heroic army, protector of the homeland, has a weighty record of Lebanese massacres ... and you have killed thousands of your citizens in Hama and Aleppo when they rose up against the regime of father Assad," it 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  (Iraq?, Libya?, Syria? - all 3 are and have been resisters to peace with Israel)

Turkey could use Syria to supply UN troops in Lebanon
The Raw Story 2006/8/23
Turkey could use Syria as a logistical base if it decides to send troops to Lebanon as part of a UN peacekeeping force, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said on Wednesday. Returning from a trip to Damascus where he met Syrian President Bashar Assad ...
So which way do you want it Bashar? (compare with the JP story below)

Assad rejects call for UN on Syrian border again
The Jerusalem Post 2006/8/23
Syria's President Bashar Assad was quoted Wednesday as rejecting the deployment of UN troops along the Lebanon-Syria border, saying such a move would create animosity between the two countries.   "This is an infringement on Lebanese sovereignty and a hostile position," ...

In Bashar Assad's Syria, a growing passion for war
The Daily Star 2006/8/23
...the prospect of a wider regional war is something these regimes actually welcome. For the strong showing that Hizbullah has made, the destruction of Lebanese infrastructure notwithstanding, is encouragement enough for these regimes, with their minds and hearts still stuck in the 1980s, to revive the old dream of defeating Israel militarily through involvement in a war of attrition and thus achieving military glory that will boost their credentials both at home and abroad. With the US caught in the Iraqi quagmire and its power seemingly neutralized as a result, this prospect might appear more and more tempting with each passing day. ...
? 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  (Iraq?, Libya?, Syria? - all 3 are and have been resisters to peace with Israel)

King Condoles Russian President
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/22
...King Abdullah II sent a cable on Tuesday to Russian President Vladimir Putin condoling 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.

All flights to and from Lebanon must pass through Jordan — aviation officials
The Jordan Times 2006/8/22
All flights in and out of Beirut’s Rafiq Hariri International Airport are required to first stop in Jordan for security checks ...Director of the Jordan Civil Aviation Authority Captain Suleiman Obeidat told The Jordan Times the secondary inspection is conducted by an airport security unit and is in line with the international security inspection codes followed by airports worldwide. ...No reason has been given for the secondary inspection but a senior industry source told Reuters the enforced stop in Amman was a condition set by Israel, which is determined to stop Hizbollah guerrillas from rearming after a UN-backed truce took effect a week ago. ...

Ukraine keen to build stronger ties with Jordan
The Jordan Times 2006/8/22
...Improving ties with Jordan is key to such openness to the Arab world, the statement added, which also highlighted Jordan’s pioneering socio-economic reforms.   “Today, Jordan justly enjoys a high reputation of a regional leader in the field of democratisation the society and liberalisation of the national economy.”  ...the volume of bilateral trade between the two countries has been on the rise over the past few years, reaching $192 million in 2005. In the first five months of the current year, the figure reached $153 million. ...
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand

King Holds Talks with Musharaf
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/22
...His Majesty pointed out that we will not be able to rely more on the fragmented or the one-sided solutions, "we must work with determination to resume the negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis and to move expeditiously towards a final settlement to prevent the outbreak of new conflicts." ...Musharraf expressed Pakistan's support to the initiative of His Majesty to build a coalition of eleven low-income countries to coordinate their efforts and adopt a unified position on international economic issues, adding that he looks forward to participating in the summit meeting of this group which will be on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly's meetings in New York next month.   The initiative, launched by His Majesty King Abdullah II last year, aims at unifying and coordinating efforts of a number of low-income countries including Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, Ecuador, Georgia, Indonesia, Paraguay, Sri Lanka, Honduras, Pakistan and Ukraine to urge the developed countries to increase assistance and promote trade and investment. ...
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand

Jordan, Singapore Discuss Trade and Economic Ties
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/22
...King Abdullah II exerted intensive efforts to develop Jordanian- Singaporean relations, pointing to King Abdullah's visit to Singapore and his meetings with officials, businessmen, and companies' representatives.   He also noted the Free Trade Agreement signed between the two friendly countries, underlining that the implementation of the agreement would increase trade exchange, launch Singaporean investments in the Kingdom ...the Singaporean Ambassador expressed his country's desire to promote trade, economic and investment relations with Jordan, noting to progress achieved in Jordan over the past years in the investment and production fields.
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand

Abbas seeks gov't of independents, academics
The Jerusalem Post 2006/8/22
After failing to persuade Hamas to agree to the establishment of a "national-unity government," Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is now considering forming a "national-salvation government" consisting of independent figures and academics, PA officials here revealed Tuesday. ...

Lebanon May Challenge Israeli Blockade
All Headline News 2006/8/22
A Hezbollah member of Lebanon's Cabinet warned on Tuesday that if Israel did not lift its air and sea blockade of the country, Beirut would begin urging planes and ships to travel to Lebanese ports en masse without Israeli approval. ...

Some Lebanon War Riddles Solved and Their Relevance to Moves on Syria in Jerusalem Explained - DEBKAfile Exclusive Report
DEBKAfile 2006/8/22
DEBKAfile’s political, military and Washington sources offer some disclosures to account for this apparently illogical behavior ...A DEBKAfile investigation has uncovered some facts that would help explain some of the mishaps. ...
Contributed by Bob Anderson.

Bolton tells UN: Time to address Iran, Syria over Hezbollah
The Raw Story 2006/8/22
...The current conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, Bolton said, "Requires us to address the backing of Hezbollah by Damascus and Tehran."   He added: "Their continued support to Hezbollah in the form of financing, training and supply of armaments does not just perpetuate this crisis -- it sustains it." ...

Abbas insists on Hamas change before any coalition
Reuters 2006/8/22
..."President Abbas will not discuss the formation of a unity government before he reaches a political agreement with Hamas," Azzam al-Ahmad, head of Fatah's parliamentary bloc, told Reuters.   He said such a deal would have to be "based on a clear and direct acceptance of the Arab peace initiative and Israeli-Palestinian peace deals". ...

No U.N. troops on Lebanon-Syria border, says Assad
Reuters 2006/8/22
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday rejected Israeli demands for the deployment of international troops on the Lebanese-Syrian border to stop what Israel says is the smuggling of arms to Hizbollah.   "This would be a withdrawal of Lebanese sovereignty and a hostile position," Assad 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  (Iraq?, Libya?, Syria? - all 3 are and have been resisters to peace with Israel)

Qadhafi's son denounces public servants as 'mafia'
Middle East Times 2006/8/22
..."Let's stop kidding ourselves that were are living in a paradise, one in which public sector officials act as though they own the companies they manage," Seif Al Islam Qadhafi said ..."The beneficiaries of this chaos is a group of state employees and big wigs united in an unholy alliance resembling a mafia," he said. ..."The democratic system we are dreaming of does not exist," he said. "Because if the people truly had power, how can one explain that decisions taken in the name of the people are undermined and individuals are manhandled and imprisoned for no reason," he asked.   He said that a constitution had to be drawn up and called for privatizations to continue ...

Crossfire War - IDF Advances - Regional Implications Directed by Tehran
News Blaze 2006/8/22-31
Debka sources reveal that Israel has decided to accomplish certain military objectives even if it means risking being declared in violation of the ceasefire that is due to take effect Sunday. ...Interestingly enough though, there seems to be no condemnation or criticism coming from Berlin. Perhaps Berlin would observe that Israel's response may have been a bit excessive but in the heat of war, with one's national existence at stake, that is quite understandable. The reason for Berlin's understanding could be that German intelligence probably knows that Hezbollah is an extension of Iran's military and command structure. The German Foreign Minister Frank Walter-Steinmeier was in close contact with Olmert's government. Berlin may also be aware that with the presence of so many Iranian Revolutionary Guard officers in the field revealed that Tehran was using Lebanon to test the performance of equipment and the effectiveness of the tactics they had instructed Hezbollah to use. Rome, Madrid, Moscow and Tokyo may also be aware of this. ...Tehran has been studying the UNSC response to the war with Israel noting that it took the Security Council more than a month to finally decide on a ceasefire agreement, which still might prove to be ineffective. I suspect Qatar, the only Islamic member of the 15 nation Security Council, kept Tehran precisely informed as to the conficting-confused-contadictory-comical negotiations going back and forth. Qatar and Tehran may have especially noticed that as the fighting intensified the Secretary-General Kofi Annan, unprofessionally, took some time off to meet with a rap singer, while the British Prime Minister Tony Blair was yachting off Barbados. Iran probably realizes the UN will take less time when Europe is more directly threatened during the coming nuclear crisis.   But the Security-Council will be negotiating with more of a sense of panic and confusion as they realize Tehran's real response to this will be to enter war in the Balkans started up again by a Serbia militarily supported by Iran. In the midst of the confusion the UN/EU/NATO could even get in each other's way, revealing their incompetency as events overtake them, which is exactly what this limited war with Israel nearly did. A decision making test case. They could argue and fallout over international jurisdiction.

Portuguese Official Praises Jordan's Efforts in Lebanon
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/21
Portuguese Foreign Minister Luis Amado praised efforts of Jordan in Lebanon to assist the Lebanese people in the face of the crisis, stressing the importance of the role played by Jordan in the region. ...the two sides discussed the latest developments in the region and ways of enhancing bilateral cooperation between the two countries, particularly in the areas of economy and tourism. ...
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand
A benevolent king.

Aoun Values King Initiatives to Support Lebanon
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/21
Leader of the Lebanese Free Patriotic Movement General Michel Aoun hailed initiatives launched by His Majesty King Abdullah II to support the Lebanese people. ...Aoun highlighted Jordan's relief airlift as well as the Jordanian field hospital that was sent to Lebanon upon directives of His Majesty King Abdullah II, noting to Jordanian experts and technicians who were dispatched to Lebanon to build bridges and defuse unexploded ammunition ...
A benevolent king.

DEBKAfile discloses: Hizballah is smuggling hundreds of rockets and dozens of launchers into S. Lebanon without interference
DEBKAfile 2006/8/21
...Hizballah is also working on the rehabilitation of its short-range rocket “Nasser” Brigade – all under cover of the stream of returning south Lebanese refugees. Weapons deliveries from Syria to Lebanon are arriving at an accelerated pace in the last 24 hours, mostly through the northern Beqaa Valley. They are then distributed across Lebanon including the south. Israel is no longer impeding the traffic ...

IRAN'S TERROR GIFTS
FrontPageMag 2006/8/21
...Israelis have found sensitive night-vision goggles on Hezbollah fighters that originated in the UK. The tactical equipment appears to come from a shipment sent from the British government to Iran in 2003, intended to help interdict narcotics. Instead, the Iranians put them to another use entirely ...

What Iranian Threat?  The one that we’d better be dealing with.
NationalReviewOnline 2006/8/21
...Washington sources advise there is a spin going around that the White House chose to neutralize — in fact, favor — Hezbollah with its decision to support resolution 1701, in order to focus on settling Iraq and dealing with Iran’s nuclear program. Yet it would seem that nothing would have done more to disabuse Iran’s leaders of their delusions of regional grandeur than rolling up Hezbollah; if so, there remains no excuse for not doing so.   What more must a relentlessly renegade nation do to get the law-abiding, peaceseeking rest of the world to take action? Have not the dedicated Iranian radical revolutionaries worked hard enough to get our attention? Are the mists so thick in Foggy Bottom that the State Department somehow cannot see what is going on and work with the Bush administration to bring this enormously dangerous national mischief to an end? ...

Dealing with Damascus: Isolate Assad
Heritage.org 2006/8/21
...While Damascus attempts to make itself relevant again, taking advantage of the Syrian/Iranian-inspired destruction in Lebanon, now isn't the time to cave to "feel-good" efforts to engage the Assad regime.   On the contrary, now is the time to turn the international spotlight on Damascus' treachery in the recent Israel-Hezbollah war, and look to others to put the squeeze on Assad and his Baathist cronies. ...

Olmert: We won't negotiate with axis of evil
yNetNews 2006/8/21
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Monday during a tour of the northern village of Mghar that "Israel won't negotiate with those who give refuge to terror and who are part of the axis of evil."   He added: "There are those who say that Bashar Assad should be embraced. I say clearly, let's not forget the thousands of missiles that fell here in the last month. They all passed through Damascus and some of them were even made in Damascus. Some of the missiles even landed here in Mghar."   Olmert was responding to a call by Interior Security Minister Avi Dichter made on Army Radio, in which he said that "for true peace with Syria, Israel can leave the Golan Heights." ...

Iranian Weapons Waiting For Hezbollah In Damascus
All Headline News 2006/8/21
A large supply of Iranian weapons is waiting for Hezbollah in Damascus, as the Lebanese terror group's sponsors work to rearm it following the conflict with Israel, said a senior Iranian military official at the weekend. ...Israel has signaled its determination to thwart all efforts to rebuild Hezbollah, even at the risk of spoiling the tenuous UN-imposed ceasefire. ...

War or peace
Haaretz 2006/8/21
...in the wake of the war with Lebanon, Israeli assessment sources too are recommending to the government that it immediately separate from the "neither-peace-nor-war" doctrine in the Syrian arena. They are presenting two options to the leaders. One is accelerated peace talks with Syria (and Lebanon) in exchange for the Golan Heights (and the Shebaa Farms), the distancing of an Iranian-Syrian alliance from the Israeli border and the cessation of support for the Palestinian resistance organizations. The other is an accelerated preemptive war against Syria, before Iran is equipped with a nuclear bomb and before Tehran completes the transformation of the Syrian army into a modern army rich in new types of weaponry. ...

Israel fostering Islamo-fascism
WorldNetDaily 2006/8/21
...Like it or not, Israel is fostering Islamo-fascism. ...we witnessed it 40 years ago at the conclusion of the 1967 Six-Day War ...The Israeli government gave the Temple Mount, arguably the only holy site in Judaism, back to the hostile Muslim Arabs to administer – effectively agreeing to ban Jews and other non-Muslims from a religious site of deep significance to Christians as well. ...It was the ultimate appeasement. ...Some rabbis insisted Jews could not step foot on the Temple Mount for fear of contaminating the Holy of Holies. Presumably they had no fears the place where the Shekinah glory of God is manifested physically would be contaminated by the control of Muslims who denied the historic fact that a Jewish temple ever existed on the mount. ...

A Charge to Keep: Three Pillars of Countering Iran
The Global Politician 2006/8/21
...Much as the Senate passed the Iraq Liberation Act in 1998, we ought to present and pass an Iranian equivalent this year: Iranian culture, the Iranian people, the Iranian military, and even parts of the Iranian government are completely compatible with democracy and friendly relations with the West. Simply remove a few hundred old men in robes and most of our regional problems will diminish, if not vanish completely. If we could achieve this in Eastern Europe, under the protective igloo of Soviet domineering, then we can urge and manifest regime change in Damascus and Tehran without firing another shot.   But all signs point to our unwillingness to foster such a radical revolution. Failing to disassemble Hezbollah, militarily and politically, epitomizes specifically what we ought to avoid when challenging the mullahs. Allowing impious warlords to rise to prominence in a fragile Iraqi parliament is as reckless a course as there is when confronting a hegemonic Khomeinist power.   We run the risk of ignoring democratic revolutionaries like Azar Nafisi, Farid Ghadry, and the late Akbar Mohammadi at our and their own peril: by failing to give them the monies, radios, satellite televisions, communication systems, parliaments-in-exile, and rhetorical rallying cries at present, we are only increasing the likelihood of having to fire up the jet engines and rain hell over them and their countrymen in the near future.

Engaging Syria would sell Lebanon down the road
The Daily Star 2006/8/21
...Should the US reinitiate talks with Syria, the first casualty would likely be Lebanon. Already reeling from a disastrous war, the March 14 Movement - Lebanon's democrats who expelled Syria in April 2005 - would be further demoralized and undermined.   The Syrians have also made no secret of their desire to see the Siniora government removed; Assad said as much in his August 15 speech. Accordingly, and based on current dynamics in Lebanon, Damascus would no doubt see re-engagement as an invitation to return to Lebanon.

Dubai International Capital buys Travelodge
Middle East and North Africa Business Report, Amman, Jordan 2006/8/20
Travelodge, the UK's fastest growing hotel company has today been acquired by Dubai International Capital ("DIC"), a private equity firm, for a consideration of £675 million from the Permira Funds. The acquisition is unconditional and is expected to complete by late September. ...
What this article fails to mention is how many Travelodge hotels are in and throughout the U.S. and Canada, which is over 6,000, if this is one in the same company.  It appears we have allowed our internal ports to be sold off to foreign Arab Islamic interests via another avenue of infiltration.

A community of anti-U.S. interests
International Herald Tribune 2006/8/20
...with Iranian investment in Venezuela climbing fast, what began as a trickle of ventures has evolved into the most vivid example of a move to reshape Venezuela's foreign policy by reaching out to countries on the margins of U.S. influence, including Iran, Belarus, Zimbabwe and Cuba. ...While Venezuela is believed to have limited access to any nuclear technology, Chávez said in Tehran that he would support a joint effort to develop a nuclear energy program by Mercosur, the South American trade bloc that Venezuela recently joined. ...

This war is far from over
Israel Insider 2006/8/20
...Terrible destruction is set to come upon Israel. Syria plans a surprise attack, emboldened by the success of the Hezbollah fighters against Israel. Bashar el-Assad openly calls for the destruction of Israel and puts his army on the highest alert possible. Syrian pilots sit in their jets on their runways, ready to take off. Nearly all sections of the Syrian population side emotionally with Hezbollah, calling for the re-entry of Syrian troops into Lebanon to join their fight against Israel. ...This time it will not be just Katyushas that Israel has to face, but the extremely dangerous, longer-range SCUD missiles tipped with Syria?s already-manufactured lethal VX nerve gas. ...

King Receives Cables of Congratulations
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/20
...King Abdullah II on Sunday received cables of congratulation on the anniversary of Prophet's Ascending. ...

The rhetorical war of Islam: Muslims’ kind of justice and peace
KurdMedia.com 2006/8/20  (This is a long, but very interesting, and worthwhile article.)
...Amazingly, many Americans have unquestioningly accepted the view that Islam is a religion of peace as voiced by academicians, journalists, and clerics from various faiths possibly because most are ignorant about the history of Islam and about the theological tenets in that Islam has been at war with Christians since the time of Muhammad. According to the Qur’an, the world divides between Dar al-Islam (House of Islam) and Dar al Harb (House of War). Preeminent Middle Eastern scholar Bernard Lewis characterizes Dar al-Islam as all the lands in which Islamic law prevails and a Muslim government rules and Dar al Harb as the lands inhabited by infidels who have not embraced Islam nor submitted to Islamic rule . Long before the Crusades, Muslims viewed Christendom as the world of infidels and Christian Europe archetypically as the House of War. Peace could be achieved only when all inhabitants submitted to the rule of Islam. Because of this current radical position that America is orchestrating a war against Islam and that the U.S. deserves the hatred of the Muslims, today many Americans debate how to implement a policy to win the hearts and minds of the Islamic world. No matter what America does, it will not win the hearts and minds of Muslims unless America accepts the Islamic way of life. Obedience to Muhammad requires submission to Allah and the subduing and controlling of unbelievers by Islamic political, social, and religious institutions and principles. ...In Iran after the Revolution, Kurdish people disappeared as well. A common picture shows Kurdish women holding pictures of missing husbands, sons, or fathers. Is this the Muslim policy of justice and peace? Were those atrocities committed by the West or by Christians, by Tony Blair or by Israel? Were they committed by Muslims themselves? In Iraq, who committed genocide and killed more than 5000 Kurds in a 1988 chemical weapons attack on Hallabja near the end of a bloody war with Iran? Who even yet denies the social and political rights of Kurdish people? Are all lives equal? Why are so many innocent Kurdish men and women being marginalized, oppressed, and murdered, and by a Muslim nation, even though Kurds are overwhelmingly, although somewhat liberal, Muslims?   Is the Kurdish Allah some how different than Iran’s Allah, Turkey’s Allah, Iraq’s Allah, and Syrian’s Allah? ...

Lebanon: Army will deal with those who break ceasefire
The Jerusalem Post 2006/8/20
Lebanon's defense minister said Sunday any group breaking the cease-fire in southern Lebanon would be "decisively dealt with" and would be considered a traitor.   Defense Minister Elias Murr's comments apparently were to air concerns that factions other than Hizbullah, which he said is committed to the cease-fire, may attempt to draw Israeli retaliation by firing on the Jewish state.   "We consider that when the resistance (Hizbullah) is committed not to fire rockets, then any rocket that is fired from the Lebanese territory would be considered collaboration with Israel to provide a pretext (to Israel) to strike," ...

JHCO Sends Relief for Palestinians
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/20
...Secretary General of the JHCO Abdul Salaam Abbadi told Jordan News Agency (Petra) that these convoys came as implementation of direct orders from His Majesty King Abdullah II to support the steadfastness of the Palestinian people.   Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah presented a gift of 250 sewing machines within the convoy for civil societies in Palestine.

Dangerous Scenario
Zaman Online 2006/8/20
The outcome leads to two possibilities:
1) Following their defeat in Lebanon, Israel and the U.S. have abandoned plans to attack Syria and Iran. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad referring to this point, said, “The Greater Middle East Project” has been put on the shelf. We also wish this project is abandoned for good.   2) Israel and the U.S. have not completely given up plans to attack Syria and Iran, but they only stopped for a “short” break and will resume the project in the upcoming months, September or October, or even on August 22, as modern-day prognosticator Bernard Lewis claimed. ...

DEBKAfile Reports: Turkey forces one Syrian, 5 Iranian arms planes to land at Diyarbakir military base
DEBKAfile 2006/8/20
...DEBKAfile’s military sources disclose: The flights were bound for Damascus and Syrian military air bases just across the Turkish border. The C-802 is the advanced ground-ship missile which crippled the Israeli Navy’s gunship off Beirut, and killed three of its crew on July 14, two days after the outbreak of the Lebanon war. Searches by the Turkish authorities disclosed that one of the planes was carrying crates of Fajer rockets which Hizballah fired at Israeli towns. Two of the Iranian cargo planes have not been permitted to take off from Turkey unless they fly back to Iran. ...

Israel Captures PA Deputy PM in Ramallah
Arutz Sheva 2006/8/20
...The IDF Spokesman's Office released a statement saying, "Shaer is not immune despite his seniority, and the IDF will continue to act against various terrorist activists." The capture of Shaer is "part of our fight against the radical Hamas movement," an IDF spokesman told the press.   Shaer, who also serves as the PA education minister, was a key figure in the formulation of the policies of the current Hamas-led PA government. He is considered to be the most senior terrorist in Judea and Samaria ever since widespread Israeli arrests of Hamas leaders in June. ...

Arab Foreign Ministers gather in Egypt to discuss Lebanon
The Hindu 2006/8/20
...Diplomats said Arabs want to counter a flood of money that is believed to be coming from Iran to Hezbollah to finance reconstruction projects. An estimated 15,000 apartments were destroyed and 140 bridges hit by Israeli bombardment in Lebanon, along with power and desalination plants and other key infrastructure.   ``This is a war over the hearts and mind of the Lebanese, which Arabs should not lose to the Iranians this time,'' said a senior Arab League official.

Minister of Political Development Meets US Congressmen Delegation
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/19
...He...underlined efforts of His Majesty King Abdullah II to embody the concept of the international and humanitarian responsibility at all levels. Jordan ranked second in terms of peacekeeping forces' contributions ...
Oh please!  What is the king doing regarding the Muslims treatment of Muslim Kurds, and genocide being carried out by Muslims all over the globe? Nada!!!

Arab nations urge new Israeli peace plan
Seattlepi.com 2006/8/19
...the effort by Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan is a clear sign of their worries about tensions and Iran's influence. ...The Arab countries' motivation is clear: With Hezbollah and its backers, Syria and Iran, declaring victory in the month long war that left much of southern Lebanon in ruins, many see a looming struggle over the future of the Middle East.   The split between Syria and other Arab states has only grown deeper since the cease-fire. Syrian President Bashar Assad jabbed at fellow Arab leaders with a speech Tuesday saying the war had revealed them to be "half men" - prompting sizzling denunciations of Assad in Arab media.

Israel Committed to Block Arms and Kill Nasrallah
The New York Times 2006/8/19
...speaking one day before commandos carried out a raid that Israeli officials said was to disrupt arms shipments for Hezbollah from Syria and Iran, he was explicit that Israel would continue to seek out and block any such attempts. He also emphasized that, despite criticism from the Israeli public and even troops of the performance of the Army and government, he considered the threat and the fighting ability of Hezbollah to have been severely diminished.   Furthermore, he made it clear that Sheik Nasrallah remained a target as the leader of a group that Israel and the United States have labeled terrorist. “There’s only one solution for him,” he said.  At another point, he said simply, “This man must die.” ...

Israel Carries Out Raid Deep Into Lebanon
The New York Times 2006/8/19
The Israeli army confirmed the raid some 60 miles north of the border and said it was aimed at disrupting the continuing shipment of weapons to Hezbollah guerrillas from Iran and Syria. ...Both any resupply of weapons and the raid itself appear to constitute violations of the cease-fire resolution passed by the United Nations Security Council.   The Israeli army said it would continue such raids until "proper monitoring bodies are established on the Lebanese borders," ...

Assad speech risks widening rift among Lebanese
The Daily Star 2006/8/19
Most of the country's political forces ...believe that Syria was disturbed by the fact that UN Security Council Resolution 1701 - that ended the war between Israel and Hizbullah - was adopted without taking its advice.   In fact, this is the first time that Syria does not play any major role in negotiations regarding Lebanese affairs. ...

Royal Jordanian Resumes Daily Flights to Lebanon
Naharnet 2006/8/19
Royal Jordanian resumed scheduled flights from Amman to Lebanon on Saturday ...Meanwhile, Jordan continued sending aid to Lebanon. A team from Jordan's Royal Engineering Army traveled to Beirut on Friday to help diffuse bombs in areas shelled by Israel, the official Petra news agency said.   The team is among 200 experts sent by King Abdullah II to build temporary bridges to help refugees return to their towns and villages in the devastated south.
A benevolent king.

Jordan's King Abdullah II Pledges To Support Lebanon's Reconstruction
All Headline News 2006/8/18
Jordan's King Abdullah II and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan have pledged to support the rebuilding of Lebanon after a devastating conflict with Israel.   King Abdullah says Jordan will help rebuild and stabilize the nation, yet adds that international support is essential for any large-scale effort to succeed. ...
A benevolent king.

Engineers at REF Depart for Lebanon
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/18
A team of experts in bomb disposal departed Amman on Friday heading for Lebanon to defuse unexploded ammunition ...The Royal Engineering Forces (REF) team comes within the efforts exerted by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to support the Lebanese ...In implementation of the Royal directives of His Majesty King Abdullah II, another 200 engineers will be sent for Lebanon to help rebuild the bridges destroyed ...
A benevolent king.

Palestine Prepares Peace Plan with Arab Countries
Zaman Online 2006/8/18
Stating they are working on an initiative to be submitted at the September session of the U.N. Security Council, Abbas said: “We are in consultation with Arab countries and friends to present a plan based on international legitimacy to the U.N. General Assembly in order to revive the peace process,”   “A solution can only come through negotiation. We will never accept the imposition of a unilateral solution, whatever it is,” said Abbas ...

War in Lebanon Gives Birth to New Middle East
Assyrian International News Agency 2006/8/18
...trends show that the Middle East is changing. Nobody in the region, including members of the most radical Islamic movements - especially when they get seats in government - can seriously hope that Israel will disappear from the political map. Therefore, the sides should find acceptable conditions for a peaceful coexistence.

This is where opinions on ways of attaining this goal split. Some Arab regimes have opted for dialogue and pragmatic cooperation with Israel. Others, mostly those that represent the unofficial "resistance project", prefer fighting, when and if necessary.

The war in Lebanon has shown again that it is not Arabs who should recognize Israel, but Israel, the West and Arab regimes who should accept the fact that radical Islamic movements such as Hizbollah and Hamas are an inalienable part of Middle Eastern politics. Ignoring them is useless, which means that we have a choice between trying to liquidate them (which has proved impossible) and coming to terms with them. ...
We'll wait, watch, and see.

Tehran is dumping Syria as its main partner
DEBKAfile 2006/8/18 (story starts on bottom of page 4)
..."Iran is withdrawing from its close strategic and military relations with Syria.  The interim report on the Lebanon war awards Syrian president Bashar Assad low marks for his performance during the emergency. He made the wrong decisions, some of them incomprehensible. Should Iran and Hizballah plan to go a second round of warfare in Lebanon, they will set up alternative routes of supply that are not dependent on Syria.

The top-level discussion in Tehran on Syria’s wartime performance was highly critical of the speech Assad delivered on Tuesday, Aug. 15 to the press association in Damascus. He presented the Tehran-Damascus-Hizballah bloc as the winning camp in the Arab world. But after sifting through his often muddled sentences, Iranian strategists concluded that he had an ulterior motive in dangling this victory.

They interpreted the Syrian leader’s subtext as a signal to Israel that he was ready for peace talks and cooperation. Iran’s leaders therefore judged him too unreliable to remain an ally of Iran." ...
? 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  (Iraq?, Libya?, Syria? - all 3 are and have been resisters to peace with Israel)

Lebanese Minister Praises King Abdullah's Efforts in Supporting Lebanon
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/17
Lebanese Social Affairs Minister Nai'la Muawad praised efforts being exerted by His Majesty King Abdullah II to support Lebanon, noting they resulted in overcoming the air embargo since the first days of the Israeli aggression through establishing an airlift to deliver medical and humanitarian aid to the Lebanese people. ...
A benevolent king.

Boeing supports knowledge stations to develop Jordanian Knowledge Economy
Al Bawaba 2006/8/17
The Boeing Company is working together with Knowledge Station, an initiative administered by The National Information Technology Center and founded by The King Abdullah II Fund for Development, to provide additional knowledge stations and to help better equip those already operating. ...The Boeing grant will be used to allow 35,000 people to enjoy the Knowledge Station experience through funding the set-up costs of a new knowledge station.  It will also be used to purchase new ICT systems and program materials for Knowledge Station training courses and to recruit and provide training for new Knowledge Station staff. ...
? 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.
A benevolent king.

King Congratulates Hungarian President
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/17
...King Abdullah II sent a cable to Hungarian President Laszlo Solyom congratulating him in His Majesty's 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.

Lebanese Army Crosses Litani River
The Lekarev Report 2006/8/17 (you may need to refresh your browser after it loads for this article to appear)
...The Israel Defense Forces announced that it has begun "transferring responsibility" to the Lebanese. The deployment will continue for a few days "to spread Lebanese government authority over all Lebanese territory, including south of the Litani River," ...
Contributed by Bob Anderson.

Syria to form its own Hezbollah
WorldNetDaily 2006/8/17
On the heels of what it views as a Hezbollah victory against the Jewish state, Syria is forming its own Hezbollah-like guerilla organization to fight Israel in hopes of "liberating" the Golan Heights ...The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Syria learned from Hezbollah's military campaign against Israel the past month that "fighting" is more effective than peace negotiations with regard to gaining territory.   He said Syria's new guerilla force would be trained by Hezbollah leaders.   "Syria is very serious about establishing this new guerilla force," the official 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  (Iraq?, Libya?, Syria? - all 3 are and have been resisters to peace with Israel)

Some Lebanese leaders up in arms over Assad's speech
Haaretz 2006/8/17
Some Lebanese are up in arms regarding the speech made by Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus on Tuesday, with the independent Beirut daily, Al-Mustaqbal, terming the address "a declaration of war on Lebanon."   In his speech, Assad lashed out at anti-Syrian elements in Lebanon, accusing them of collaboration with Israel. He also defined the situation in Lebanon as "a political comedy."   For his part, Lebanon's Druze leader, Walid Jumblatt, said "the Syrian regime is readying for an assassination campaign" in Lebanon. ...

Hizballah, Syria Political Maneuvering Raises Concern
CNSNews 2006/8/17
Some politicians in Lebanon are concerned that Hizballah, emboldened after its military campaign against Israel, may be maneuvering -- with Syrian support -- to expand its authority on the national political scene.   Walid Jumblatt, leader of the Druze minority (an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam), went so far as to accuse the Shi'ite terrorist group's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, of plotting a "coup" against the Lebanese state, currently ruled by a coalition comprising Shi'ite, Sunni, Christian and Druze parties. ...

Assad: Future generations will find a way to defeat IDF
Haaretz 2006/8/17
Syrian President Bashar Assad congratulated Hezbollah yesterday for what he described as their success in "defeating Israel." Assad said that the members of the resistance used their "will, determination and faith" to counter Israeli arms, enabling them to defeat Israel. ...Assad said that the United States' plan for a "new Middle East" has collapsed after what he described as Hezbollah's success in fighting against Israel, and warned Israel to seek peace or risk defeat in the future. ...
? 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  (Iraq?, Libya?, Syria? - all 3 are and have been resisters to peace with Israel)

Maliki says Iraqi crude to be sold for Jordan at preferential prices
Kuwait News Agency 2006/8/17
Prime Minister of Iraq Nuri Maliki said here on Tuesday that an agreement had been reached on the export of Iraqi oil crude at preferential prices to Jordan, as Prime Minister of Jordan Marouf al-Bakhit affirmed that Jordan at the instructions and clear directives of King Abdullah II would not accept the presence on its terrorities of any person who marred the security of Iraq, its people and unity. ...

Jordan's Exports to Iraq Reach $570 million out of $600 Trade Exchange
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/16
Jordan and Iraq are enjoying distinguished relations, especially in the economic fields as the trade exchange between them reached $600 million last year out of which $570 million were Jordanian exports ...Zu'bi, pointed out that Jordan prepared laws in the areas of economic, trade, investment, competition, protecting national production and encouraging domestic, Arab and foreign investment in a move towards the economy market and towards signing several agreements. ...
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand

King Congratulates Indonesian President
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/16
...King Abdullah II sent a cable on Wednesday to President of Indonesia Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono 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 Gabon
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/16
...King Abdullah II sent a cable on Wednesday to President El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba of the Republic of Gabon 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.

Mediating the Middle East: How the U.S. Could Negotiate a Successful Peace Agreement
News Blaze 2006/8/16
..."Once the U.S., Israel, and leaders of groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah are at the negotiation table, U.S. leaders must recognize that they may not have enough credibility with these groups to lead the negotiation the whole way," says Krivis. "The U.S. should 'edit the script' by allowing a leader such as King Abdullah II of Jordan, who has demonstrated an ability to have peaceful relationships with all countries in the region, to lead the negotiation and put pressure on both sides to end the violence. Middle East representatives may not be receptive to any suggestions the U.S. makes, but perhaps they would listen to a country like Jordan that shares their religious beliefs." ...
A benevolent king.  Here we go folks!  Seems we're getting nearer the edge, and closer to the jump off point.  We need to watch and see if and how this develops.

Tehran Not Happy with Outcome of Lebanon War
The Lekarev Report 2006/8/16 (you may need to refresh your browser after it loads for this article to appear)
While the damage caused to Israel’s military reputation is the topic of discussion in the West, Tehran is looking at the Lebanon War from a totally different perspective. And Tehran is not happy! ...The reports contended that Iran had been robbed of its primary deterrent asset ahead of a probable nuclear confrontation with the United States and Israel. They complained that Hizballah squandered thousands of rockets – either by firing them into Israel or having them destroyed by the Israeli air force. Tehran is furious over the waste of Iran’s military investment in Lebanon "merely for the sake of a conflict with Israel over two kidnapped soldiers." It had taken Iran 20 years to build up Hizballah’s inventory of Katyushas! ...
Contributed by Bob Anderson.

Al-Qaida Building Political Arm in Iraq: U.S. General
DefenseNews.com 2006/8/16
...Citing intelligence mostly gathered since the death of al-Qaida’s former leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in June, Maj. Gen. William Caldwell said the militant group appeared to be refining its approach beyond bombings and beheadings.   "Al-Qaeda in Iraq wants to present itself as a legitimate organization and is striving to increase its operational power by building a political base with a military wing," Caldwell told a news briefing. He did not give specific examples. ...

Conference on Middle East Peace to be held in Japan
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/16
The Japanese government is set to host later this year the first session of a quartet conference with the participation of officials from Jordan, Palestine, Israel and Japan. ...

All Lebanon wants from Syria is a deed to the Shebaa Farms
The Daily Star 2006/8/16
...The Lebanese have suffered decades of war and conflict with Israel. What we need now from Syria is not subversive manipulation of Lebanese politics or the micro-management of our political affairs for financial gain. What we need from Syria is a simple piece of paper, a signed document that states unequivocally that the Shebaa Farms are Lebanese.

Syria Threatens Israel with Bombings
The Conservative Voice 2006/8/16
...Syria’s government-run newspaper Ath-Thawra reported: “We say to the forces occupying our land that our people warn you that they will not allow our land to be occupied forever. You must understand that our people will fight the way the Lebanese resistance [Hezbollah] fought you. Our people will fight you on every inch of the Golan.” ...
? 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  (Iraq?, Libya?, Syria? - all 3 are and have been resisters to peace with Israel)

World scrambles to keep the Lebanon peace
icWales.co.uk 2006/8/16
The international community is scrambling to put together a fortified UN peacekeeping force for southern Lebanon, as Israeli forces began a pullout that many fear could create a dangerous vacuum.   Nearly a dozen countries have said they could take part in the strengthened force – but demands for a clearer mandate, including details on when the troops can use firepower, stalled further movement. ...

Minister of Political Development Meets Dutch Delegation
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/16
...Rbeihat highlighted Jordan's region role and its contributions to achieving peace, security and stability, noting to the Iraqi Islamic Reconciliation Conference that will be held in Amman upon an invitation by His Majesty King Abdullah II.   Rbeihat also briefed the visiting delegation on Amman Message, launched by His Majesty King Abdullah II to clarify the true image of Islam, which calls for moderation, tolerance and centrism.   For his part, the head of the visiting delegation hailed the political development achieved in Jordan, noting that Jordan is a region model in this regard, noting to Jordan's essential role in the region.
A benevolent king.

School Bags to be Distributed Upon King's Directives
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/16
...King Abdullah II issued orderes on Wednesday to distribute 110,000 school bags, from his own money, for students in underprivileged areas in the Kingdom.   '' Students from 20 government schools will benefit from the Royal gesture,'' said a well-informed source at the Hashemite Royal Court, adding the Royal gesture came after King Abdullah's visits, over the last four months to Ghor Al Safi, Deir Alla, and Qweira areas.   The Royal gesture, which coincides with the incoming scholastic year, aims at helping the needy families to secure the needs of their children. ...
A benevolent king.

King Abdullah II Phones Abbas
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/16
...His Majesty stressed that Jordan is going on in offering all forms of support to the steps taken by PNA in order to enhance the Palestinian internal front.   The King expressed condemnation to the Israeli violations against the Palestinian civilians. He stressed that security and stability in the region can be achieved only through the Palestinian people's restoration of their legitimate rights.   His Majesty stressed that Jordan will work with the Arab countries and the international community to ensure the delivery of aid the Palestinian people need to ease the economic crisis they are passing through. ...
A benevolent king.
How can a king with bias achieve true peace?  It can't work for long even   if  when they do come to an agreement!  But we already know that don't we.?.

Jordan urges EU to rebuild Lebanon
Times of Oman 2006/8/16
Jordan's King Abdullah II on Tuesday called on Europe to help rebuild Lebanon and deter future regional crises, in talks with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, a court statement said.   "Berlin and other capitals in the European Union have an important role to play in backing the reconstruction of Lebanon ..."The crisis that rocked the Middle East is clear proof of the importance of stepped up international efforts to prevent new deadly crises in the region," the Jordanian monarch said. ...
A benevolent king.

Elsevier in content deal with Jordanians
Monsters & Critics 2006/8/16
Dutch publisher Elsevier has signed a 3-year agreement to provide scientific and medical information to a consortium of Jordanian universities.   The special agreement, announced Wednesday by Elsevier, provides all Jordanian undergraduates, graduates, researchers, faculty and staff within the consortium with access to ScienceDirect collection of 2,000 journals reaching back to 2002. ...
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand

Peretz Courts Syria after Assad Threatens Israel
Israel Hasbara Committee 2006/8/16
...”We must hold a dialogue with Lebanon, and we should create the conditions for dialogue also with Syria,” he said. ...In a speech hours before Peretz made his comments, Assad said the Arabs “gave everything and got nothing in return” when it came to peace talks with Israel and suggested that while peace is Syria’s objective, resistance (i.e. terrorism) was a necessary part of the approach.   “When we say that we have chosen peace as our strategy, it does not mean we gave up other options,” Assad declared.   “We are convinced that the true path to peace is via negotiations, but if this path is not possible - resistance is the only way,” ...

Syria adamantly defiant of resolution 1701
United Press International 2006/8/16
Syria remained defiant of international will by reaffirming support to Hezbollah's armed resistance against Israel in contradiction to U.N. Resolution 1701.   Information Minister Mohsen Bilal said in an interview with United Press International Wednesday that Lebanon, Syria and the Palestinians have national territories occupied by the same enemy, Israel, and that they will fight to recover them.   "If they (Israelis) want to return the land through negotiations, they are welcome, otherwise it is resistance," Bilal 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  (Iraq?, Libya?, Syria? - all 3 are and have been resisters to peace with Israel)

Haniyeh, Abbas agree on national unity government
yNetNews 2006/8/16
On the way to a Palestinian national unity government: Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas agreed Wednesday afternoon on the establishment of a Palestinian national unity government. At the end of their second meeting in the past day, the last disagreements were smoothed over on the way to configuring a government, which was summarized between the Palestinian factions in the Prisoners' Document presented two months ago.   The two figures also developments around the kidnapping of the soldier Gilad Shalit. The upper echelons of the Palestinian Authority estimate that a solution to the affair will be made on the basis of exchanging Palestinian prisoners for Shalit by way of Egypt. ...

Weapons trail leads to Syria and Iran
The Australian 2006/8/16
ADVANCED weapons supplied by Syria and Iran have been uncovered by Israeli forces in abandoned Hezbollah positions in Lebanon, helping account for how the guerilla force defied the might of the Israeli armed forces in the month-long war. ...In a garden lay eight Kornet anti-tank rockets, described by Brigadier Mickey Edelstein, the commander of the Nahal troops who took Ghandouriyeh, as "some of the best in the world".   Written underneath a contract number on each casing were the words: "Customer: Ministry of Defence of Syria. Supplier: KBP, Tula, Russia," the paper reports.   Brigadier Edelstein told the Telegraph: "If they tell you that Syria knew nothing about this, just look. This is the evidence. Proof, not just talk." ...

Labor Ministry, US Trade Office Sign Memorandum of Understanding
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/15
The memorandum, which was signed by Labor Minister Basem Al Salem and Assistant US Trade Representative for Labor Lewis Karesh, stresses the importance of committing to the international norms as well as to the Free Trade Agreement (FTA), signed between the two sides. ...
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand

Jordanian, Iraqi Parliamentary Talks
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/15
...''Jordan, under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah II, exerts great efforts to restore security and stability to Iraq,'' said Mashhadani, calling on Jordan to play a greater role and build ties with all segment of Iraqi people.   He also underlined the importance of promoting parliamentary ties between the two sides, calling for benefiting from the Jordanian parliamentary expertise in this regard.   Mashhadani highlighted the necessity of establishing the Jordanian- Iraqi parliamentary brotherhood committee, which is expected to have a vital role in developing bilateral ties.
A benevolent king.
Hmmm.  Sounds a lot like the game plan for this came from the Cheney plan to merge Iraq and Jordan after the war (see article link at the top of this page).

King Orders Speeding up the Implementation of Projects in Tafila
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/15
...The King inaugurated the tomb of the venerable companion Al-Harith ibn Umayr Al-Azdi, who carried a message form Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) to the ruler of Bosra inviting him to adopt Islam.   During a meeting at Tafila Technical University (TTU), the King issued instructions to speed up the implementation of tourist, health and service projects in the governorate so as to serve people and fight poverty and unemployment.   The King, who said that he would return back to the governorate to open the projects and listen to demands of the people, presented JD2 million as support to the newly- established TTU, calling for improving tourist facilities in Tafila to support tourist movement. ...
A benevolent king.
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand

Treasury Freezes U.S. Assets of Syrians
The Washington Post 2006/8/15
The Treasury Department froze the assets of two Syrian officials on Tuesday, alleging they had played key roles in support of terrorist organizations.   "Until Syria takes concrete steps to become a responsible member of the international community, the United States will make known rogue actors supporting the country's destabilizing agenda," Pat O'Brien, Treasury's assistant secretary for terrorist financing, said in a statement announcing the action. ...

History of Israel: Everyone Should Know
The Conservative Voice 2006/8/15
...The true creation of Israel goes back to conquest of the area by Joshua in 1250 BC. The Hebrews had made a contract with God at Mt. Sinai that if they followed 10 laws, God would grant them a farm in a special place set aside for them. Although this particular section of the Western Fertile Crescent was made for the Chosen people, it would not always be theirs to rule. They were conquered first by the Babylonians, then the Persians, then the Greeks and then the Romans. ...The Modern state of Israel was founded in 1948 after WW2 and the Jews raced to the area to reclaim their former homeland. This is where most Leftists begin when they start complaining about the State. They act like none of the other history happened and like it doesn't matter which is ironic considering they have sympathy for almost every other displaced group world wide. ...

Steinmeier cancels trip to Syria after Assad speech
Reuters 2006/8/15
..."The speech today by Syrian President Assad is a negative contribution that is not in any way justified in view of the current challenges and opportunities in the Middle East," Steinmeier said in a statement released by the Foreign Ministry in Berlin.   "That's why I decided not to travel to Damascus now," ...

Syria Continues Saber-Rattling
Arutz Sheva 2006/8/15
President Bashar Assad continued on Monday to threaten Israel with military action “If Israel goes out on an adventure and attacks Syria.” ...the Syrian leader reiterated his country’s intention to "liberate" the Golan Heights, adding that the chance of a real peace with Israel was low. ...

Syria's Assad sees no peace for Middle East
Euro News 2006/8/15
...Syria's President has said that peace in the Middle East will remain elusive for the foreseeable future - and that the United States is to blame. ..."There is a pre-planned scheme and whoever fails to see this fact, after all the clear events, has a problem with their vision." ...

Arab Media Accuses Iran and Syria of Direct Involvement in Lebanon War
MEMRI 2006/8/15
The war between Israel and Hizbullah has revealed profound disagreement in the Arab world between countries that support Hizbullah and those that oppose it, headed by Saudi Arabia and Egypt. The disagreement was reflected in the Arab media, which published articles supporting Hizbullah along with harsh criticism and accusations against it. ...
Several articles are cited (15), but the majority (1/3) are Syrian and viewed from their perspective.  However, it does show that there is a rift between Arabs and Iranians at some levels over Hezbollah.

Assad: Hizballah defeated the Israeli army
DEBKAfile 2006/8/15
...The Syrian ruler also warned the Siniora government in Beirut: It’s time to go, he said. DEBKAfile adds: There is deep concern in Washington for the life of Fouad Siniora. It is feared that if he refuses to go, he may be the victim of a murder conspiracy by Hizballah and Syrian intelligence as a means of trashing UN Security Council resolution 1701 and any chance of ending hostilities in Lebanon.

Judah: Jordan will not participate in the International Forces in Southern Lebanon
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/15
...Judah affirmed on Tuesday that Jordan will not participate in the International forces that will be deployed in the southern Lebanon, reiterating Jordan's stand, expressed by His Majesty King Abdullah II, that Jordan will not hesitate to provide support to Lebanon. ...Judah pointed to the recent statements of His Majesty King Abdullah II to the media; there are outstanding problems in the region that must be addressed, thus, any solution must be radical, just and comprehensive. ...
A benevolent king.
By not deploying forces in southern Lebanon also, Jordan can remain out of the fray of battle and hassles, and yet provide humanitarian assistance and thereby play the benevolent element in this.  The radical solution must at least include the shared use of temple mount, which must be included in any just and comprehensive solution, and which power to grant such a radical solution is under the authority of King Abdullah II of Jordan.

Jordan: Time ripe to renew peacemaking with Israel
The Jerusalem Post 2006/8/15
Jordan called for the immediate resumption of Arab peacemaking with Israel, saying Tuesday that the time was ripe after guns fell silent in the Hizbullah-Israeli conflict.   King Abdullah II warned that the Lebanon conflict "could be repeated unless the international community shoulders its responsibility and works for a comprehensive solution to he Arab-Israeli conflict." ...
A benevolent king.

King Congratulates President of India
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/14
...King Abdullah II on Monday sent a cable to President Avual P. J. Abdul Kalam of the Republic of India 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.

Jordanian ambassador to Morocco hails Amman Message
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/14
...King Abdullah II has been keen to launch Amman Message to defend Islam and make people around the world acquainted with Islam's tolerance. The King's stand stems from the Hashemites' historical and spiritual responsibility towards Islam and Moslems, he said.   Sharif pointed out to the expanded international conference held last year in Amman under the Royal patronage as a land mark in the work for a united Islamic view point towards the issues occupying the people's interest.
A benevolent king.
? John 5:43 "I am come in my Father's name (HASHEM), and ye receive me not: if another shall come "in his own name" (HASHEMITE), him ye will receive.

King receives heads of Parliamentary committees and blocks
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/14
...His Majesty pointed out that his endeavours to attract investment aim at expanding investment to include all areas of the Kingdom.   The King said that the Arab moves he carried out recently aimed at crystallizing a unified Arab stand towards the conflicts engulfing the region in order to avoid marginalizing the Arab role and talk to the world in one language.   His Majesty pointed out that the challenges in Palestine, Iraq and Lebanon demand setting a comprehensive Arab strategy to deal with them.
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand?
Notice that the king said Arab strategy, not Arab/Persian strategy.  I think from here on out the king will take the lead to speak to the rest of the world on behalf of the Arab world to settle the middle east peace issue, as he stated earlier in the week that he would do according to his 'new approach' plan (See the Monsters & Critics article of 8/10 below).  It appears that he may be stepping into this early after the cease fire to somewhat upstage the Syrians and Iranians, and thereby take the lead in the peace process and capitalize on all the praise he has gotten for his untiring 'peace making' efforts.

Abbas Heads to Gaza to End Infighting
The Washington Post 2006/8/14
...Abbas adviser Nimr Hamad said the president would also try to persuade Hamas and other militant factions to stop firing rockets at Israel from Gaza and to release Cpl. Gilad ShalitAbbas adviser Nimr Hamad said the president would also try to persuade Hamas and other militant factions to stop firing rockets at Israel from Gaza and to release Cpl. Gilad Shalit ...

Bush: Iran, Syria Undermine Peace in Middle East
CNS News 2006/8/14
..."The people in Israel and Lebanon have suffered from this current violence, and we realize that the responsibility for this suffering lies with Hizballah," said Bush at the State Department on Monday. "Responsibility for the suffering of the Lebanese people also lies with Hizballah''s state sponsors - Iran and Syria."   Bush said the two nations "seek to undermine prospects for peace in the Middle East" by providing financial support, weapons and training to Hizballah, which is listed as a terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department. ...

French Newspaper Praises King's Role
Jordan New Agency 2006/8/14
French La Croix Newspaper praised on Monday the role of His Majesty King Abdullah II to find a solution to the current crisis in Lebanon.   The newspaper reported that the King has stressed more than once on the need to strengthen the continuity of the cease-fire between Lebanon and Israel as a first step on the road to a solution to all the outstanding problems in the framework of the United Nations and through dialogue. ...
A benevolent king.  Conquering the hearts and minds of the world, one event, speech, and truck at a time.

King highlights private sector role in development - Jordan
MENAfn 2006/8/14
...King Abdullah on Sunday reiterated his support for the private sector, commending its role in pushing the socio-economic development forward and enhancing the national economy. ...During the King's visit to the Arab Bank yesterday, the Bank's Chairman and General Manager Abdul Hameed Shoman announced an initiative to combat poverty in the southern part of the country. According to Shoman, the bank would contribute JD2 million to the King's project of building housing units for needy citizens.    King Abdullah said 600 housing units are completed and 2,000 more are expected, adding that the bank's funding "would help us to accomplish this project in the coming six months."   King Abdullah also visited Rubicon, a Jordanian company specialising in multimedia e-education and 3D animation.   Rubicon CEO Randa S. Ayoubi said Rubicon's future plans entail the creation of institutes in the field and cooperation with concerned authorities in the country such as the Vocational Training Corporation to train students on this industry.
A benevolent king.
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand?

King Congratulates President of Congo
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/14
...King Abdullah II on Monday sent a cable to President Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Republic of Congo 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.

White House Fears Syria, Iran Will Re-Arm Hizbullah
Arutz Sheva 2006/8/14
..."I think, in part, it will require placing on the northern border of Lebanon somebody who is capable of handling security in such a way as to intercept, interrupt and, with any luck, stop the transport into Lebanon of arms from Iran and Syria," White House spokesman Tony Snow told reporters. ...

King Receives Sudanese Ambassador
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/14
...For his part, Abu Sin praised efforts that His Majesty exerts to develop the relations between the two countries and to enhance the joint Arab action. He expressed thanks for the King over his support to strengthen peace and stability in Sudan.

Inside Hisballah
Time 2006/8/14
A Photo Essay

Will Iran & Syria Get Away with Murder? (and other commentary listed below)
Arutz Sheva 2006/8/14
...As various observers have already pointed out, the terrorists of Hizbullah are proxies carrying out the will of their paymasters in Damascus and Teheran.   It was the Baathist regime in Syria and the Khomeinist regime in Iran which planned, financed and orchestrated the past month of violence and bloodshed, and they can not, and must not, be permitted to have done so with impunity.   Allowing Bashar al-Assad and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to get away with murder is not only a gross act of injustice – it is also an invitation to these two madmen to connive and scheme still further, and plan future atrocities against Israel and the West. ...

This is not just Israel's war
- ...regardless of the theological differences that may exist between the fanatics of Al-Qaeda and Hizbullah, the two terror groups are united in their aim of destroying not only Israel, but America too. ...

What is Wrong with France?
- ...Chirac was critical of the US, saying that it would be "most immoral" not to impose an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon.   "Most immoral"?   Since when is it "immoral" to hunt down terrorists and eliminate the threat they pose to civilization? ...

The UNiform failure of the UN
- ...The only way to achieve stability is to eliminate the source of the instability – and that is (as the UN itself once recognized) none other than the terrorists of Hizbullah. ...

Palestinians Call for Attacks on US & Israel
- The rally in Ramallah was organized by – you guessed it – the Fatah movement, which is headed by PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas ...so many people still just don't learn from all of this, and refuse to accept the fact that the Palestinians are not just foes of Israel, but of the US too.

Is Israel Refusing to Win?
- ...Israel's limited operations thus far have failed to stop the attacks, and the army's experts are saying that the only way to do so over the long-term is to go in full force. ...

The photo that says it all

The Media's Selective Coverage
- ...it underlines the hypocrisy and double standard that is applied by the media and much of the international community, which is only too happy to denounce Israel for defending itself, while remaining silent when others do precisely the same thing. ...

Europe's "Salonistas" Embrace Terror
- ...Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero yesterday openly identified with Israel's enemies...

Syria's Secret Nuclear Program and Long Term Threat
Assyrian National News Agency 2006/8/14
...According to well informed sources inside Syria, the Syrian Air Force base in Homs has tested chemical weapons aerial delivery on July 11, 2006 just one day prior to the attacks carried out by Hezbollah inside Israel. Unit 416 and Unit 417 in the Air Force were responsible to carry out the tests.   The tests involved the delivery of Sarin and VX through Syria's Scud missile arsenal (Scud-B and Scud-C) produced in Syria with the help of North Korea. A civilian research center located near Damascus, the Syrian Center for Scientific Studies and Research (Centre d' Etudes et de Recherche Scientifique--CERS) was also involved in the procurement of dual-use technologies that went into the development of the chemical stockpiles in Syria. ...All indications are that Syria is building a potent nuclear program with Iran's assistance and help. The United States government has never disclosed publicly the information but some believe that the CIA is fully aware of the damage that Khan has done and that Syria's nuclear program is more advanced than previously stated.   Syria has a potent chemical arms arsenal with a delivery system that can reach 700km that Assad is willing to use as has been proven through his direct Syrian-made missiles to Hezbollah.
? 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  (Iraq?, Libya?, Syria? - all 3 are and have been resisters to peace with Israel)

President Receives Delegation of World Council of ChurchesPresident Receives Delegation of World Council of Churches
WAFA Palestine News Agency 2006/8/14
President Mahmoud Abbas received Monday, in Ramallah, a delegation from the World Council of Churches (WCC), headed by the President of Conference of European Churches ...

Reservists: Why should we volunteer to be cannon fodder?
Haaretz 2006/8/14
..."It's not that I'm against the war, but our commanders can't say what the missions are and what they want from us," says Moshe from Petah Tikva, married and father of two. "It's clear to us that this is a war for our home," says his comrade, "but if the government isn't certain, why should we volunteer to be cannon fodder for their experiments." ...
Contributed by Bob Anderson.

The 'morning after' commission
Haaretz 2006/8/14
...In Israel of 2006, there is a near-consensus about a Palestinian state, and Israel's prime minister is ready to give up 90 percent of the West Bank, unilaterally. The Clinton document, the Bush "vision," the Road Map, the Arab League Summit decision of 2002 and the Geneva Initiative all paint a clear picture of a permanent Israeli-Palestinian agreement. The public and secret talks with the Syrians since 1991 also sketch, nearly completely, the outline of an Israeli-Syrian agreement.   In 1991, it was the U.S. that invested the effort in persuading Israel to take part in such a conference. This time it will be Olmert's job to persuade President Bush that prying Syria out of the Axis of Evil, peace with Lebanon and an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are practical moves, which - if they work - could save the Middle East and help achieve the reforming vision Bush believes in so much.
One must also keep in mind of king Abdullah II of Jordan and his 'new approach for resuming the peace process'.  (See the Monsters & Critics article of 8/10 below).

Israel shadow-boxes with a surprisingly high-tech foe. Inside the new Hizbullah
MSNBC 2006/8/14
...NEWSWEEK has learned from a source briefed in recent weeks by Israel's top leaders and military brass that Hizbullah even managed to eavesdrop successfully on Israel's military communications as its Lebanese incursion began. When Lt. Eli Kahn, commander of an elite Israeli parachutists outfit, turned a corner in the southern Lebanese village of Maroun al-Ras early in the month-old war, he came face to face with this new enemy. "He had sophisticated equipment like mine and looked more like a commando," he recalled. ...
Contributed by Bob Anderson.

Jon Christian Ryter 2006/8/13
Although Brig. Gen. John "Blackjack" Pershing has been credited for the event by history, it was actually US Army Col. Alexander Rodgers of the 6th Cavalry who, in 1911, who stopped an Islamic uprising in the Philippines by taking advantage of the theological taboo of the Muslims. Rodgers inaugurated the practice of burying all dead Islamic rebels in a common grave with the carcasses of slaughtered pigs. Islamic religion forbids Muslims to have contact with pork. The tactic Rodgers used on a regular basis was to bury the rebels he executed with pig entrails, which would prevent that Islamist from going to heaven. ...Rodgers caught 25 Islamic terrorists are ordered 24 of them to dig their own graves. The 25th was forced to watch. Rodger's troops brought in pigs and slaughtered them, rubbing their bullets with the blood and pig fat. ...They were going to be contaminated with pig blood. That meant they couldn't enter Heaven—even if they died as martyrs. Of course, that also meant there would not be 72 virgins waiting for them in hog heaven. ...Rodgers ordered the 24—who were forced to dig the mass grave that would be their final resting place—shot. Their bodies were dumped into the mass grave. The 25th terrorist was forced to watch. The pig entrails were unceremoniously poured over the lifeless terrorist corpses. The witness was released and returned to the terrorist camp where he related to his Muslim cohorts what happened to his comrades. What Rodgers did brought an end to Islamic terrorism in the Philippines for the next 50 years. ...
Contributed by Bob Anderson.
War really is hell now isn't it.  Perhaps you have some ideas about how to use this 'taboo' against this enemy we are all faced with.

Even with Mideast conflict, money talks in Jordan’s industrial zones
JTA 2006/8/13
Arabs throughout the Middle East are upset over Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah. But when it comes to Jordan’s qualified industrial zones, money talks.   The Hashemite Kingdom now has a dozen of them, stretching from Irbid in the North to Aqaba in the South. These clusters of factories — churning out everything from jeans to jewelry — have become the key to Jordan’s spectacular growth in exports to the United States. ...“King Abdullah has been extremely active in trying to bring the Israelis and Palestinians together,” Nsour said. “You can always find people who oppose this, but at the end of the day, what we care about is Jordan’s best interests. This is why I emphasize that Israel and the Palestinians must reach a conclusion to their conflict.”
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand
The Levi's jeans I purchased recently at Target, I later discovered, were manufactured in Jordan.

A spirit of absolute folly
Gamla 2006/8/13
...What the hell happened to us?   A simple thing happened: We were drugged by political correctness. The political correctness that has come to dominate Israeli discourse and Israeli awareness in the past generation was totally divorced from the Israeli situation. It did not have the tools to deal with the reality of an existential conflict. It did not have the tools to deal with a reality of an inter-religious and inter-cultural conflict. That is why it focused entirely on the Palestinian issue. It made the baseless assumption that the occupation is the source of evil. It assumed that it is the occupation that is preventing peace and causing unrest and perpetuating the instability. ...
Contributed by Bob Anderson.

IAF strikes targets along entire Lebanon-Syria border
Haaretz 2006/8/13
Israeli warplanes struck targets in Lebanon's northern, southern and eastern regions near the border with Syria early Sunday, a day before a UN cease-fire resolution was to go into effect. ...Nasrallah called continued resistance to the Israel offensive "our natural right" and predicted more hard fighting to come. "We must not make a mistake, not in the resistance, the government or the people, and believe that the war has ended. The war has not ended. There have been continued strikes and continued casualties," he said.   "Today nothing has changed and it appears tomorrow nothing will change," he said.

Syria still transferring supply of rockets, missiles to Hezbollah
Haaretz 2006/8/13
Syria continues its efforts to transfer large quantities of war materiel, including rockets, to Lebanon, in an effort to assist Hezbollah in its war against Israel, a senior Israel Defense Forces source told Haaretz on Saturday.   According to the IDF source, the air force has succeeded in partially stemming the arms transfers, but intelligence shows that supply convoys have managed to cross into Lebanon from Syria. ...

‘Abbas Dismisses Talks of P.A. Collapse
The Media Line 2006/8/13
Palestinian Authority (P.A.) Chairman Mahmoud ‘Abbas dismissed the notion of dissolving the P.A. and stressed the need to create a national unity government in accord with the Prisoners’ Document.   ‘Abbas was commenting on remarks made by Palestinian Prime Minister Isma’il Haniyya last week, questioning the future of the P.A.   “We must work, at the nearest possible opportunity, on creating a national unity government,” ‘Abbas said. “I don’t think these talks about dissolving the P.A. are possible.” ...

Jordan Wants To Buy 35,000 B/D Crude From Iraq-SOMO Chief
Easy Bourse 2006/8/13
Jordan has asked its neighbor Iraq to resume its oil sales to the Kingdom at a rate of 35,000 barrels a day to be increased gradually after a suspension of more than three years following the U.S.-led war, a senior Iraqi oil official said Sunday. ...Iraq's expected oil sales to Jordan came after Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki met with Jordan's King Abdullah II two weeks ago and discussed with him renewing crude oil sales to the kingdom.
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand

Comment: An unmitigated disaster
The Jerusalem Post 2006/8/13
...The resolution makes absolutely no mention of either Syria or Iran, without whose support Hizbullah could neither exist nor wage an illegal war against Israel. In so ignoring Hizbullah's sponsors, it ignores the regional aspect of the current war and sends the message to these two states that they may continue to equip terrorist armies in Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority and Iraq with the latest weaponry without paying a price for their aggression. ...Moreover, by allowing Lebanon to make territorial claims on Israel despite the fact that in 2000 the UN determined that Israel had withdrawn to the international border, the resolution sets a catastrophic precedent for the future. Because Lebanon is receiving international support for legally unsupportable territorial demands on Israel, in the future, the Palestinians, Syrians and indeed the Jordanians and Egyptians will feel empowered to employ aggression to gain territorial concessions from the Jewish state even if they previously signed treaties of peace with Israel. The message of the resolution's stand on Shaba Farms is that Israel can never expect for the world to recognize any of its borders as final. ...

King Inspects Three Major Economic Establishments
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/13
...King Abdullah II affirmed, during a visit to three major economic establishments, optimism over Jordan's economic future as well as his confidence in the strategies of these establishments and their role in serving the society, particularly in achieving economic and social development. ...
A benevolent king.
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand

UAE Relief Plane Leaves for Beirut
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/13
...The plane, which was sent in coordination between the Jordanian Hashemite Charity Organization (JHCO) and the Jordan Armed Force's crisis management center, comes within the airlift ordered by His Majesty King Abdullah II to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Lebanese people. ...
A benevolent king.  Winning the hearts and minds of the Arab world, one plane load at a time.

Jordan, U.S. Sign Grant Agreements
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/13
...The United States’ assistance program to Jordan highlights the long-standing and ever-growing partnership that links the Jordanian and American people, and the commitment of the American government to supporting Jordanians as they seek to improve their living conditions and create more economic opportunities.
A benevolent king.
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand

US provides 247.5 million dollars in economic aid to Jordan
Monsters & Critics 2006/8/13
The United States and Jordan signed Sunday four grant agreements for the US to extend 247.5 million dollars in economic assistance, the US embassy said in Amman.   The accords constitute the overall US regular economic assistance package to the Hashemite Kingdom for fiscal 2006, the embassy said.   Under one agreement, the US pledged 117.5 million dollars in balance of payments support that would enable Amman to reduce its foreign debt burden and strengthen its foreign exchange reserves.   A grant of 37 million dollars will be utilized to finance plans to boost economic growth and create job opportunities. ...Washington recently decided an additional grant of 50 million dollars to Jordan that raises the total US economic aid to the country for fiscal 2006 to 297.5 million dollars ...
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand
Your tax dollars hard at work.  Just 2 days ago it was reported (see Brazil-Arab News Agency 8/11 article below) the king had just purchased imported Brazilian chairs for his palace in Amman.  Again I say, Your tax dollars hard at work.

King Stresses Support to Lebanese stand towards Security Council Resolution
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/13
King Abdullah II stressed Jordan's support to the stand of the Lebanese government towards the Security Council's 1701 resolution.   The Lebanese government has accepted yesterday the resolution, which calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities. ...The King said Jordan, in cooperation with Arab and international decision-making capitals would continue exerting efforts to ensure the implementation of the resolution ...King Abdullah added the current crisis highlights the importance of the international community's support to efforts that aim at achieving security and stability in the region. ...
A benevolent king.

Lebanese minister Marwan Hamadi accused Hassan Nasrallah Sunday night of reneging on his pledge to abide by the UN ceasefire
DEBKAfile 2006/8/13
Hamadi information minister, a Druze, said Sunday night that Nasrallah had broken his word to order Hizballah fighters south of the Litani to hand in their weapons to allow Lebanese army troops to be deployed there. ...DEBKAfile has learned that Tehran has meanwhile ordered Nasrallah to keep Israel engaged in combat for another 3 to 4. As a result of which he suddenly backed away from his pledges to France and the Siniora government Saturday to accept a ceasefire and a UNIFIL force in south Lebanon. ...At five minutes notice, the thunderstruck Lebanese ministers called off their meeting to discuss the deployment of their forces in the south and the disarming of Hizballah  ...Israel says its troops will not be recalled from Lebanon until a beefed up UNIFIL force is in place. However no international peacekeepers will deploy without a Lebanese military presence. That has now been checked by Nasrallah because the Lebanese army chiefs refuse to deploy south of the Litani if Hizballah fighters are armed. ...Sunday, Hizballah deployed dozens of its combatants in furious anti-tank missile assaults on IDF tanks and field units along the S. Lebanese front. ...
This is literally a chess game. Nothing unexpected ... I do not expect the fulfillment of the cease fire despite Olmert's stupidity and vacillation.
Article and comments by Bob Anderson.

Will Mike Wallace’s Interview of Ahmadinejad be Another Puff-Piece?
CAMERA 2006/8/12
While Ahmadinejad’s extreme rhetoric and policies might suggest that Wallace will give him a grilling, history suggests otherwise – for the reality is that Wallace has a soft spot for dictators, especially anti-Israel ones. And the initial signs regarding the interview are not good. ...The late Jerusalem Post Executive Editor and Eye-on-the-Media columnist David Bar-Illan noted Wallace’s unfortunate tendency to kowtow to despots in a 1990 column regarding an effusive interview Wallace did with Syrian dictator Hafez al-Assad in which terrified Syrian Jews appeared on camera to assure viewers that they loved living in the Assad police state. As Bar-Illan points out, Wallace pulled the same low trick regarding Soviet Jews, assuring viewers that life was great for them in the worker’s paradise. Of course, this was just a few years before the great exodus of Jews from the Soviet Union, which tended to prove that maybe things were not that great after all. ...

Iran Poised To Be ‘Mother of All World Threats’
IsraPundit 2006/8/12
For anyone who still thinks the Israeli-Lebanon war is just a border scuffle, one Middle East expert shouts a dire warning: “As soon as a cease fire occurs, the ‘Hezbollah Blitzkrieg’ will crumble the ‘Lebanese Republic of Weimar’ and install its own ‘Khumeinist Republic’ on the Eastern shores of the Mediterranean. The consequences of such a development are far beyond imagination for the region and the world. Hezbollah would have paved the way for Iran to create the mother of all world threats since Hitler.”   So cautions Professor Walid Phares, author of “Future Jihad,” ...

Israeli Army in Race against a UN Ceasefire in Lebanon
DEBKAfile 2006/8/12
Israeli forces are pressing forward with the wide-scale operation against Hizballah which DEBKAfile reports was launched four days ago on Wednesday, Aug. 8.   The campaign will continue until the ceasefire called for in Security Resolution 1701 approved Friday, Aug. 11, is enforced on the ground – if and when that happens. ...

Syria, Iran warned to honour UN plan
News.com.au 2006/8/12
..."We call upon every state, especially Iran and Syria, to respect the sovereignty of the Lebanese government and the will of the international community," she said in an address to the Security Council.   She also said "Hezbollah now faces a clear choice between war and peace" ...
Hezbollah has always chosen the side of war with Israel and America, and this resolution also is meaningless to them.  It is and has been made clear again by their tactics in waging this war that they do not respect life at all, only their quest for world domination.

The Growing Arab Divide
TheTrumpet.com 2006/8/12
...The Arab League condemned Hezbollah’s attacks as, “unexpected, inappropriate and irresponsible acts,” while King Abdullah ii of Jordan and President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt warned that “the region [was] being dragged into ‘adventurism’ that does not serve Arab interests” ...In the weeks that have since elapsed, we have stopped hearing such criticism of Hezbollah, as Muslim public opinion has swung decisively against Israel and behind the terrorists. ...Iran has been trying to shift the debate from what divides Arabs to what unites them. To weld the divide together, Iran appears to be taking a successful two-pronged approach.   First, Iran has cast the Arabs as a victim of Western colonialism. Rather than vilify one another, they vilify America or Israel. Second, by waging a war of terror against America and Israel in Iraq, Lebanon, Gaza and the West Bank, Iran has revived a dream of a worldwide empire. In the Israeli-Hezbollah war, Iran has successfully garnered great swaths of popular support from even Sunnis and secular Arabs. ...

Governor announces Jordan trip
DenverPost.com 2006/8/12
...The official visit is part of a defense partnership between Jordan and the United States and comes on the heels of a Colorado visit that Jordanian officials made in June, according to a news release. ..."Jordan is a valued partner of the United States and Colorado in the ongoing war on terror," Owens said in a statement. "The State Partnership Program supports shared security objectives, provides opportunities for trade and builds long term relationships." ...Maj. Gen. Mason C. Whitney of the National Guard will travel with Owens to meet King Abdullah II and other Jordanian officials ...
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand
This is a relationship that the US and the rest of the world need to be wary of.  King Abdullah's apparent siding with the Lebanese with his vociferous outcry against Israel during the latter part of this war indicates to me more than meets the eye, or than the mainstream media reveals.  In his effort to minimize ill effects in his own kingdom he has let everyone know who's side he's on, and that side is Islam, along with all it's pitfalls for him.  The world needs to 'wake up' about arming Jordan to the hilt so as not to create another Saddam, Hitler, or worse.  The enemy of your enemy is 'not' your friend.
We can't stop the prophetic and inevitable, but we can warn that some others may also see, understand, and be saved before it's too late!  Are you spreading the word?

IDF strikes last Lebanon-Syria border crossing
The Jerusalem Post 2006/8/12
...IAF jets targeted the highway linking Arida with the northern city of Tripoli, the officials said. The highway was heavily damaged in Qleiaat, blocking the passage to and from Arida. Qleiaat is about 8 kilometers (five miles) from the border.   There are still believed to be many illegal paths used to cross between the Lebanon and Syria.

U.N. Backs Resolution
The Wall Street Journal 2006/8/12
...The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously to approve a cease-fire proposal brokered by the U.S. and France that calls for an end to fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. Lebanon and Israel, which will vote on the deal over the weekend, have signaled they would agree to the terms. ...

A Lesson on Terrorism from Harold the Saxon
The American Thinker 2006/8/12
...The trouble was that Harold’s plan was purely defensive. He had no means of killing off his enemy—no offensive tactic. In contrast, the Normans had archers who sent clouds of arrows down on the Saxons to diminish their ranks. It was supposedly a lucky arrow that fatally wounded Harold and precipitated the Saxon defeat. ...Therefore, our only hope is to either cut down all those trees or somehow render them transparent.   In desperation, I am forced to be blunt. The “forests” in which the terrorists hide, are the Islamic nations and communities in the Middle East and all over the globe. The “copses” within our shield-wall are the Muslim communities in Europe and the US. It is no longer a secret that these are the breeding grounds and the safe havens for nests of terrorists. ...
The problem with the conclusion of this article is that it assumes the majority of the trees  within the populace (forests) are secretly against the invaders.  However, I think we are faced with many trees within those forests (middle east regimes) and this forest (America) which are secretly siding with the invaders but are afraid to speak out because they fear their oppressive regimes or this government.  So how smart would it be to rely solely on their information feeds?  Have you ever heard the saying 'Fool me once, ...shame on you.  Fool me twice, ...shame on me.'  I think we cannot afford to wait for the next time to do something more drastic than we are doing now.  The next time, may be the last time, ...and too late at that!

Israeli Objections to Ceasefire Proposal
Arutz 7 2006/8/11 (you may need to refresh your browser after it loads for this article to appear)
...Shalom's party colleague, former Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman MK Yuval Shteinitz, took an even stronger stance. If Israel accepts this "shameful" ceasefire, Shteinitz said Friday morning, "the government must resign and new elections must be held." ...The fact that Israel is willing to significantly erode 1559, and even give Hizbullah a territorial achievement in the form of half of Israel's Mt. Hermon (Shab'a) will be understood as a clear victory for Hizbullah. This will invite a difficult war of rockets and commandos from Syria in the near future." ...
Contributed by Bob Anderson.

Disarming Hizballah May Be Deferred
CNSNews 2006/8/11
..."Disarm Hizballah? Who would dare? Who has the power to disarm Hizballah?" said Rezai, who now serves as secretary of the Expediency Council, a consultative body appointed by "supreme leader" Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.   "Today Lebanon is in the hands of Hizballah. The security of Lebanon - even the security of the streets and alleys in Lebanon - is run by Hizballah," he said. "The border and the sea are in the hands of Hizballah."
After reading this, would you inform me as to whether I'm harmlessly insane or does this article really say that Hizballah must be disarmed, but neither the peacekeeping force nor the Lebanese army will do it, but the government assumes the responsibility for disarming Hizballah, even though they can't accomplish it?
Article and comments contributed by Bob Anderson.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has given the order to the IDF to prepare for the massive invasion of Lebanon
The Lekarev Bulletin 2006/8/11 (you may need to refresh your browser after it loads for this article to appear)
...ISRAEL'S DEFENSE MINISTER GAVE THE ORDER FIVE MINUTES AGO FOR THE IDF TO BEGIN THE INVASION. THE TROOPS ARE ALREADY MOVING.
Contributed by Bob Anderson.

Will Olmert Capitulate?
The Lekarev Report 2006/8/11 (you may need to refresh your browser after it loads for this article to appear)
...Senior columnist Ari Shavit, generally considered left of center in his views, says that there is no mistake that Ehud Olmert did not make this past month: "If Olmert runs away now from the war he initiated, he will not be able to remain prime minister for even one more day. Chutzpah has its limits. You cannot lead an entire nation to war promising victory, produce humiliating defeat and remain in power. You cannot bury 120 Israelis in cemeteries, keep a million Israelis in shelters for a month, wear down deterrent power, bring the next war very close, and then say - oops, I made a mistake. ...
Contributed by Bob Anderson.

Expert: Iran Poised To Be 'Mother of All World Threats'
NewsMax.com 2006/8/11
..."As soon as a cease fire occurs, the ‘Hezbollah Blitzkrieg' will crumble the ‘Lebanese Republic of Weimar' and install its own ‘Khumeinist Republic' on the Eastern shores of the Mediterranean. The consequences of such a development are far beyond imagination for the region and the world. Hezbollah would have paved the way for Iran to create the mother of all world threats since Hitler."   So cautions Professor Walid Phares, author of "Future Jihad," a visiting fellow with the European Foundation for Democracy in Brussels, and a senior fellow with the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies in Washington, D.C. ...the Lebanese-born Phares likens the current Hezbollah offensive in Lebanon to a "putsch" -- with the convoluted aims of reestablishing a pro-Syrian-Iranian regime in Lebanon, reconstructing a third wing to the Tehran-Damascus axis, reanimating the Arab-Israeli conflict, rejuvenating Syrian dominance, isolating Jordan, reaching out to Hamas, crumbling Iraq, and unleashing Iran's nuclear programs. ...
Contributed by Bob Anderson.

Wake up America - We’re Under Attack!
ChronWatch 2006/8/11
The Hizballah attack on Israel is NOT just another local conflict between Jews and Muslims, as some would have us believe.  It is part of a far larger, long term, Islamic jihad against America and the West.  Radical Islam is now attacking America and the West via the Hizballah assault on Israel.  This attack is a deliberate escalation in their global jihad that must be recognized for the increased danger it poses.  Any setback for Israel is viewed by radical Islam as a successful campaign against the democratic West.  We need to recognize this new situation and revise our strategies quickly. ...

Lebanon's Druze leader says Hezbollah agenda will lead to disaster
CentreDaily.com 2006/8/11
..."I know my position is not popular, in the Arab world or in Lebanon. But I will stick to my position."   In the view of this one-time warlord turned politician, Hezbollah is fighting not on behalf of Lebanon but as a proxy of Syria and Iran, pursuing an agenda to challenge America that ultimately will lead to Lebanon's ruin. That Hezbollah ultimately will win he does not doubt.   "But what price?" he asks. "What is the price?" ...

Israel Pounds Border Crossings to Syria
ABC News 2006/8/11
Israeli airstrikes pounded south Beirut and border crossings to Syria, killing at least 14 people across Lebanon as ground fighting picked up intensity in the south.   Jets struck twice at a busy bridge at the Abboudiyeh border crossing into Syria, killing at least 12 people and wounding 18 others, hospital and security officials said. The checkpoint is some 10 miles inland from the Mediterranean coast, on Lebanon's northern border. ...

Royals line up for Sandhurst parade
Daily Mail 2006/8/11
Middle East royalty watched with pride today as their sons joined Prince William at the Sovereign's Parade at Sandhurst. ...King Abdullah II of Jordan represented the Queen at the parade and took the salute of the Sandhurst recruits and also inspected the cadets. ...

King of Jordan buys furniture made by Artefacto
Brazil-Arab News Agency 2006/8/11
São Paulo - Jordanian King Abdullah II has purchased furniture made by Brazilian company Artefacto to furnish an office in his palace in Amman, the capital of the Arab country. ...In the near future the trade between both countries should rise since aircraft maker Embraer has closed a contract for the sale of seven passenger aircraft to Royal Jordanian airline. Delivery should start in the last quarter of this year and each Embraer 195 jet, costs on average US$ 35 million.
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand
Your tax dollars at work in Jordan.

Saudis, Jordanians chastise Israel for punishing offensive in Lebanon
The Daily Star 2006/8/10
Saudi Arabia and Jordan have stepped up their rhetoric against Israel for its attacks against Lebanon, with the Jordanian king saying that Europe has a pivotal role to play in resolving the Mideast crisis. ...Jordan's King Abdullah II said Wednesday that Europe has an essential role to play in helping end fighting between Israel and Hizbullah.   During a visit to Finland, the monarch said he was looking to work closely with the European Union "to bring about a process of dialogue, negotiations between Israelis, Palestinians; Israelis and the Arabs." ...
A benevolent king.  Hmmm!  We need to keep an eye on what develops between the EU and Jordan ("moderate" Arab) relations.

Regent Meets Iraqi Interior Minister
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/10
...the Regent stressed Jordan's support to Iraq, under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah II, to restore security and stability and build a better future for the Iraqi people. ...

Jordan hopes for amendment, could withdraw ambassador from Israel
Monsters & Critics 2006/8/10
'Jordan is following up the attempt to amend the Security Council's draft resolution to make it more balanced and ensure it embodies some of Lebanon's demands,' Bakhit told reporters. ...Bakhit said that King Abdullah II continued relentless efforts to bring the hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah militias to an end. ...Bakhit revealed that Jordan, in coordination with some Arab countries, planned to embark on a 'new approach for resuming the peace process' between Israel and the Palestinians.   He said the peace process should be addressed in a 'comprehensive manner because all interim agreement so far failed to work.' ...
A benevolent king.  This NEW PROCESS should prove very interesting!

King Receives Phone Call from Italian Prime Minister
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/10
...King Abdullah re-stressed his support for the plan of Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora to end the ongoing crisis in the region.   King also discussed the efforts of the EU in reaching immediate and comprehensive ceasefire. ...For his part, the Italian official outlined King Abdullah on the efforts exerted by Rome and the other European capitals to control the situation in the Middle East. ...
A benevolent king.

Jordan to treat Palestinians affected by suspect powder
The Peninsula 2006/8/10
...“Employees of the Palestinian prime minister’s office are expected to arrive in Jordan in line with a royal decree and will be given medical care in Jordan,” Nasser Jawdeh told a weekly press conference King Abdullah II “has ordered that they be given medical care and any other care they need,” he said, adding that the Palestinian Authority had requested assistance. ...Palestinian medical and government sources said the five complained of headaches shortly after the envelope, addressed to Palestinian prime minister Ismail Haniya, was opened.

Palestine or Peace? A 1960 Jordanian Peace Initiative - Reexamining History
The Middle East Quarterly 2006/8/10
...What is the significance of a Jordanian peace initiative that never became public? Amman's stance toward Palestinian refugees highlights the contrast between Jordanian policy and that of other Arab League countries. The 1948 Arab invasion of the fledging Jewish state sparked a flight of Arab refugees. Only Jordan among Arab states accepted permanent settlement of Palestinian refugees within its territory. Most Palestinian refugees in Jordan receive formal civil status equal to that of the indigenous population. The Jordanian government transformed refugee camps within its borders into normal neighborhoods. While Arab governments had little inclination to settle Palestinian refugees, they could not ignore the refugees' frustration. Arab leaders argued that Palestinian refugees should have a "right of return" to Israel proper. Contemplation of even limited resettlement became ...

Jordan Parliament to Vote on Country's First Anti-Terrorism Law
FoxNews.com 2006/8/10
Jordan's King Abdullah II summoned parliament on Thursday to meet in a special session to vote on the country's first anti-terrorism law, criticized by Jordanian opposition as restrictive of public freedoms. ...An absolute monarch who has the power to dissolve parliament and rule by decree, Abdullah asked lawmakers to debate and endorse 41 other laws drafted by government and dealing with economic and political reform. ...

Looking for Intel in All the Wrong Places - What Washington can learn from Britain's foiled terror plot
Slate.com 2006/8/10
Little is yet known about the plot to blow up at least a half-dozen airplanes as they carried hundreds of passengers over the Atlantic Ocean from England to America. But one thing seems clear: The plot was foiled because of intelligence information, much of it provided by a nasty source that has itself been linked to terrorist organizations.   According to the Times of London, Pakistan's intelligence service worked "closely with MI5 and Scotland Yard" and, at the request of British authorities, supplied information that proved "crucial in thwarting the attacks" and in arresting the alleged conspirators, most of them apparently of Pakistani descent. ...

Abbas under pressure to dissolve the PA
The Jerusalem Post 2006/8/10
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is under growing pressure to dismantle the PA because of the continued violence and anarchy in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, The Jerusalem Post has learned.   Dismantling the PA, which was established in 1994, would effectively mean returning to the pre-Oslo Accords era, when Israel was in charge of civilian and security affairs in the entire area. ...

A High-Stakes Gamble or a Turning Point in the Lebanon War
DEBKAfile 2006/8/10
...Nasrallah is not the only side throwing all his chips on the table; so too is Ehud Olmert. The Israeli army has had a bad month, culminating Wednesday in the highest death toll on the battlefield in 30 days – 15 dead and 34 injured - 7 seriously. Nine belonged to special operations units.   Olmert will be gambling on the IDF’s ability to wrench the wheel round and start winning. A similar feat saved the day in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, when after a row of disastrs in Sinai, Israeli units managed to outflank the Egyptian army and drive forward across the Suez Canal up to 101 kilometers from Cairo. It is up to the Israeli army to cross the Litani River and strike forward up to the Aouli River, crushing the Hizballah as it advances.   But if Hizballah forces in the south are not subdued and the rocket blitz continues, the war will intensify and Israeli forces will be in trouble. So too will Olmert.

King Calls on EU to Intervene to End Israeli Aggression on Lebanon
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/9
...King Abdullah II called on the European Union to intervene to achieve an immediate cease-fire and an end to Israeli aggression on Lebanon. ...In a press statement after the meeting, His Majesty said "we have discussed the situation in Lebanon and the role of Finland, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU to achieve a cease-fire as soon as possible". ...His Majesty pointed out that the Europeans plays an important role in this regard. He said "I look forward to working with our friends in Finland and the European Union to resume the process of dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians and between Israelis and the Arabs in order to make the past behind us and build a brighter future for all the peoples in the region."   "We need to speak with one voice about the challenges we face today" He said. ...
A benevolent king.
? Daniel 7:8, Revelation 13:5 …And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things…
? Daniel 8:25 ...and by peace shall destroy many
? Daniel 11:21 ...but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries
It appears that throughout the middle east many are being destroyed as a result of the 'peace process' that the Islamists do not want ...ie their desire is to destroy the nation of Israel, not make peace with it, hence the destruction.  It also appears regarding the king's statement about 'one voice' is that his is the ONE & ONLY VOICE in the Arab world that may be reasonable enough for the rest of the world to go along with.  Meanwhile, we watch and we wait.  Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus!

Monarch stresses need to get back to peace process
The Jordan Times 2006/8/9
...they say it’s a double standard, that Hizbollah has been told to stop all its attacks, and Israel has been told to stop its offensive military operations, which leaves it to Israel to decide what is offensive and defensive.
King: This is part of I think part of the bridging that needs to be done...
Doucet: You think there is a double standard?
King: Well, at the end of the day, we need to get back to the peace process, and if one side or another has some leeway to be able to continue military incursions on either side, then we’re not going to solve the problem. It’s getting people to the peace tables as quickly as possible. I think it’s all become very clear to all of us in the region that any unilateral approach does not work anymore. Israel pulled out of southern Lebanon, but without sitting around the table and discussing with the Lebanese, pulled out of Gaza without really sitting down with the Palestinian Authority and discussing how to finally end the Palestinian problem. And if we don’t actually, it’s not the process... we need to actually come to negotiations at the end of the day, that the Israelis and Arabs know what the future is. The grey areas at this stage don’t help us anymore.
Doucet: You talk about going back to the peace table, but in fact many Arabs have said that this draft resolution is a recipe for continuing the war.
King: This is why we have to have, I think, supporting the Lebanese at this stage, because if we can’t get the Lebanese a hundred per cent into this, if we can’t reach out to the Lebanese people, and what’s been so sad about this from the beginning of the difficulties in Lebanon has faced, we’ve seen a lot of the Western countries and the United States also say that we will stand by you and we will be there by your side. The minute action started, everybody left the Lebanese alone. We need these Lebanese people; we need the Lebanese government to succeed. You know how Lebanese  over the past twenty years have been able to really rise up from the rubble to build their country move in the future. It’s being knocked back into the Stone Age. ...
A benevolent king.
? Daniel 7:8, Revelation 13:5 …And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things…

King warns against ‘empty slogans’
The Jordan Times 2006/8/9
King Abdullah on Tuesday said it is important for Jordan to face current challenges with “wisdom and a sense of responsibility and not to be swept up by slogans and extremist thoughts.”   The country “should not be a tool manipulated by external and regional powers that do not want the good of Jordan,” the King told 800 tribal leaders who gathered at the King Hussein Ben Talal Convention Centre. ...
? Daniel 7:8, Revelation 13:5 …And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things…
You may have noticed since this statement from the king that Nasrallah also warned against slogans and saying too much.  Seems he borrowed something from the king's speech.  Makes one wonder where he's getting his orders from.

Hezbollah’s Lie About Al-Quds (Jerusalem)
FamilySecurityMatters 2006/8/9
One of the stated goals of Israel's radical Islamist enemies is the "liberation" of Jerusalem. But as FSM Contributing Editor Stephen Schwartz explains, conditions in the city already protect Islamic holy sites and allow freedom of worship - the only thing left to "liberate" is, apparently, the city from any Jewish presence at all. ...

JORDAN'S KING ABDULLAH II on the CRISIS in LEBANON (scroll down on the page)
MaximsNews.com 2006/8/9
Excerpts from His Majesty King Abdullah II's interview with Lyse Doucet, of BBC on Tuesday, 8 August 2006. Permission to publish this interview was given to MaximsNews by His Majesty King Abdbullah II. ...
? Daniel 7:8, Revelation 13:5 …And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things…

Zarqawi’s death tests Jordan's tolerance
International Relations and Security Network 2006/8/9
By celebrating al-Zarqawi as a 'martyr,' Jordanian Islamist lawmakers have tested the boundaries and reignited a heated debate about their role.  By celebrating al-Zarqawi as a 'martyr,' Jordanian Islamist lawmakers have tested the boundaries and reignited a heated debate about their role. ...as King Abdullah warned in no uncertain terms, the Islamists “have to redefine their relationship with us. They have been working in the grey area for the past decades.”   Thus, Sunday’s verdict could well be the beginning of a new equation between the Islamists and the palace.

King in Finland today
The Jordan Times 2006/8/9
...during which he will hold talks with President Tarja Halonen on the Lebanese crisis. Finland currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU. The two leaders will also discuss the Palestinian situation as well as bilateral ties
Hmmm

Resale Provision
Kommersant 2006/8/9
...Yesterday King Abdullah II of Jordan visited the MAKS Aviation Salon. His military department signed a contract for the delivery of two new Il-76MF military transport planes to Jordan for about $50 million each. Abdullah II also expressed his intention to obtain five Su-31 light sports planes for his country and several Ka-52 strike helicopters. ...

King Abdullah II: The Lebanon that we knew is dead
The Jerusalem Post 2006/8/8
..."The Lebanon that we knew is dead now," the king told the BBC, "The challenge for us is do we have a chance to build a new page for Lebanon, a good one, or is it going to go into a destructive mode and suck the rest of us in."
The king has single-handedly declared the Lebanon we knew as "dead".  It appears as though he believes he's the authority on that too.

Iranian cataclysm forecast Aug. 22
WorldNetDaily 2006/8/8
A top expert on the Mideast says it is possible Iran could pick Aug. 22, the anniversary of one of Islam's holiest events, for a cataclysm Shiite Muslims believe will forever resolve the battle between "good" and "evil."   Princeton's Bernard Lewis has written an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal advising that the rest of the world would be wise to bear in mind that for those who believe the end of the world is imminent and good, there is no deterrent even to nuclear warfare. ...He's also said, in a WND Report, that Islam and its followers must prepare to rule the world, because it is a "universal ideology that leads the world to justice." ...
Contributed by Bob Anderson.
Perhaps the liberals will then become believers in the war on terror when they get a good dose of 'justice'.

King Highlights the Importance of Preserving National Unity to Support Arab Brethren
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/8
...King Abdullah II said that Jordan will keep committed to its message, the principles of the Great Arab Revolt as well as to supporting Arab brethren in Palestine, Iraq, and Lebanon.   During a meeting with more than 800 tribal leaders at King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Centre at the Dead Sea shore, the King highlighted the importance of preserving the national unity and building a strong and developed Jordan to support the Palestinian, Iraqi and Lebanese brethren. ...The participants highlighted a number of local and external issues, noting to King Abdullah's role in unifying Arab stances.   They also expressed support to steps taken by Jordan, under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah II towards the current regional situation.
A benevolent king.  Winning over the Arab world one speech and deed at a time..

"Sudden Jihad Syndrome" in Seattle
Daniel Pipes 2006/8/8
...Mr. Haq's actions are a clear instance of "Sudden Jihad Syndrome," whereby normal-appearing Muslims unpredictably become violent. His attack confirms my oft-repeated call for special scrutiny of Muslims. Because the identity of the next homicidal jihadi cannot be anticipated, Muslims generally need to come under heightened observation. I regret writing this as much as you dislike reading it, but it needs to be said and operated upon.   ...sudden jihad syndrome never erupts in isolation, but results from a steady diet of antisemitic, anti-Zionist, anti-Christian, and anti-American incitement fed by Islamist mosques, schools, voluntary associations, and media. Leftist demonizing of Israel further contributes to the problem.   People who know Mr. Haq confirm that this barrage of influences shaped his outlook. ...
Contributed by Bob Anderson.

Experts debate Syria's role
The Jerusalem Post 2006/8/8
..."The real issue is the broad context of the confrontation with radical Arab elements," says Dan Schueftan, a senior fellow at the capital's Shalem Center and a lecturer at the University of Haifa. "Unless Arab radicalism is defeated historically and permanently, he says, Israel can't survive in this hostile region." Therefore, he stresses, Israel should not negotiate with Syria. "It is not the price of a particular agreement" that is the problem, he says, "but rather the value of such negotiations in the context of the broad currents in the Arab world. ...
? 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  (Iraq?, Libya?, Syria? - all 3 are and have been resisters to peace with Israel)

Jordanian King calls for support for Lebanese economy
People's Daily Online 2006/8/8
...According to Jordan's official news agency Petra, Abdullah called on the government to consider allocation of a special zone in Aqaba city to help Lebanese businessmen store their commodities and facilitate their commercial works.   The king said that since the beginning of the Israeli aggression against Lebanon, Jordan's stand has been and is still clear in calling for immediate, lasting and comprehensive ceasefire. ...
A benevolent king.  Winning the Arab world over, one good deed after another.

Outside View: Lebanon`s sectarian aftershocks
Monsters & Critics 2006/8/8
...The tremendous challenge America faces today is to build and maintain friendships -- or at least working relationships -- with a range of groups in the region, regardless of their sectarian identity.   One way to try to keep ties open with all sides would be for the United States to continue to pursue a reopening of dialogue with Iran on broad range of regional issues. As distasteful as dialogue might be with an old enemy that is creating a new problem, it may ultimately be the best of the bad choices facing the United States.
Why is it people just don't get it?  Iran has committed to destroy both Israel and America, yet some remain so naive to think that somehow we can work it out.

Question of the hour: Why isn't Syria being bombed?
Blogger News Network 2006/8/8
Call me a warmongering, neocon armchair general if you like, but why in the name of heaven isn't Israel bombing Syria at least back into the Bronze Age, if not an even earlier epoch? Syria (along with Iran, of course) is one of the primary reasons there is a war going on in the Middle East right now due to its support of the Hezbollah terrorist outfit.   Does it make any sense at all that Lebanon and Israel have to suffer all the damage while Syria, which is guilty as sin, gets off scot free? But Israel has issued repeated pledges not to attack Syria. The question of the hour, of the day, of our time is: Why? ...
? 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  (Iraq?, Libya?, Syria? - all 3 are and have been resisters to peace with Israel)

Syria tries to reassert influence over Lebanon
Middle East Online 2006/8/8
..."If we were to ask Syria to help, that would be tantamount to a betrayal of the millions of Lebanese who came out in the streets of Beirut and insisted that Syria stop interfering in Lebanon's affairs, that is to keep its troops out of Lebanon."   Instead, he said the message should be: "Beware. If you don't stop Hezbollah, don't be surprised if this conflict engulfs 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  (Iraq?, Libya?, Syria? - all 3 are and have been resisters to peace with Israel)

King Abdullah II meets cabinet members
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/7
...His Majesty stressed that the economic issue tops the list of priorities, where all have to speed up implementation of the decisions regarding investment. He pointed out that investment should be distributed amongst all governorates, particularly in the areas suffering from poverty and unemployment, to help ease the burdens on the citizens. The King stressed the importance to overcome all obstacles before the gulf investment influx into Jordan to enhance national economy. ...His Majesty pointed out that just and comprehensive peace is the Arab's demand.
A benevolent king.
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand
Obviously the king sees an investment boom coming.

Israel slams Iran, Syria
News.com.au 2006/8/7
ISRAEL has accused Iran of "stoking instability in the region" and also slammed Syria, after a barrage of Hezbollah rocket fire killed 15 people in northern Israel.   "Hezbollah is making an enormous effort to increase Israeli losses, with the support of Syria and Iran, because it fears the UN resolution which is on the horizon," government spokesman Avi Pazner said.   "Iran, through its proxy Hezbollah, is continuing to stoke instability in the region," Mr Pazner said, noting that Sunday had been a "very hard day for Israel". ...

How can Israel win the public relations battle against Hizbollah—and the hostile media?
Flame 2006/8/7
I'm outraged.   It isn't just Hizbollah conducting a war against Israel. Most U.S. and European media have piled on. Aside from Fox News, most American media consider the current Middle East war to be a battle between a) Hizbollah, a band of (yeah, okay) terrorists who fire thousands of missiles at Israeli civilians, but hit relatively few, and b) Israel, the Middle East military superpower, which is indiscriminately massacring the innocent Lebanese population. We see precious little media appreciation for the fact that Israel is virtually alone on the front lines of the war against worldwide Islamic jihad, which is led and financed there by its friendly neighbors, Iran and Syria. This tiny nation is fighting the same enemy the U.S. and Britain have deployed more than 120,000 troops against in Afghanistan and Iraq. ...

Using 'Oil Weapon' Would Hurt Iran, Too
CNSNews 2006/8/7
Iran on Sunday raised the specter of using oil as a weapon against the West if it is subjected to U.N. sanctions for its nuclear programs, but some experts argue that Iran's economy is a lot more fragile and vulnerable to damage than its huge oil wealth would suggest. ...
Contributed by Bob Anderson.

Out of Control (excellent graphics in detail view)
MSNBC 2006/8/7
With Israel already engaged in a deadly conflict in Gaza, the abduction of two Israeli soldiers by the Lebanese radical group Hizbullah has threatened to plunge the region into full-scale war.  The events that led ...

Armed and Dangerous (excellent graphics in detail view)
MSNBC 2006/8/7
Hizbullah's collection of weapons and equipment ranges from the simple to the sophisticated and ranks among the most extensive of any active guerilla group. ...

The Israeli army must stop messing about after a month in S. Lebanon and declare a full state of war”- Shalom Simhon, agriculture minister
DEBKAfile 2006/8/7
If necessary, the troops must drive as far north as the Awali River ...
Contributed by Bob Anderson.

DEBKAfile’s military sources disclose: Hizballah’s rocket offensive against Israel is orchestrated from a rear command located in the Syrian town of Anjar
DEBKAfile 2006/8/7
While Israeli officials keep on insisting that Syria must be kept out of the conflict, the fact is that the Assad regime is already in it up to their ears – with a leading role in the Hizballah rocket attacks on northern Israel.   The command which coordinates the pace of those attacks is located at the Anjar base of the Syrian Army’s 10th Division opposite the Lebanese town of Az Zabdani. It is manned by Iranian and Hizballah officers, who take their orders from a Syrian military intelligence center in Damascus to which Iranian Revolutionary Guards intelligence officers are attached. It is headed by a general from one of Syria’s surface missile brigades. This joint command is provided with the most up-to-date intelligence and electronic data available to Syria on targets in Israel and IDF movements. The timing and tempo of Hizballah rocket strikes are set according to that information. ...
Contributed by Bob Anderson.

Israel Battles Mounting Criticism
Speigel 2006/8/7
The government friendly press in Jordan, traditional pro-western, even went so far as to celebrate Hezbollah for "its military successes" and "national acts of heroism." When a Western ambassador asked his diplomatic counterparts whether the Hashemite kingdom, which has been closely allied with America for decades and signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994, had "slipped into the camp of Islamist fanatics," his question was met with silence. ...
A harbinger of things to come.

Iran to up nuke program
Newsday.com 2006/8/7
..."We will expand nuclear activities where required. It includes all nuclear technology including the string of centrifuges," Larijani said, referring to the equipment Iran uses to enrich uranium, which can be used as fuel for a nuclear reactor or fissile material for an atomic warhead.   Iran also gave its Hezbollah allies a green light to keep fighting in Lebanon ...

Syria's fortunate failure
Die Welt 2006/8/7
...For four weeks Basher Assad has sat by, feeding fuel to the flames, as Israel tears its former client state to shreds and destroys its client militia. Despite persistent threats and a flood of condemnation Syria's pilots have long since fallen asleep in their cockpits.   If Iran had hoped for blood and guts from its new ally it was disappointed. Assad knows that Israel wouldn't spare him they way they've spared neighbouring Prime Minister Fuad Siniora. And the Lizard's clearly not cast in the quixotic mould of that other Lebanese prima donna, Hassan Nasrallah. ...
? 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  (Iraq?, Libya?, Syria? - all 3 are and have been resisters to peace with Israel)

Syria Transfers Deadly Russian Weapons to Hezbollah 
MosNews.com 2006/8/7
The majority of the Israeli Defense Force’s ground-troop casualties, both infantry and armored, were the result of Russian-made anti-tank units of Hezbollah ...The Hezbollah anti-tank teams use a new and particularly potent version of the Russian-made RPG, the RPG-29 that was sold by Moscow to the Syrians and then transferred to the Shi’ite organization. ...

Hezbollah, Iran, Syria vow to bow Israel
International Reporter 2006/8/7
...Iran and Syria, the supporters and guiding leaders of Hezbollah, have vowed to defeat Israel at any cost, hence rejected the proposed draft resolution by France and U.S. because according to them it does not call for an immediate Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon and also does not meet their other demands like return of their prisoners among others. ...
Which just goes to show that they care nothing for their own Arab dead innocents, or you either for that matter, as you are next on their hit list after Israel if you are not a Muslim.

Jordanian Relief Plane Departs for Beirut
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/7
...The plane comes within the airlift ordered by His Majesty King Abdullah II to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Lebanese people. ...The number of Jordanian planes that have been sent to Lebanon by the Jordanian Hashemite Charity Organization and the Jordan Armed Forces Crisis Management Center has reached 20.
A benevolent king.  Winning their hearts and minds, as well as their allegiance, a plane at a time.

U.S. sanctions against Russian companies unrelated to WMD-Ivanov
Russian News & Information Agency 2006/8/7
Russia's defense minister said Monday U.S. sanctions against Russia's state arms exporter and a state-owned aircraft manufacturer were unrelated to nonproliferation issues.   Moscow and Washington have clashed in the past over Iran - Russia has a contract to supply air defense systems to the Islamic Republic and is helping to build a nuclear power plant there - and on Friday the U.S. State Department announced the introduction of sanctions against Rosoboronexport and Sukhoi Corporation over their cooperation with Iran. ...

Nasrallah CDs, mementos sell like hot cakes in Syria
The Washington Post 2006/8/7
...Nasrallah has spawned a souvenir industry churning out everything from tapes and CDs of his speeches to posters, key rings and T-shirts in the wake of Israel's offensive against Hizbollah in neighboring Lebanon.   The tape of the 46-year old Shi'ite cleric, which includes combat music and Lebanese nationalist songs, has become a runaway bestseller.   "I misjudged demand. I am out of CDs already and have only tapes left," ...

Let Israel Stay the Course
The American Spectator 2006/8/7
...why should a sovereign nation have to face any timeline to defend itself against aggression by an enemy?   Israel's quick and decisive military victories of the past, most notably in 1967's Six Day War, have raised expectations that Israel should be able to win any military conflict in a matter of days or weeks. ...

Syria, Lebanon Slam Proposed U.N. Resolution
Arutz Sheva 2006/8/7
...Lebanon demanded that the resolution include a clause forcing Israel to withdraw its forces from the country.   Syrian President Bashar Assad said the resolution would further destabilize the Middle East. However, American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she would try to get the Security Council to pass the resolution by Tuesday, regardless of the opposition ...

Chilling threat as Syria offer to join with Hezbollah
The Scotsman 2006/8/7
"If Israel attacks Syria by any means, on the ground, in the air, our leadership ordered the armed forces to reply immediately"
Walid Muallem, Syrian foreign minister ...SYRIA'S foreign minister yesterday offered to join militant group Hezbollah in its fight against Israel and said a regional war would be "most welcome" ...

Uranium smuggling blocked
The Herald 2006/8/7
...The cargo, packed in containers, was bound for smelters in Kazakhstan via the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas. It was seized, isolated, and finally removed by US agents. ...There are indications it came from ...the source of the material for the atomic bombs which were dropped on Japan in 1945. ...

Two Jordanian deputies jailed over Zarqawi visitTwo Jordanian deputies jailed over Zarqawi visit
Scotsman.com 2006/8/6
...The verdict was announced after a two-week military trial in which state security prosecutors said they "stirred internal strife and national divisions" by paying their respects to the family of Jordanian-born Zarqawi after he was killed in a U.S. air strike in June. ...The IAF accused the government of using the visit as a pretext to step up a campaign to curb the organisation's growing influence.   The government has been alarmed by the mainstream Islamist movement's more vocal role since its ally, the militant Palestinian movement Hamas, swept to power in the Palestinian election in January. ...

King Receives Advisor of Sudanese President
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/6
...the King stressed the need to build a unified Arab stance to deal with the repercussions of the Israeli aggression against Lebanon. ...King Abdullah also stressed that the lack the stability that the Middle East is facing currently requires from the Arab countries to come up with a unified stance to address the world and to work to achieve a comprehensive peace ...Ismail also expressed appreciation over the diplomatic efforts of His Majesty the King at various levels to put an end to the disaster facing the Lebanon and his support for the Lebanese people in these difficult circumstances.
A benevolent king.

RUSSIAN PRESIDENT PUTIN SLAMS UNITED STATES
NewsWithViews.com 2006/8/6
The Russians have allegedly sold weapons to countries such as Iran, Syria, Venezuela, and other terrorist-supporting nations. After the US-led invasion of Iraq, Russian-made weapons were found, as well.   As a result, the US government placed sanctions against American business dealings with two Russian companies selling arms and weapons systems to Iran. Russian President Vladimir Putin blasted the United States on Friday for imposing such sanctions on two Russian corporations. ...
deja vu again
Article and comment contributed by Bob Anderson.

War Crimes
Gamla 2006/8/6
A short historical reminder. This time we won’t say a word about Muslims that butcher Muslims. We got used to it. The Muslims, especially in the eyes of the Left, are the retarded kids of the world. From them there is no need to demand responsibility, morale, international law. They are allowed.   This time we will deal with the West. We won’t head as far as the bombing of Dresden. We’ll go to recent history. It happened in ...
Contributed by Bob Anderson.

The war against Israel
Gamla 2006/8/6
Eight Israeli civilians were killed today by Hezbollah which fired 130 rockets at Israel within a ninety-minute period. 130 in 90 minutes! And at such a tiny country! Israel is smaller than Wales. Just imagine if humdreds rockets were fired from Scotland, say, at Wales with a view to wiping Wales off the map and murdering all Welsh people. If only a small number of rockets were fired at Britain day after day, it would be at war. Can anyone doubt that if Britain was subjected to the kind of bombardment Israel has been enduring, with 100, 150, 200 rockets per day being fired at its towns and cities with the express purpose of wiping it out altogether, Britain’s armed forces would be responding with ferocity to put a stop to it?   Yet in Britain, the rules for the Jewish state are totally different. Israel is under genocidal attack ...If, heaven forbid, this does turn into a second Holocaust, we can now discern the key difference from the first one. This time the Jews will be blamed for their own destruction. And this time, the political left and the media will have blood on their hands. Indeed, they already do. ...
Contributed by Bob Anderson.

Majali Welcomes Holding Session of OIC's Parliament Union
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/6
...Majali affirmed that the parliamentary institution in Jordan would continue its role consistently with the great dedicated efforts exerted by Jordan under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah II to condemn and reject the Israeli aggression against the two brethren peoples, extend help and assistance to them and to work for an immediate cessation of the aggression.

Ambassador of Palestine Praises King's Directives
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/6
Ambassador of Palestine in Amman Attallah Khairi praised the directives of His Majesty King Abdullah II to make Jordan a bridge to deliver assistance to Lebanon.   The Ambassador expressed thanks and gratitude to the Jordanian Hashemite Charity Organization ...
A benevolent king.

DEBKAfile’s military sources report: The Syrian army boosts high readiness by full mobilization to strengthen its lines opposite the Golan and Lebanon
DEBKAfile 2006/8/6
Tank and missile units are heading Wednesday towards the Israeli Golan border.   Late last week, Assad told the Syrian army to step up state of readiness and take two further provocative steps. ...For three weeks, Assad has been working up to provoking a limited war engagement with Israel.
1. A close crony, Syrian lawmaker Marwan Habash is advocating the creation of a resistance (terrorist) movement on the Golan Heights - likewise the prominent cleric, Sheikh Asad Kopertou.
2. For the first time in three decades the presidential palace allowed Syrian Druze leaders to openly speak out in favor of an armed campaign to recapture the Golan 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  (Iraq?, Libya?, Syria? - all 3 are and have been resisters to peace with Israel)

Minister of Awqaf Meets Iranian Ambassador
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/6
...The two sides also discussed means of enhancing the bilateral relations, particularly in the field of exchanging visits and expertise, affirming the importance of activating the signed agreement between the Ministry of Awqaf and the Iranian Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.   For his part, the ambassador praised the depth of relations between the two countries and praised the attitude of Jordan under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah II in support of the ...
A benevolent king.

King: The Core of the Problem in the Region is the Continuation of the Israeli Occupation of Arab lands
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/6
He linked the continuation of resistance with the continuation of occupation. "As long as there is occupation, there will be resistance," the King added. ...His Majesty said that efforts he has been making over the past weeks and months on more than one level, were designed to crystallize an Arab position on events and the conflict in the region. ..."The students also appreciate the King's efforts to preserve the march of progress development in Jordan," he added
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand
Regarding occupation: Their premise is that the more they say it the more people will believe it.  The king keeps tooting his horn about how much he's doing for the ever elusive peace, and he keeps getting praise for all that he is doing for them in so many ways.

Iran’s Congo Connection
The American Thinker 2006/8/6
...I wonder where the mullahs got the idea that the Congo would be ripe for uranium deals?  Perhaps their old nemesis, Saddam Hussein gave them the idea.   A July 18 United Nations report said there was “no doubt” that a huge shipment of uranium 238 originated in the Lubumbashi mines in the Congo with its final destination being the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas. ...

Iran says will expand nuclear activities
Chron.com 2006/8/6
Iran vowed Sunday to expand its uranium enrichment, defying a U.N. Security Council deadline for it to suspend its nuclear activities by the end of the month or face the threat of political and economic sanctions. ...

Jordan supports Lebanese PM's seven-point plan
People's Online Daily 2006/8/6
Jordanian King Abdullah II on Saturday voiced his support to a seven-point plan put forward by Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora to end the conflict between Lebanon's Hezbollah and Israel.   In a telephone conversation with Siniora, Abdullah condemned Israeli attacks and "massacres" against the Lebanese people, describing the attacks as "flagrant violation of all humanitarian principles, ethical norms and international covenants". ...The king expressed Jordan's keenness to coordinate the Arab stands and reaffirmed that Jordan would continue exerting efforts to find a solution to the crisis. ...
A benevolent king.

Jordan to supply Lebanon with 10,000 tonnes of gasoline
The Jordan Times 2006/8/6
...King Abdullah issued directives to the government last week to help supply Lebanon with its needs of gasoline from the national reserve. ...
A benevolent king.

Jordan becomes hub for international relief efforts
The Jordan Times 2006/8/6
Jordan continued Saturday dispatching relief aid to Lebanon and serving as a conduit for Arab and international assistance bound for the war-torn Arab country. ...
A benevolent king.

Tehran Sends Archterrorist Mughniyeh to Rescue Hizballah
DEBKAfile 2006/8/5
...Lacking the weapons and resources to stand up to IDF’s precise-shooting juggernaut, their commanders quickly pulled their men out most combat sectors of South Lebanon and ordered them to regroup in five places... ...Therefore, placing Mughniyeh at the head of Hizballah forces in South Lebanon confronts prime minister Olmert uncomfortably close to Iran’s supreme leader; ranges defense minister Peretz opposite his Iranian counterpart Mustafa Najer and chief of staff Lt. Gen Dan Halutz opposite Gen. Safavi, while on the warfront, Israel’s war leaders face the formidable Mughniyeh, Tehran’s secret weapon for rescuing Hizballah from collapse. ...

UN Security Council meets Saturday night after US and France agree on a draft resolution on Lebanon
DEBKAfile 2006/8/5
It calls for a full – though not immediate – cessation of violence, demanding that Hizballah halt all attacks and Israel stop all offensive military operations.   The wording allows Israel to take defensive action if attacked.   Hizballah cabinet member Mohammed Fneish said ...

DEBKAfile reports: Israel prepares to target Sidon region, from which long-range missiles fired against Hadera Friday night
DEBKAfile 2006/8/5
Population ordered to evacuate homes in new leaflets dropped Saturday, Day 25 of Lebanon War. Rocket stores as well as launch sites are located ...

Ex-agent says U.S. ignored WMD sites
????? ??? ????? 2006/8/5
Hmmm ...  And now he tells the world, as well as the terrorists, who may very well listen.  How smart is that?  Not a very good soldier I would say.  Link and reference excluded purposely.

U.S. reinforcements moving into Baghdad
Jordan Falls News 2006/8/5
U.S. reinforcements sent to Baghdad to help quell violence took up positions in a restive neighborhood Saturday, while 17 people were killed across Iraq and two bomb blasts at a market wounded eight. ...

Connection to Syria cut
Calgary Sun 2006/8/5
Israeli warplanes yesterday destroyed four key bridges on Lebanon's last untouched highway, severing the country's final major connection to Syria and deepening its isolation.  Israeli warplanes yesterday destroyed four key bridges on Lebanon's last untouched highway, severing the country's final major connection to Syria and deepening its isolation. ...

Israel severs Lebanon-Syria artery
Tracey Press 2006/8/5
Israel and Hezbollah fought bloody ground battles and exchanged fierce air and missile strikes Friday including bombing raids that severed Lebanon’s last major supply link with Syria and the outside world, and the guerrillas’ deepest rocket attack inside Israel to date. ...

MP: Islamic Inter-parliamentary Union meeting to open in Damascus
Islamic Republic News Agency 2006/8/5
...the Lebanese Parliament Speaker, Nabih Berri, called for holding of an emergency inter-parliamentary meeting.   "Once Syria declared its readiness to host such a meeting, it was finalized," he added.   Jalali said that Haddad-Adel conferred with ambassadors of Islamic states to Iran on the issue over the past week.

Iraq to supply Jordan with oil
Azzaman 2006/8/5
The deal to resume oil supplies to Jordan was made during a recent visit by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to the Hashemite Kingdom.   The official did not say how much crude Iraq intended to ship to Jordan and under what conditions.   Jordan used to get Iraqi crude at a discount.
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand

King Affirms Support of Plan to Defuse Lebanese Crisis
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/5
...The King stressed Jordan's keenness to coordinate the Arab stands and that Jordan will continue exerting efforts at the various regional and international levels to find a solution to the crisis, noting that Jordan puts all possibilities at the service of Lebanon in these troubled times. ...Siniora expressed appreciation for the King over all forms of political and humanitarian support provided by Jordan to Lebanon in these difficult circumstances.
A benevolent king.

King Sends Letter to Prime Minister on "We are All Jordan"
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/5
...the King said we must work with all our energies to preserve Jordan and the seamlessness of its sons and their solidarity because Jordan is the real bond for its nation which works for and seeks to serve the its issues and in the forefront of which is supporting the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the Palestinian soil, supporting unity, stability and sovereignty of Iraq, stopping falsity of blood in Lebanon and supporting the right of people to restore security and stability. ...
A benevolent king.

THE MIDDLE EAST BRANCH OF THE "AXIS OF EVIL": IRAN, SYRIA, HAMAS, HIZBULLAH AND BEYOND
ZNET 2006/8/4
...After violent regime-change took Iraq out of the group in March 2003, Libya quickly learned the lesson, dropped its quixotic stand against the West, and received US assurances it would no longer face the threat of regime-change. With intense bloodshed continuing unabated in Iraq, Palestine and Lebanon, focus is now on the remaining Middle Eastern parties of the Axis of Evil. ...

The Middle East in Flames
ZNET 2006/8/4
...what the Israeli army was not able to achieve during its occupation of Lebanon, it now wanted to obtain by forcing the Lebanese to do it and pushing the country to the brink of civil war. ...

Indyk: US must not speak to Assad
yNetNews 2006/8/4
Former US Ambassador to Israel, Martin Indyk, tells Ynet Israel should not attack Syria but shouldn't speak with Assad: 'They have to understand that if they don't stop supporting Hizbullah they will find themselves in the fire they inflamed ...
? 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  (Iraq?, Libya?, Syria? - all 3 are and have been resisters to peace with Israel)

Palestinians giving Heavy Weapons to Hezbollah (Aaron Klein on Israel National Radio broadcast recording link)
Arutz Sheva 2006/8/4
...Palestinian terrorists operating out of Lebanon have passed large quantities of heavy weaponry to Hezbollah for use against Israel, following calls by Abbas' party for its 'fighters in Lebanon' to enter combat. ...

Middle East at a crossroads (a long but interesting viewpoint)
Energy Bulletin 2006/8/4
...Why would the US administration want confrontation with Iran? Perhaps that country represents an essential next step, following “regime change” in Iraq, in the project of remaking the Middle East. From a geopolitical point of view, Iran is located at the juncture of the Middle East and Central Asia. Not only are its own reserves of oil and gas considerable, but it controls access to the Persian Gulf. Iran is thus crucial to oil and gas transshipment routes to Europe, Japan, and the rest of the world. ...

The bus? Gone!
The New Vision 2006/8/4
...There isn’t much you can add to “the current state of play” (as we say in broadcasts about games) regarding the ever widening dye of sorrow of what is happening in Lebanon. But

SYRIA-THE SHADOW BEHIND THE REALITY
Cape Cod Today 2006/8/4
...Despite ...attempts by the U.S. to create a peaceful settlement of the Palestinian question, the national and international press continues to portray Syrians and other Arabs as being caring, and the U.S. as being delinquent because a solution has not been found.   Poppycock!   Israel is bordered by Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Egypt. It has been attacked from each of these locations for more than a half-century.   It is being attacked again.   It is responding.   Vigorously!   Against whom?   Hezbollah out front; Syria in the shadows.

France floats new cease-fire resolution at Security Council
The Daily Star 2006/8/4
France circulated a revised UN resolution Thursday calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Lebanon and spelling of the conditions for a permanent cease-fire and lasting solution to the current crisis. The move came as Jordan's King Abdullah II rebuked Israel for its offensive ...

Diplomats Negotiate a Patchwork Troop to Secure Peace
Spiegel Online 2006/8/4
United Nations diplomats face a genuine challenge: They must put together a peacekeeping force for Lebanon that both Hezbollah and Israel will accept. ...There is broad agreement that one or several Islamic countries should contribute troops in an effort to make the force more palatable to the Lebanese. Turkey appears to be willing to participate. But there is concern that Hezbollah will feel provoked by the presence of Sunni soldiers sent by a state that enjoys close military relations with Israel. Saudi Arabia and Jordan also want to help -- but they could probably only send a very small number of troops. ...

Police clash with Arab teens trying to enter Mount
The Jerusalem Post 2006/8/4
Jerusalem police on Friday fired stun grenades to disperse scores of Arab youths who turned violent after being barred access to the Temple Mount for Friday prayers, police said. ...

Amateur hour is over
IsraPundit 2006/8/4
...On Wednesday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made veiled nuclear threats against Britain, the US and Israel when he said, “Today, the Iranian people is the owner of nuclear technology. Those who want to talk with our people should know what people they are talking to. If some believe they can keep talking to the Iranian people in the language of threats and aggressiveness, they should know that they are making a bitter mistake. If they have not realized this by now, they soon will, but then it will be too late.” This statement was followed Thursday by his address to the Organization of the Islamic Conference in Malaysia where he again called for Israel to be annihilated. ...what the government needs right now is some very tough love from leaders like Netanyahu, his fellow opposition members Natan Sharansky, Effie Eitam, Yuval Steinitz and Aryeh Eldad as well as from military leaders like former Chief of General Staff Moshe Yaalon. These men and others, who understand the nature of the war and the dangers Israel faces need to force Olmert and his colleagues to listen to reason and change course immediately. Amateur hour must end. ...

Iran supplies Hizballah with a battery of upgraded Zelzal missiles that can reach Israel’s nuclear reactor in Dimona
DEBKAfile 2006/8/4
This disclosure by DEBKA-Net-Weekly 264 was confirmed Friday, August 4, by Ali-Akbar Mohtashami-Pour, former Iranian ambassador to Damascus and Tehran’s senior liaison with Hizballah. The acquisition of an improved Zelzal through Syria with a range of 350-400 km was behind Hassan Nasrallah’s threat to bomb Tel Aviv if Beirut came under another Israel air attack.   Tel Aviv is 150 km north of Dimona and therefore well within range of the improved Zelzal missile. ...

Jordan Continues Sending Aid for Lebanon
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/4
About 150 tons of human aid presented by China were transmitted on Friday to Lebanon by JAF planes. ...Official at the Jordanian Hashemite Charity Organization Abdul Hafiz Al Jadi said that the organization became the human ambassador to present and transfer aid for Lebanese and peoples which are in need for such aid.
A benevolent king.

Ending Israeli occupation only solution — King
The Jordan Times 2006/8/3
...King Abdullah stressed that Jordan is basically against “axis policies”.

However, he asked: “Should we be blamed that we meet and consult [with Arab leaders] to serve our nation and peoples? I have made contacts with several Arab leaders to emphasise that we need a unified stand to speak in one language. I said more than once that if the West, including the US, finds no Arab side to talk to, they would definitely find someone else, who would speak for the Arabs. Do we need others to speak on our behalf? Don’t we need a united Arab stand that would earn us the respect of the world around us? What’s most worrying is that things are getting out of the hands of the Arabs and, consequently, the situation becomes more complicated....”

King Abdullah warned that the absence of such a unified stand means betrayal of the Arab peoples.

“We shall all regret the state of loss, fragmentation and division that would plague the region. The enemies of the nation would find a fertile ground to trigger sedition and wage wars on our lands to make sure we remain weak and our decision-making and potentials easily controlled,” he said.

“I believe that a new chapter of Arab cooperation has started, with all of us bound by fear for our future.”

A joint Arab stand is necessary, regardless of any alarming regional alliances, he said.

“We care for our Shiite brothers and are keen on the unity of the Muslim nation. Any one who tries to sow the seeds of sedition between the Sunni and the Shiites is a criminal...

Looks like the king is finally standing up and speaking his true colors.
Article and comment contributed by J. Greco
? Daniel 8:23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.
It is obvious in his statements that the king speaks not only for Jordan, but for all Muslims everywhere, and groups them all together worldwide as a NATION.  The king's statement about sowing sedition between the Shiite and Sunni will apply for Arabs as well, as I think we will soon see. There is a saying in the Arab world, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend". You're only fooling yourself if you are non-Arab and think that that saying applies to you as well. Compare the king's speech with the tirade of Iran's Ahmadinejad which aired on the Iranian News Channel (IRINN) on August 1, 2006.  It might seem that the king has borrowed some terminology here.

“When I see the behavior of America, England, and their other accomplices in recent days, I get the impression that they are preparing even greater crimes. I warn them: Know that the fire of the wrath of the peoples is about to erupt and overflow. If you do not put an end to your crimes, know that the ocean of the peoples will soon rage. When the peoples begin to move, they will drag everybody to the defendant’s bench, and will remove them from the throne of power.”

King Abdullah discuss with prodi crisis in Lebanon
Bahrain News Agency 2006/8/3
...King Abdullah also affirmed the importance of an immediate cease-fire to pave the way for a political solution and called for the exerting of more efforts towards stopping the destruction and the retaining of security and stability in the region.  ...
A benevolent king.

Mullahs in Denial: Can't Keep Their Story Straight
The American Thinker 2006/8/3
Does the name Ali Larijani ring a bell?   No, he’s not the brilliant TV and movie character Ali G, created by British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen ...No, Ali L is involved in another kind of duping altogether. And the squirming is taking place on Ali L’s part. But like Ali G, the spectators get to have a lot of fun. At least this week.   You see, Mr. Larijani is Tehran’s representative on earth, wherever Tehran chooses to stir things up. His real title is Supreme National Council Secretary, but his most recent antics make the moniker Ali L far more appropriate.   Where Ali L goes, trouble follows, along with a lot of Iranian armaments and Revolutionary Guards. ...

Hashemite University Signs MoU with Saudi Community Colleges
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/3
The Hashemite University Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding with Saudi community colleges to enhance cooperation in developing education and e-education in Saudi colleges. ...The agreement also includes conducting joint research and studies, exchanging of expertise to develop education and training as well as enabling female gradates from Saudi colleges to pursue studies at the Hashemite University.
Building and expanding the Hashemite Kingdom come, one agreement at a time.

Prayers to Rebuild the Temple
Arutz Sheva 2006/8/3
Today is Tisha B'Av, the 9th day of Av, commemorating many of the worst tragedies befalling the Jewish People over the past 3,300 years. Jews the world over are praying for the Temple's rebuilding. ...

King Receives Kuwaiti MP
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/3
...King stressed appreciation over the Jordanian-Kuwaiti relations, expressing readiness to further develop them in all domains.   For his part, the Kuwaiti official expressed appreciation over the efforts exerted by His Majesty the King to serve the Arab and Islamic causes, expressing his country's readiness to boost the bilateral ties. ...
? Daniel 8:25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand

King Abdullah holds talks with Mussa
Bahrain News Agency 2006/8/3
King Abdullah said during his meeting with the Arab League Secretary General, Amr Mussa, that Jordan's call continues since the start of the crisis for a united Arab stance to face the current situation and for the future of the Arab nation. ...

King Calls Italian Prime Minister
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/3
King Abdullah II on Thursday made a phone call with Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi, during which King Abdullah stressed the importance of reaching an immediate ceasefire to find a political way out of the current crisis.   King also called on the European capitals to intensify efforts to stop the deteriorating situation in the Middle East, protect Lebanon from what it is going through and restore security and stability in the region.   For his part, the Italian official hailed the efforts of His Majesty the King to end the regional crisis ...
A benevolent king.

Cairo makes a U-turn
Al-Ahram 2006/8/3
...the top Egyptian diplomat, who has on the one hand criticised Hizbullah's miscalculations while rebuking Israel for its offensive on the other, announced unprecedented official sympathy with the Lebanese people who have until now expressed dismay with the stand taken by Cairo over their plight....Cairo is as determined as ever to steer clear of any confrontation with the US on this issue. So while it might be prepared to offend Washington a little by turning down a request to host a conference, Cairo has so far avoided what some say is the overdue step to recall its ambassador in Tel Aviv for consultations ...

Syrian government takes over summer youth camps to shelter Lebanese
Reuters 2006/8/3
To cope with the continuing daily influx of thousands of Lebanese fleeing the conflict in their homeland, Syria has started using summer youth camps on the outskirts of the capital Damascus.   More than 140,000 Lebanese are believed to have crossed the border since the conflict started in mid-July. ...

King Receives Member of Yonkers City Council
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/3
...King Abdullah II met with Member of Yonkers City Council Sandi Innabi, who is the first American from Jordanian origin elected for this position.   King Abdullah discussed with Innabi the role of Americans from Jordanian origins in building bridges of understanding between the East and West. ...

Britain embraces Hezballah
IsraPundit 2006/8/3
...According to German and Israeli intelligence sources, Hezbollah sleeper cells are present in more than 20 countries in Western Europe, Latin America and southeast Asia, and have been told to be ready to carry out terrorist attacks should Israel prolong its military action in Lebanon. The Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett told the Commons last week that ‘there are indeed concerns’ about Iran-backed terrorists attacking the UK.   Yet the British authorities do nothing about the most conspicuous promoter of Khomeini jihadism in the UK, the jovially named Islamic Human Rights Commission run by Massoud Shadjareh. The IHRC is said to be close to Iran. Its understanding of human rights is to extol Hezbollah, endorse an eclectic assortment of jihadis and promote the end of Israel. ...

Israeli police wilt before threat of Muslim violence
IsraPundit 2006/8/3
The Israeli Police Force, able to turn out tens of thousands of members in order to uproot Jews from their homes in parts of the Promised Land, was unwilling to secure the rights of Jews to pray at their holiest site Thursday for fear of Arab violence. ...

Krauthammer: U.S. needs a Hezbollah defeat as much as Israel
Chron.com 2006/8/3
...America's green light for Israel to defend itself is seen as a favor to Israel. But that is a tendentious, misleadingly partial analysis. The green light — indeed, the encouragement — is also an act of clear self-interest. America wants, America needs, a decisive Hezbollah defeat.   Unlike many of the other terror groups in the Middle East, Hezbollah is a serious enemy of the United States. In 1983, it massacred 241 American servicemen. Except for al-Qaida, it has killed more Americans than any other terror organization.   More importantly, it is today the leading edge of an aggressive, nuclear-hungry Iran. Hezbollah is a wholly owned Iranian subsidiary. Its mission is to extend the Islamic Revolution's influence into Lebanon and Palestine, destabilize any Arab-Israeli peace, and advance an Islamist Shiite ascendancy, led and controlled by Iran, throughout the Levant. ...

Fearing Violence, Jerusalem Police Close Temple Mount to Non-Muslims
CNSNews 2006/8/3
Citing threats of violent Muslim protests at an already tense time, Jerusalem police announced that the Temple Mount would close to all non-Muslims on Thursday, the day Jews mark the destruction of the biblical temples and other historical calamities. ...Earlier this week, Israel's High Court granted permission for a visit to the Temple Mount to a small Jewish group which supports the building of a third temple there. ...News of the court ruling in favor of the Temple Mount Faithful group sparked anger among Muslims. News reports in Arab media said Jewish "extremists" and "far-right" activists had been given permission to visit Islam's holiest site, although the application was to visit the Temple Mount platform, not to enter either of the mosques. ...

Jordan's king criticises his US and Israeli allies
Irish Examiner 2006/8/3
Jordan’s King Abdullah II lashed out at his U.S. and Israeli allies, saying in newspaper interviews today that he was “enraged” by the war on Lebanon. ...
? Daniel 8:23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.

King Stresses the Necessity of Crystallizing Arab Position to Deal with Lebanese Crisis
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/3
...During a meeting on Thursday with Secretary General of the Arab League Amr Musa, the King pointed to Jordan's continued calls, since the start of the crisis, for formulating a unified Arab stance towards challenges facing the Arab nation. ...His Majesty also briefed Musa on Jordan's political and diplomatic contacts at all levels to end the crisis, noting to the Kingdom's continued efforts to alleviate the suffering of the Lebanese people as well as the relief airlift between Amman and Beirut ...
A benevolent king.  Winning the hearts and minds of the Muslim world truckloads at a time.

Israel readies new push into Lebanon
Chron.com 2006/8/3 (original post of this pulled from net)
...Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad _ who has in the past called for Israel to be wiped off the map _ said "the main solution (to the Mideast conflict) is for the elimination of the Zionist regime." He added that all Muslim states should cut political and economic ties with Israel and "isolate" the United States and Britain for supporting the attacks against Lebanon.

Jordan's King Abdullah II, a key U.S. ally, issued an ominous warning to America and Israel that the prolonged battle in Lebanon has weakened moderates all across the Mideast. Even if Hezbollah is destroyed, the hostility toward Israel is so high that another such group may pop up in Syria, Egypt, Iraq _ or even his own country, King Abdullah II, a key U.S. ally, said, according to published reports.   "The Arab people see Hezbollah as a hero because it's fighting Israel's aggression," he said. "This is a fact that the U.S. and Israel must realize: As long as there is aggression, there's resistance and there's popular support for this resistance."

Evidence Mounts that Kana "Massacre" Was a Fake
Arutz Sheva 2006/8/3
...Jordan's King Abdullah called it an "ugly crime," and other world leaders echoed these sentiments.   Though Israel emphasized that Hizbullah was to blame for waging its rocket war against Israel from within a civilian population, Foreign Ministry officials repeated their "deep regret at the loss of innocent life in the campaign against Hizbullah," and were forced to promise a "thorough and comprehensive examination."   Apparently, however, the incident was all one big fraud, staged by Arab elements for the world media in order to lead precisely to the situation described above.   The central piece of evidence leading to this conclusion is the fact, mentioned by IDF officials from the very beginning, that the building collapsed a full seven hours after the Israel Air Force bombing. Why, then, would the residents inside not have been evacuated in the meantime? As Brig.-Gen. Amir Eshel of the Israeli Air Force told reporters Sunday night, “It is difficult for me to believe that they waited eight hours to evacuate it.” ...Spencer concludes, "Americans and Westerners are not used to dealing with carefully orchestrated and large-scale deception of this kind. It is time that it be recognized as a weapon of warfare, and an extremely potent one at that.

Olmert apologizes for pullout remarks
The Jerusalem Post 2006/8/3
Ten right wing IDF reservists have announced that they will refuse to obey orders to enter Lebanon following comments made by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert arguing that the war in Lebanon could create momentum for further West Bank pullouts, Army Radio reported.   The Prime Minister's Office issued a statement after a conversation Olmert held with MK Effi Eitam (NU-NRP), in which the prime minister apologized to the right wing MK.   Olmert said the war in Lebanon was a result of an attack Hizbullah initiated against Israel, and had no connection to future diplomatic processes on other fronts. ...
Contributed by Mike Smario.

Olmert: Lebanon outcome to create momentum for pullout
yNetNews 2006/8/2
...The prime minister also predicted that the outcome of the Lebanon fighting will create "new momentum" for Israel's plan to separate from the Palestinians by withdrawing from much of the West Bank. He had harsh words for Syrian leaders, calling them "reckless," "immature," and promoters of terror.
Contributed by Mike Smario.

Afghanistan gets its own al-Zarqawi
DNA 2006/8/2
Mullah Dadullah Akhund, the ruthless fanatic in charge of the Taliban’s new campaign, is fast becoming to Afghanistan what Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was to Iraq.   Just like Zarqawi, his starring role in propaganda DVDs has successfully drawn in scores of suicide bombers and thousands of fighters to the cause. And just like Zarqawi, his fondness for beheadings means his followers fear him almost as much as his enemies.   The black-turbaned one-legged Mullah, solemnly signs slips of paper and hands these to the young fighters sitting beside him. These turn out to be the recipients’ own death warrant: the slips identify them as “Suicide Bomber No.....” ...

Commentary: U.S.-Iran proxy war
Monsters & Critics 2006/8/2
...If Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad`s voice prevails over some of the less fanatically motivated senior ayatollahs, World War III (or IV, depending whether one counts the Cold War as a global conflict) could come perilously close, pitting the United States and Israel against Iran, Syria, Hamas, Hezbollah, Iraq`s Badr militia and Mahdi army, al-Qaida, and the streets of Arab capitals. Far-fetched? For a mind steeped in Cartesian logic, yes. For a mind poisoned by hateful slogans about the U.S.-Zionist conspiracy, probably not.   For Ahmadinejad, present-day reality is merely an illusion pending the death and destruction that will sweep the globe before the return of the 12th Imam who will lead what`s left of humanity to salvation under the banner of Islam. Aug. 22, the day he said Bush would receive a reply to his carrots-cum-sticks letter, is also the 27th of Rajab on the Muslim calendar. That`s the day after the Prophet Mohammed made his nighttime journey to Jerusalem and then took off from the Temple Mount for his trip to heaven, bathing the holy city in blinding light in his wake. ...

Abbas calls Israeli court to change decision
Bahrain News Agency 2006/8/2
Palestinian President, Mahmood Abbas, warned from the aftermath of the decision taken by the Supreme Israeli Court, allowing Jewish extremist from entering Al Aqsa holy mosque in Al Quds tomorrow.   Abbas in a statement today said that this was a dangerous escalation on the tense situation in the region and places the whole world on the peak of a volcano calling for the Israeli government to stop this grouping from reaching Al Aqsa. ...

JHCO Sends Jordanian, Moroccan Aid to Palestine and Iraq
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/2
Under His Majesty King Abdullah's directives, the Jordanian Hashemite Charity Organization (JHCO) sent a Jordanian relief aid convoy to Lebanon.   The JHCO also sent another convoy to Palestine provided by Morocco.   The aid includes 25 trucks loaded with medicine, medical supplies, and food stuffs. ...
A benevolent king.  Winning the hearts and minds of the moderates and extremists alike, truckloads at a time.

French tourists: We're not afraid
yNetNews 2006/8/2
...The desire to vacation in Israel or to celebrate family events in the Holy Land brought them here ...One is marrying off her daughter, another is celebrating her son's bar-mitzvah, and another decided to place a note in the Western Wall - maybe that will help. Katyushas? Sirens? Shelters? They won't put a damper on their vacation. ..."We are not afraid," declared the tourists, most of them Jewish, who are planning to stay in Israel anywhere between a week to three weeks. Some of them also declared that by hook or by crook they would visit the north.   "In France it's more dangerous. There, the Muslims are giving us a hard time," said Simcha Barnav, who came for her daughter's wedding. ...
Matthew 24:38-39 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

King Patronizes Graduation of Military College Officers
Jordan News Agency 2006/8/2
...King Abdullah II, the Supreme Commander of the Jordan Armed Forces, patronized on Wednesday the Graduation of the Military College officers. ...

America will attack Iran, Syria in October: Gul
Pakistan News 2006/8/2
The former chief of ISI, Maj. Gen (R) Hameed Gul has "predicted" that America would definitely attack Iran and Syria simultaneously in October. ...He analyzed that Israel would soon be "forced" to stop its land strikes but would continue its horrific and heinous air strikes against Lebanon, converting it to ruins.   He also "predicted" that after Iran and Syria, Saudi Arabia would also meet the same fate, followed by Pakistan. ...
? 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  (Iraq?, Libya?, Syria? - all 3 are and have been resisters to peace with Israel)

Jewish military servicemen to get honor they deserve
Frost Illustrated 2006/8/2
...Jews are known the world over for their contributions to medicine, arts and sciences, culture, the economy, and politics. But, what of their contributions to their countries' military? Outside of the Israel Defense Forces, they are virtually unknown.   To show the world Jews' courage, heroism, and sacrifice through their contributions to armed forces throughout the world and throughout time ...

Blair says Syria, Iran risk confrontation
The Washington Post 2006/8/1
..."Their support of terrorism, their deliberate export of instability, their desire to see wrecked the democratic prospect in Iraq, is utterly unjustifiable, dangerous and wrong.   "If they keep raising the stakes, they will find they have miscalculated," Blair said in a speech to the World Affairs Council ...
? 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  (Iraq?, Libya?, Syria? - all 3 are and have been resisters to peace with Israel)

Jerusalem Post: U.S. Urges Attack on Syria
ePluribusMedia 2006/8/1
...In recent years, The Jerusalem Post has been considered a conservative paper and has supported Israel's right-wing Likud party.  It's not unimaginable that Israeli Defense officials would use a conservative leaning media outlet to sound an "official unofficial" leak.  And the leak could be a piece of disinformation, or it could be true.  Given the Bush administration's tactical track record, this could have been a Rovewellian caper designed to put a scare on Syria.   Whatever the case, the word is out, and if it's in The Jerusalem Post it's on the Muslim street.  Whether the assertion is true or not, it's highly believable, and the reaction is what anyone might expect.   ...As Steven Leser of OpEdNews.com says, "The game of brinksmanship going on in the Middle East right now defies any semblance of logic." For all appearances, the aim of U.S. "diplomatic" efforts is to goad Syria and Iran into a full-scale regional war, and the Bush administration is doing nothing to change that perception to the contrary.
? 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  (Iraq?, Libya?, Syria? - all 3 are and have been resisters to peace with Israel)

The World Peace Religion Is The Third Temple
TransWorldNews 2006/8/1
...As the world religions now lead us all into the Middle East Crisis and the Apocalypse, the extinction of all life on Earth forever in Nuclear World War 3 and its aftermath nuclear winter then ultraviolet summer, Only The Temple of Love - The World Peace Religion makes peace among and unites Christianity Islam Judaism and Everyone else and the countries they all live in as the first step towards world peace. ...
Yeah right!  What a bunch of kooks if they really believe that.

Israel fears Syrian intervention as it expands Lebanon incursion
Campaign for Good Governance in Lebanon 2006/8/1
...Western intelligence sources confirmed that a Syrian special forces division was advancing towards the border with Israel and Lebanon as a precautionary measure. Syrian Information Minister Mohsen Bilal warned that if Israel invaded Lebanon, its forces could come within 20 km of Damascus, in which case "Syria will intervene in the conflict”. ...
? 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  (Iraq?, Libya?, Syria? - all 3 are and have been resisters to peace with Israel)

Abbas official: Prepare for 'escalated battle'
WorldNetDaily 2006/8/1
A senior member of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party sent a letter to hundreds of Fatah members today asking them to prepare for an "escalated battle" against Israel while the Jewish state continues its military campaign in Lebanon ...Hassan also stated Fatah should ensure the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah "widens" so other Arab parties join the fight.   "It is on our interests that the conflict with Israel is not only led by the Palestinians but also by others," wrote Hassan. ...

Court: Temple Mount Faithful can visit holy site
yNetNews 2006/8/1
High Court judges permit members of extremist Orthodox group to visit Mount on Tisha B’Av, as long as they do not cause provocation. ‘We’ll bring hundreds of Jews, and show Arabs we don’t intend to surrender single millimeter,’ members say ...

Hizballah Is On The Ropes
Threats Watch 2006/8/1
...Hizballah is having difficulty re-supplying across the Syrian border. Convoys from Syria are struck by F-16’s and drones once they are within Lebanese borders, often with the massive secondary explosions that indicate arms shipments. The Israelis believe that Bashar Assad is “directly involved” in the attempts to smuggle rockets, other arms and ammunition to Hizballah, and the release of the results of ‘defense establishment’ intelligence is Israel’s way of sending a message to the Syrian president. ...
? 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  (Iraq?, Libya?, Syria? - all 3 are and have been resisters to peace with Israel)

'Israel will target vehicles carrying weapons from Syria'
The Hindu 2006/8/1
..."There is no plan to initiate a war with Syria," Defence Minister Amir Peretz said. "We are closely following what is happening there. We will target every vehicle carrying weapons from Syria into Lebanon, but there is no intention to open a new front with Syria." ...
? 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  (Iraq?, Libya?, Syria? - all 3 are and have been resisters to peace with Israel)

ANALYSIS: Giving the war an image of victory, not a draw
Haaretz 2006/8/1
...Olmert is fighting the battle over public opinion, both at home and abroad. He wants people to see the war as a victory, not a draw. ..."Israel is continuing to fight," the prime minister said. ..."There is no cease-fire, and there will be no cease-fire in the upcoming days," Olmert promised to the cheers of ...

Israel to 'step up fight'
Sun Online 2006/8/1
...the chances of a wider Middle East conflict escalated when Syria’s President Bashar Assad ordered his army to “increase readiness to cope with regional challenges”. In a speech to his military chiefs President Assad said he would “continue support for Hezbollah”. ...[Olmert] “We decided to fight back and we will end the fighting when the threat has been removed.   “We could not allow the terrorist state across our border to grow strong and amass missiles and lethal weapons. We need to reach all the terrorists and all their hiding places and hit all their missile launchers.” ...
? 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  (Iraq?, Libya?, Syria? - all 3 are and have been resisters to peace with Israel)

Assad smuggling weapons to Hizbullah
The Jerusalem Post 2006/8/1
Three weeks into the war with Hizbullah, the IDF's intelligence picture is growing clearer, although at the same time darker. According to new intelligence obtained by the defense establishment, Syrian President Bashar Assad, alongside senior military officials, is directly involved in the attempts to smuggle weapons and rockets to Hizbullah in Lebanon. ...In addition, the extent of Iran's intimate involvement in Hizbullah attacks is also starting to emerge. ...
? 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  (Iraq?, Libya?, Syria? - all 3 are and have been resisters to peace with Israel)

Gazans also want multinational force
The Jerusalem Post 2006/8/1 update
...The official said PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, who is currently on a tour of several Arab countries, has raised the idea of dispatching a multi-national force to the Gaza Strip.   Abbas's initiative comes in the wake of US efforts to persuade several countries to join an armed force that would be sent to southern Lebanon. ...

Israel vows no truce, wider war
BangkokPost.com 2006/8/1
Israel partially suspended its massive bombardment of Lebanon for 48 hours starting early Monday, but Prime Minister Ehud Olmert insisted that the Jewish state would pursue its offensive against Hizbollah guerrillas.   Israel's inner security cabinet voted early Tuesday to expand Israel's ground operations in Lebanon. The Israeli government had already called up an additional 15,000 reservists last week. ...

Air strike targets road to Damascus
The Daily Star 2006/8/1
Israeli warplanes struck the main Beirut-Damascus highway border crossing at Masnaa for the third time on Monday ...The sole remaining highway to Syria is via Tripoli and into Tartous in Syria. ...

Iran turns crisis into opportunity
Asia Times Online 2006/8/1
Regardless of whether or not the Hezbollah attack on Israel that triggered the Mideast crisis was green-lighted by Iran, the Islamic Republic's hardline regime is poised to reap spoils that will ultimately advance its end game - to become a regional power player. ...

French FM: Iran a 'stabilizing force'
The Jerusalem Post 2006/8/1
Israeli officials were bewildered by French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy's comment Monday that Iran plays a stabilizing role in the region, but said this should be seen in the wider context of a French-US tug-of-war regarding whether Iran or Syria is the ultimate bad guy in the region. ...
Leave it to the French to say such a thing.  What's worse is that they probably believe it.

Mubarak blasts UN 'impotence,' 'foot-dragging'
The Daily Star 2006/8/1
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak warned Monday that the entire Middle East peace process could collapse because of Israel's war on Lebanon, as his foreign minister shuttled between Syria and Saudi Arabia in an intensified effort to end the crisis. ..."There is an urgent need for an unconditional cease-fire which would pave the way for international efforts to end the crisis and deal with its consequences," he added. ...

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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