“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: may they prosper who love you.” Psalm 122: 6
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Ari Shavit—Waiting for the Palestinian Godot [or Why Mahmoud Abbas Can’t Be Trusted]:
There are some moments a journalist will never forget. In early 1997, Yossi Beilin decided to trust me, and show me the document that proved that peace was within reach. The then-prominent and creative politician from the Labor movement opened up a safe, took out a stack of printed pages, and laid them down on the table like a player with a winning poker hand.
Rumors were rife about the Beilin-Abu Mazen agreement, but only a few had the opportunity to see the document with their own eyes or hold it in their hands. I was one of those few. With mouth agape I read the comprehensive outline for peace that had been formulated 18 months earlier by two brilliant champions of peace — one, Israeli, and one, Palestinian. The document left nothing to chance: Mahmoud Abbas is ready to sign a permanent agreement. The refugee from Safed had overcome the ghosts of the past and the ideas of the past, and was willing to build a joint Israeli-Palestinian future, based on coexistence. If we could only get out from under the Likud’s thumb, and get Benjamin Netanyahu out of office, he will join us, hand in hand, walking toward the two-state solution. Abbas is a serious partner for true peace, the one with whom we can make a historic breakthrough toward reconciliation.
[…]
Have we opened our eyes? Of course not. Again, we blamed Netanyahu and Likud, and believed that in 2014, Abu Mazen wouldn’t dare to say no, not to John Kerry. Whoops, surprise: In his own sophisticated, polite way, Abbas has said no in recent months to both Kerry and Barack Obama. Again, the Palestinian president’s position is clear and consistent: The Palestinians must not be required to make concessions. It’s a complicated game – squeezing more and more compromises out of the Israelis, without the Palestinians granting a single real, compromise of their own.
Take heed: Twenty years of fruitless talks have led to nothing. There is no document that contains any real Palestinian concession with Abbas’ signature. None. There never was, and there never will be.
[…]
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SnyderTalk Comment: Above all else, Mahmoud Abbas believes in protecting his own life. That’s why he won’t sign a “peace” treaty with Israel. A close second: if he ever signs a treaty, he can be held accountable. That’s something he certainly doesn’t want—not while he’s serving in the 10th year of his 4-year term of office. A close third: his source of wealth will be put in jeopardy if he signs a “peace” deal. According to close associates, Abbas’ net worth is north of $100 million. He didn’t accumulate his vast wealth by running falafel stands in Ramallah. It came from suckers in the U.S. and Europe for the most part—people like Barack Obama and John Kerry who gave Abbas MY MONEY and YOUR MONEY.
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Khaled Abu Toameh: What Is Abbas Trying to Achieve?— Abbas seems to be enjoying that each time he does something dramatic, the U.S. launches another big diplomatic offensive to try to convince him to backtrack. Abbas wants his people and the Arabs to see him as a hero who can stand up to the Americans. Abbas’s biggest fear is that the U.S. will cut off financial aid to the Palestinian Authority and work toward isolating him, as the Bush Administration did to Yasser Arafat in 2002. He is aware that neither the Europeans nor the Russians nor the Chinese will be able to replace American sponsorship. Abbas is now waiting to see what the Americans will offer him for rescinding his plan to join forces with Hamas. When this happens, Abbas will most probably come up with new demands and conditions, as he has done all these past weeks.
Christa Case Bryant: Why Israel may need to rethink its assumptions on Palestinian unity—Seven years after the two main Palestinian political factions violently divorced, their leaders announced today a reconciliation deal that they say will pave the way for a new unity government and the first election in eight years. Similar deals between Fatah and Hamas in 2011 and 2012 foundered over how the rivals would share power. But some say that this pact may represent more a serious commitment because both factions have been backed into a corner by popular discontent and outside pressures. Israel certainly appears to be taking the deal seriously. Government officials criticized Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, casting his decision as a rejection of peace with Israel as the two sides try to extend talks beyond next week’s deadline.
Tony Blair: Why the Middle East Matters— It is unsurprising that public opinion in the UK and elsewhere, resents the notion that we should engage with the politics of the Middle East and beyond. We have been through painful engagements in Afghanistan and Iraq. After 2008, we have had our own domestic anxieties following the financial crisis. And besides if we want to engage, people reasonably ask: where, how and to what purpose? More recently, Ukraine has served to push the Middle East to the inside pages, with the carnage of Syria featuring somewhat, but the chaos of Libya, whose Government we intervened to change, hardly meriting a mention. However the Middle East matters. What is presently happening there, still represents the biggest threat to global security of the early 21st C. The region, including the wider area outside its conventional boundary – Pakistan, Afghanistan to the east and North Africa to the west – is in turmoil with no end in sight to the upheaval and any number of potential outcomes from the mildly optimistic to catastrophe.
Arun Kundnani: The hypocrisy of Tony Blair’s Middle East vision—Tony Blair’s speech this week at Bloomberg in London reveals a growing support for authoritarian regimes in the Middle East. A decade ago, Blair was justifying wars in the Middle East on the grounds that they would launch a democratic revolution and sweep away Arab despots. In his latest speech he embraced Arab despots whose regimes, he says, are necessary bulwarks against Islamism. Blair’s change in emphasis reflects a wider shift in neoconservative thinking over the past decade, while the underlying analysis remains as flawed as ever. At the heart of Blair’s argument is a single formula that he uses to explain the politics not only of the Middle East, but of Muslim populations around the world. Muslims everywhere, he says, are caught in an “essential battle” between two ways of thinking about Islam.
Jeffrey Goldberg: Passports Aside, Jerusalem Is in Israel—In 2002, an American citizen named Naomi Zivotofsky gave birth in Jerusalem to another American citizen, Menachem Zivotofsky. When the Zivotofskys received Menachem’s U.S. passport, they were disturbed to see that his birthplace was listed as simply “Jerusalem,” not “Jerusalem, Israel.” It is the belief of the executive branch of the U.S. government that Israel’s claim of sovereignty to any part of Jerusalem is in dispute, even though Congress enacted a law that demanded that the executive branch record such births as taking place in “Jerusalem, Israel.” My question is: Why does the U.S. acquiesce to the fiction that Jerusalem – in particular, western Jerusalem, which has been the seat of the Israeli government since 1948 – may not actually belong to Israel? U.S. presidents visit Jerusalem and speak before parliament. They even visit Judaism’s holiest site, the Western Wall, which, unlike the hospital where Menachem was born, is on land that was captured from Jordan in the 1967 war.
Rick Richman: What’s the Big Deal about U.S. Recognition of “Jerusalem, Israel”?—Jerusalem has been the capital of Israel for more than 60 years. The State Department website identifies Jerusalem as Israel’s capital; so does the CIA website; the Department of Defense website features Secretary Hagel’s 2013 meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu in “Jerusalem, Israel.” Meanwhile, the Obama administration is fighting all the way to the Supreme Court to avoid putting “Israel” on the passport of a 12-year-old American boy born in Jerusalem, lest the peace process suffer “irreversible damage.” Seriously?
Leslie Anne Jones: How Censorship Works In China’s Media—I majored in journalism in California and interned at four daily newspapers in the US. I had watched Shattered Glass (2003), the chronicle of The New Republic journalist Stephen Glass’s elaborate fabrications in the 1990s, in two college classes: each viewing was followed up with an ethics discussion. One instructor was a former chief political correspondent for The New York Times, another had won a Pulitzer Prize for investigation. I was nothing if not roundly educated in my trade. Yet three years after I graduated, I sold out to the Chinese government. Cheaply. I didn’t realise the ink was dry on the bill of sale until well after I’d collected my booby prize: a free 10-day trip to the country’s northwest corner, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Don’t let the prefix ‘autonomous’ mislead, the place is anything but. Actually, ‘free 10-day trip’ is also a bit of a misnomer. It was more a whirlwind frog-march through China’s far-west development. The trip was arranged by China Intercontinental Press, a subsidiary of China’s State Council Information Office, henceforth referred to as ‘my censors’.
Timon Dias: Who is in More Trouble: Wilders or The Netherlands?— “Freedom of speech is a great thing and we have said nothing that is not allowed.” — Geert Wilders, MP and leader of the Party of Freedom. Now, the police have apparently decided to become part of the prosecution. They have drafted pre-filled “Wilders forms” to press charges and have offered to come to people’s homes to help them fill out the paperwork.
Zvi Magen: The Ukrainian Crisis: Is It Over?— On April 17, 2014, the foreign ministers of all the parties involved in the Ukrainian crisis – Russia, Ukraine, the US, and the European Union – met in Geneva. The purpose of the meeting was to resolve the escalating crisis in Ukraine, which has evolved into a significant confrontation between the global powers. The meeting, which in effect was a Russian-US dialogue, was described as successful. The significance of the understandings reached is that Ukraine is in effect becoming a neutral country and is under ongoing threat of disintegration due to its designated federal structure. Yet even though it appears that a compromise formula was found for quieting the situation, it is reasonable to assume that Russia will not accept the status quo for long, as it is highly interested in continuing the consolidation of its geopolitical plans, at least in its historic sphere of influence.
Pamela Geller: Sharia in America: Democrats and Muslim Legislators seek to criminalize free speech— There is very dangerous legislation making its way through both the House of Representatives and Senate that will finish the United States. The sharia bill calls for Islamic blasphemy laws — the criminalization of speech that offends or insults — who, exactly? Well, that is up to the enforcer, is it not? On Wednesday, Senator Ed Markey (D-MA) introduced “The Hate Crime Reporting Act of 2014″ (S.2219), which seeks “to examine the prevalence of hate crime and hate speech on the Internet, television, and radio to better address such crimes.” Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) introduced a companion bill in the House – H.R. 3878.
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Reconciliation Deal a Maneuver to Extract Concessions from Israel and the U.S.
Palestinian PM offers to quit, easing way for unity gov’t
Coalition with Hamas will recognize Israel, Abbas tells Kerry
Security and defense: Early alert
Al-Qaida branch, other Islamist groups take Syrian army post near Golan
Mediators held in Ukraine as G7 leaders agree to impose new sanctions on Russia
In Syria, back to basics on chemical killing
Spielberg launches center for research on genocide at USC
Three years into civil war, Syria seeks investment in tourism
Ya’alon okays IDF appointment of new Military Intelligence chief
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Obama Gives ‘Unhelpful’ Abbas A Slap On the Wrist
HRW Accuses Israel of ‘Shooting Palestinians’
Terror Victims to Benefit from Sale of Iran-Owned NYC Building
‘Mahmoud Abbas Saved Israel From Israel’
Proposal: Criminalize Contact with the PA
‘Russia Wants to Start World War Three’
Iran Displays Its New S-300 Equivalent Missile
Ariel University Student Carjacked
United States Denies Peace Talks Have Failed
SnyderTalk Comment: There is no global warming, but the Obama administration says there is and pours our money into stopping it—as if they could if it did exist. The “peace” talks have failed, but the Obama administration denies it. From where I sit, it looks as though the Obama administration has a habit of denying reality. They think that left is right, up is down, and evil is good. Sound familiar?
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Obama points finger at ‘both sides’ for peace impasse
Obama acknowledges need for a ‘pause’ in talks
Abbas, Haniyeh talk of a speedy reconciliation
Fatah insisting unity government recognize Israel
‘Netanyahu was ready for border talks, settlement freeze’
Palestinian youth look toward a binational state
Foxman slams unfounded US fears of Israeli spying
7 decades on, once-misunderstood survivors find a rapt audience
Jews in NYU dorm served ‘eviction notices’
Film recalls poignant Jewish past in Morocco Berber town
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U.S.: Any Palestinian Government Must Commit to Nonviolence and Recognition of Israel
Skepticism over Hamas-Fatah Reconciliation Deal
Views on the Palestinian Unity Deal
Piketty’s charge: How a French economist ‘rock star’ is ‘freaking out’ the super rich
Obama: ‘Further isolation’ for nuclear North Korea
Ukraine crisis: US threatens more sanctions against Russia
UN Barges Fired on in S. Sudan; Peacekeepers Hit
Why The US Is Worried About A Deadly Middle Eastern Virus
Stunning Hubble images capture formation of alien planets
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Genesis 3: 17-19
17 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’; cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. 18 Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; and you will eat the plants of the field; 19 by the sweat of your face you will eat bread, till you return to the ground, because from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
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His Name is Yahweh explains why the Name of God, Yahweh, is so important. It’s available in eBook format and in paperback. It’s also available for free in PDF format.
- God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘Yahweh, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This [Yahweh] is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.” (Exodus 3: 15)
- “Therefore behold, I am going to make them know—this time I will make them know My power and My might; and they shall know that My name is Yahweh.” (Jeremiah 16: 21)
- “Behold, the days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land. In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely; and this is His name by which He will be called, ‘Yahweh our righteousness.’” (Jeremiah 23: 5-6)
- Yeshua said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” (John 8: 58)
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Blessings in the Book of Revelation is a book that you need to read, especially now. There are blessings throughout the Scriptures but Revelation is the only book in the Bible actually containing a specific blessing for reading it. It’s repeated twice, once at the beginning and again at the end. This is the reason that I believe Revelation should be the first step toward studying biblical prophecy. Though not easy to do, Revelation can be broken down and understood by anyone, not just the academic elite. So, Revelation’s blessings are for everyone. Click here to order the eBook. Click here to order the paperback.
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Other Books by Neil Snyder
- Stand! is a suspense novel that exposes the lies, corruption, and greed underlying the theory that man-made CO2 emissions are responsible for global warming. Professor Wes Carlyle and Karen Sterling, his research collaborator, carefully scan the audience for their would-be attacker—a member of the enviro-gestapo who has been following them for days. Wes spots his man in the back of the room leaning against the wall. Suddenly, another man in the audience steps forward and moves toward Karen at a menacing pace. With a vicious stroke, he swings a billy club at her head. Click here to order the eBook. Click here to order the paperback.
- What Will You Do with the Rest of Your Life? deals with a question that every Christian has to consider: what should I do with my life? Click here to order the eBook. Click here to order the paperback.
- Falsely Accused is a true story about a young woman who was accused of committing a double homicide. It’s about a travesty of justice, and it reveals Yahweh intervening in the life of a believer to rescue her from danger in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. Everyone will enjoy the book, but young people in particular need to read it because the mistakes made that led to the problem could have been avoided. They were the kinds of mistakes that young people are prone to make. As they say, forewarned is forearmed. Click here to order the eBook. Click here to order the paperback.
