In the news:

There are several interesting news links today:

In the first, we see exactly what we have been watching for. Biblical prophecy tells us that Jerusalem will be the center of attention as further attempts to divide and weaken Israel become part of the so-called "negotiations":

PM to Abbas: Ready to meet until 'white smoke comes out'

What is the first and most important agenda item? Read carefully (I'll bold pertinent parts to make it easier):

PA president says deal could be reached within 2 months if Netanyahu is well-intentioned, says decisions needed, not negotiations; says e J'lem is occupied land where Palestinians want to establish their capital.

The prime minister made these comments on Sunday in direct response to comments by the PA president in an interview on Palestinian television that a peace agreement with Israel could be signed within two months if Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has good intentions, reported Israel Radio.

And how, exactly, are "good intentions" defined?

Abbas said that what is needed is not negotiations, but decisions. He added that east Jerusalem is occupied land where Palestinians want to establish their capital and this issue was not up for discussion.

Meanwhile, chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat said that a draft resolution condemning Israel's settlement construction beyond the Green Line will be submitted to the UN Security Council in the coming days, reported Israel Radio on Saturday.

Just as the prophet Zechariah informed us in Zechariah 12:3. It always comes down to the fate of Jerusalem. The "burdensome stone" indeed.

In other news, we are seeing more and more violence from Gaza:

Israel strikes Gaza in response to rocket attack

Israeli aircraft struck terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip Saturday night in response to a Palestinian rocket attack earlier in the day that left one Israeli woman lightly injured.

The Israeli reprisal targeted three Hamas facilities in Gaza, including a weapons manufacturing factory.

Israeli military officials said they would “continue to respond harshly to any attempt to use terror against the State of Israel.”

Terrorist violence from Gaza has been escalating in recent months, prompting fears that Israel may have to launch another large-scale military incursion into the territory that many now feel Israel should not have surrendered.

And this interesting footnote to the news:

Earthquake rocks northern Israel

An earthquake measuring 4.0 on the Richter scale shook the northern portion of the Jordan Valley Saturday evening, causing many Israelis living in the area to panic.

While not a particularly severe earthquake, those living near the epicenter reported to Israeli media that it felt huge. House shook and windows shattered, and most people rushed out into open areas like local soccer stadiums to avoid being hit by falling debris.

Another interesting read is seen below - a sobering account of the realities of Islam:

Islam: A Religion Custom Made For Men

Muslims, by belief and practice, are the most blatant violators of human rights. We hardly need to detail here Muslims' systemic cruel treatment of the unbelievers, women of all persuasions, and any and all minorities across the board. To Muslims, human rights have a different meaning, and its protective provisions are reserved strictly for Muslims -- primarily for Muslim men. Just a couple of examples should suffice for now.

Why are these truths SO "politically incorrect"? We all know its the truth, yet we collectively turn away in silence while these abuses continue. Its a stunning reality of our society.

In model Islamic states such as Saudi Arabia and Iran, for instance, women do not dare complain about their Allah-decreed chattel status. If they protest in the least, they are beaten by their husbands. And if they dare to demonstrate in public for equal family rights with men, they get severe beatings by the police and are hauled to jails for additional indignities and violence.

One may wonder then why is it that millions of Muslim women meekly submit to their subservient rank and thank Allah for it. These women are virtually imprinted by their parents and the clergy from birth to adopt the gender inequality as well as the entire pathological Islamic ethos.

In Islamic societies, freedom of expression, worship, and assembly are taken away. Women are indeed treated as chattel. Young girls are subjected to barbaric genital mutilation to make them sex slaves and birth channels without the ability to enjoy intercourse. Minors are executed, adulterers are stoned to death, thieves have their limbs amputated, and much, much more. Isn't that everyone's idea of paradise?

These scenarios play out every day, around the world, and again, we turn a blind eye. We pretend that this "religion of peace" poses no threat to society. This level of planed ignorance is breathtaking in the 21st Century.

Where does this mindset come from?

"Men have authority over women because Allah has made the one superior to the others and because they spend their wealth to maintain them. Good women are obedient. They guard their unseen parts because Allah has guarded them. As for those from whom you fear disobedience, admonish them and send them to beds apart and beat them. Then if they obey you take no further action against them. Allah is high, supreme." Quran 4.34

This misogynist religion of Allah is custom-made for the savage male. A faithful follower of Allah is allowed to have as many as four permanent wives -- and replace any of them at any time he wants -- as well as an unlimited number of one night or one-hour-stand that he can afford to rent. But, woe unto a woman if she even has a single love affair with another man. Nothing less than death by stoning is her just punishment.

So why is this a threat to various societies around the world?

What is incredible is the gall and audacity of Muslims in demanding that Western and other democracies legalize Sharia in their societies. Due to large populations of Muslims, mostly recent arrivals, in countries such as Canada, Great Britain, and Sweden, these countries are experiencing the insistent demands by Muslims to have Sharia rule their Islamic communities. This is just the beginning and it may seem relatively harmless to the simpletons in our midst.

Yet, once Sharia is recognized to any extent, it will reach out to rule not only on matters that concern Muslims, but also those that may involve a Muslim and non-Muslim. Under Sharia, a Muslim man married to a non-Muslim woman is able to divorce the woman at will, automatically have custody of the children, and literally toss the wife out of "his" home with practically no compensation.

There is a hope that Muslims themselves may leave this Bedouin slaveholder religion. Yet, the hope is slim. Islam has a stranglehold on its slaves and will neither let them go, nor do the Muslims seem to have the insight or the will to leave it in large numbers. But hope, as slim as it is, keeps me sounding the alarm before the fire of Islam engulfs us all.

Yet we are constantly told that we need to be more tolerant and any opposition to the growing threat of Islam and Sharia Law reveals ignorance and intolerance.

We'll see how that works out. If you are a Christian or a Jew (or a woman for that matter) - its not working out too well.