U.S.: Netanyahu Wrong To Insist Palestinians Recognize Israel As Jewish State

This is beyond amazing. Genesis 12:3 looms large. The U.S. is also proposing that Jerusalem should be permanently divided (Zechariah 12:3). Being arrogant in the face of God's word is never a good idea. 

Kerry: Netanyahu Wrong To Insist PA Recognize Israel

 Secretary of State John Kerry told members of Congress on Thursday that international law already declares Israel a Jewish state, and called Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu's insistence on a public declaration of Israel's Jewish character from the Palestinians "a mistake" in the diplomatic process.

"I think its a mistake for some people to be raising it again and again as the critical decider of their attitude toward the possibility of a state, and peace, and we've obviously made that clear," Kerry told the House Foreign Relations Committee, in a hearing on budget matters.

Netanyahu has said that the PLO's public recognition of Israel as a Jewish state is a "minimal requirement for peace," and considers the issue fundamental to the conflict: Arab refusal to accept a permanent Jewish presence in the region.

From Ancient Persia To Hitler's Germany To Modern Iran, Purim Reminds Us Of God's Love And Protection Of The Jewish People From Those Who Seek To Annihilate Them

Israel and the Jewish people face many threats these days — from a nuclear Iran, from terrorist rocket fire out of Gaza, from Syrian chemical weapons, and from rising anti-Semitism and a global movement to isolate and delegitimize Israel, especially pernicious in Europe, to name just a few.  

Sometimes Jews wonder, “Why are we the Chosen People? How has that worked out well for us? The Pharoah chose us. Hitler chose us. Stalin chose us. The ayatollahs chose us. Choose someone else, Lord, please!” It’s a sad but understandable sentiment.

As we see current threats — and as we remember the horrors of the Holocaust and the Nazi regime’s determination to annihilate all the Jews of Europe — we need to remember that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob has never forgotten or forsaken the people He sovereignly chosen. We have, all too often, forgotten Him. But He has never forgotten us.

Indeed, that is why His Word commanded us to celebrate Purim, which takes place this weekend.

Purim is the Jewish holiday that celebrates the remarkable story of how the God of Israel used two faithful believers — Esther and Mordechai — and a movement of prayer and fasting to rescue the Jewish people from an evil Persian regime determine to annihilate them.

Remember: the evil Persian leader Haman literally used the language of annihilation all those years ago. As we read in Esther 3:13, “Letters were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all the Jews, both young and old, women and children, in one day….”

The Bible tells believers throughout the ages to celebrate this important holiday. This weekend, I will be teaching at a Baptist church in Tampa about the Jewish holiday of Purim, and why it is so important, and how from ancient Persia to Hitler’s Germany to modern Iran, Purim reminds us of God’s faithful love for and sovereign protection of the Jewish people from those who seek to destroy them.

This Round Of The Undeclared Iranian-Israeli War: The Jihad Missile Offensive

The Israeli Air force struck 7 terrorist targets in southern Gaza Thursday, March 13, after a second round of rockets were fired at Ashkelon and Ashdod. The Jihad Islami then reported a ceasefire was negotiated through Egypt. This was not confirmed by Israel. Earlier, Israel’s security cabinet met to determine how the IDF should handle Jihad Islami’s massive assault of 70 missiles against Israel Wednesday, executed on orders from its boss, Al Qods Brigades chief Gen. Qassem Soleimani, as payback for Israel's seizure of an Iranian missile ship last week. 

 Military sources reported that the barrage had consisted of up 100 rockets fired, but one-third fell short and exploded inside the Gaza Strip. Israel hit back overniight Wednesday with 29 air strikes against its positions.

Palestinians in their first round aimed for the shock effect of surprise rather than precise targeting and so most of the rockets landed outside residential areas. Jihad possesses more accurate weapons with far longer ranges than those used Wednesday, but held them back until Thursday.

Israel and Iran are conducting an unusual kind of war: Israel has struck Iranian and allied military targets in Syria, Lebanon, the Gaza Strip and the Red Sea. Tehran has hit back by activating allied Palestinian and Lebanese pro-Hizballah terrorist organizations against Israel. Israeli reprisals were confined to air strikes on empty terrorist buildings.

But the Jihad was ordered - or tempted - to carry on.
The Jewish festival of Purim begins Friday, March 14, with children parading in costume and carnivals in Israeli towns, presenting an attractive target for provoking violence that would spread to additional sectors in southern Israel, or even Sinai and northern Israel’s borders with Syria and Lebanon.

The first three rockets fired from the Gaza Strip Thursday morning appeared to have come from Salafist groups linked to al Qaeda. They also demonstrated the tinderbox quality of the atmosphere around Israel’s borders and provided Jihad with a surrogate of its own for blasting Israel untouchably from Egyptian Sinai.

Russia MAsses 80,000 Troops On Ukraine Border

Ukraine warned last night that 80,000 Russian troops were massing on its borders and could invade – as world leaders told Vladimir Putin to back off.

A senior security chief in Kiev said Moscow could launch a full-scale invasion and Russian troops would be in the Ukrainian capital within ‘two or three hours’ of the order to advance.

Photographs of Russian tanks and armoured personnel carriers close to Ukraine’s borders added to tensions.

Last night senior British officials told the Mail they had received reports about Russian troops massing on the border since Tuesday and were concerned by the show of force.

British intelligence is unsure whether the movements are intended to back up the annexation of Crimea, preparation for an invasion or simply defensive.

Moscow’s show of force came as Ukraine’s new prime minister, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, met Barack Obama in the Oval Office and Nato continued military exercises in Poland.

On a day of rising tensions, G7 leaders, including David Cameron and Mr Obama, warned Russia not to annexe the Crimea after a referendum on Sunday in the province, which has been taken over by pro-Putin troops.

Andriy Parubiy, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, yesterday said that even Kiev may not be safe from Putin’s troops, who were regrouping in ‘an offensive manner’.

Mr Parubiy claimed the forces massing included ‘over 80,000 personnel, up to 270 tanks, 180 armoured vehicles, 380 artillery systems, 18 multiple-launch missile systems, 140 combat aircraft, 90 combat helicopters and 19 warships and cutters’.

He added: ‘Critical is the situation not only in Crimea, but along the entire north-eastern frontier. In fact, Russian troop units are two or three hours of travel from Kiev.’

Former Putin adviser Andrey Illarionov predicted this week that in addition to Crimea, his ex-boss intends to annex other major cities in Ukraine, including Kharkiv, Donetsk, Dnepropetrovsk, Lugansk, Zaporozhye, Kherson and Odessa.

Pictures of Russian armoured vehicles on the move in regions close to the Ukrainian border – said to have been taken on Monday – include motorised infantry vehicles and tanks. The military movements are also said to include Grad BM-21 multiple rocket launch vehicles.

Russian Troops Mass At Ukraine Border

China Warns Of Dangerous Russian Sanctions 'Spiral'

China's top envoy to Germany has warned the West against punishing Russia with sanctions for its intervention inUkraine, saying such measures could lead to a dangerous chain reaction that would be difficult to control.

In an interview with Reuters days before the European Union is threatening to impose its first sanctions on Russia since the Cold War, ambassador Shi Mingde issued the strongest warning against such measures by any top Chinese official to date.

"We don't see any point in sanctions," Shi said. "Sanctions could lead to retaliatory action, and that would trigger a spiral with unforeseeable consequences. We don't want this."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has taken the lead in trying to mediate in the crisis, has said the measures, which mirror steps announced by the United States, will be imposed on Monday unless Russia accepts the idea of a "contact group" to resolve the crisis diplomatically.

Using her toughest rhetoric since the crisis began, she warned in a speech in parliament on Thursday that Russia risked "massive" political and economic damage if it did not change course in the coming days.

U.S.: Russia Has Until Monday To Reverse Course In Ukraine

Secretary of State John Kerry warned of serious repercussions forRussia on Monday if last-ditch talks over the weekend to resolve the crisis in Ukraine failed to persuade Moscow to soften its stance.

Kerry will travel to London for a Friday meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov ahead of a Sunday referendum vote in theCrimea region to secede from Ukraine and join the Russian Federation

The U.S. and Europe on Monday would then unite to impose sanctions on Russia, Kerry told aSenate Appropriations subcommittee Thursday during a hearing on the State Department'sbudget.

“There will be a response of some kind to the referendum itself,” Kerry said. “If there is no sign [from Russia] of any capacity to respond to this issue ... there will be a very serious series of steps on Monday.”

“Our hope is to have Russia join in respecting international law. ... There is no justification, no legality to this referendum that is taking place,” he said. “The hope is that reason will prevail but there is no guarantee of that.”

A Nervous Region Eyes Robust Chinese Response To Missing Plane

From high-resolution satellites to advanced warships, China's military build-up is on full display in the hunt for a missing Malaysian jetliner - putting Asia on notice as to what Beijing might do in the future to further assert its regional presence.

Now in its sixth day, the search for the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 and its 239 passengers and crew has exposed tensions between Beijing and Kuala Lumpur, with Chinese officials from Premier Li Keqiang on down criticizing Malaysia's handling of the crisis. China has sent a team of envoys and investigators to Malaysia to deepen its involvement.

While Beijing's concerns reflect, in part, public anxiety over the fate of more than 150 Chinese on board Flight MH370, the search comes at a time when China has been flexing its muscles in the disputed South and East China Seas.

One aerospace and defense industry source with years of experience in the region said the Chinese response would stick in the minds of its neighbors.

"This is a demonstration of force in a peaceful context," said the source, who declined to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

China has deployed four warships, four coastguard vessels, eight aircraft and trained 10 satellites on a wide search area far from mainland China. Chinese media have described the ship deployment as the largest Chinese rescue fleet ever assembled.

The missing plane's last reported contact with civilian radar was near the mouth of the Gulf of Thailand, which opens into the South China Sea. The aircraft was bound for Beijing after taking off from Kuala Lumpur.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang on Monday acknowledged Malaysia had the "main responsibility" for both the search and the follow-up investigation. He added, however, that Beijing had a responsibility not only to participate but to "demand and urge" Malaysia to step up its efforts.

6.1 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes In Sea Off Japan