Tipping Points

At some point we will reach a tipping point in the Middle East that will ignite the coming wars. When this happens, the dominoes will fall and fall rapidly and these fallen dominoes will lead directly into the Tribulation. Time is short as we enter the last days of the last days. What will the tipping point be? Syria? Iran? The ISIS incursion and Israeli intervention? Gaza/Hamas? Russia? Pick one - they are all converging as we would expect.

Expect Retaliation for Israeli Teens' Murders

No one should be surprised at the kidnapping and murders of three Israeli teenagers (two of whom were just 16 years old): Naftali Frenkel, Gilad Shaar, Eyal Yifrach. All were dumped in a field.
Welcome to the “resistance,” Hamas style. Though it’s not yet clear who specifically authorized this attack, at present the evidence suggests Hamas is responsible. Suspicion has centered on two suspects in particular.

What comes next? Ultimately, only Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu knows. That being said, it’s likely that this incident will lead to significant Israeli retaliation. Thus far, the political reaction has been fierce. Chairing an emergency cabinet meeting, Netanyahu stated that “Hamas is responsible, and Hamas will pay.” Other members of his conservative coalition government have matched this sentiment. According to nationalist leader Naftali Bennett, “Now is the time for actions, not talk.” Israel’s hawkish foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, has ended his trip to Europe. “We will . . . punish the villainous terrorists with a firm hand,” said the normally conciliatory Israeli president, Shimon Peres. “Our war on terror will only grow . . . such that this murderous terror will not dare raise its head.”

There’s a special anger to this reaction. It reflects three things: first, the popular fury in Israel at the evil of this act; second, the context of escalating rocket fire from Hamas and Islamic Jihad; third, Israel’s deeper anger at Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas’s unity government with Hamas. On this last point, it’s worth noting that Bennett last week referred to Abbas as a “mega terrorist.” From the Israeli far right, Abbas is seen as irredeemable. Facing this outrage, Netanyahu will come under major pressure from Bennett and Lieberman to respond with a sustained military campaign. It’s notable that even before the bodies were found, Lieberman was calling for a reoccupation of Gaza. Netanyahu may himself now favor such action. After all, over the past few days, the Israeli prime minister has warned Hamas that continued rocket fire from Gaza would meet escalation.

It’s equally important to remember that Netanyahu will view this attack in light of Israel’s broader security interests. Over the past few days, Netanyahu has called for a new security perimeter on Israel’s eastern border with Jordan. Netanyahu says this is about countering ISIS. (In part, it’s also about water politics.) Nevertheless, Netanyahu is clearly seeking to bolster Israel’s security posture in an increasingly unstable region. Moreover, recognizing Iran’s intimate links with Hamas, Israel in retaliating is likely to be guided by another strategic intent: deterring Iran’s pursuit of hegemony and, in particular, its ongoing nuclear-development program. On Wednesday, the P5+1 will meet with Iran in new nuclear talks. Netanyahu has long doubted the credibility of this process and wants to show that his understanding of Israeli security interests is unbound from the Obama administration.
Regardless, this attack will shake the foundations of Israeli–Palestinian dialogue. Unless Abbas responds by breaking relations with Hamas, Israel will probably continue tightening its security restrictions over both Gaza and the West Bank. At least in the short term, Israel’s appetite for compromise probably died along with those three boys.

To be sure, many will condemn Israeli retaliation when it comes. That’s no surprise. Intoxicated by the mystique of “resistance,” Hamas has manipulated a growing international hostility against Israel. Take the growing academic boycott movement, for example. This idiocy masks the truth: In the end, Hamas terrorists are unrepentant, anti-Semitic killers committed to Israel’s obliteration. Hamas claims to defend innocent Palestinians but then uses them as human shields. Hamas claims to support democracy but then massacres its political opponents. Hamas claims to oppose injustice but revels in the murder of children (remember the Dolphinarium).

Ministers Split On Military Response To Teens' Killings

Government ministers argued bitterly Monday night about Israel’s proper response to the killing of three abducted teenagers whose bodies had been found that afternoon. While right-wing cabinet members called for an immediate and extensive operation to punish Hamas and severely damage the organization’s capabilities, as well as expanding settlement construction, others, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, did not want to rush to action and seemed to prefer a more measured response.

After three hours, the cabinet session ended without conclusions. Another session was scheduled for Tuesday evening.

During Monday’s stormy session, economy minister and Jewish Home party chairman Naftali Bennett listed eight possible actions Israel should take, including launching a major operation against Hamas in Gaza, freezing Hamas funds currently in banks in the West Bank, increasing Israeli construction in the West Bank, and imposing the death penalty on terrorists tried by a military court, a source who attended the meeting told the Haaretz daily.

 “The response currently being discussed is weak to the point of disgracefulness,” he reportedly exclaimed. “There was a grave incident of a kidnapping of three children who were executed at point-blank range. Such a weak response to an event so severe will guarantee the next kidnapping.”

Surprisingly, perhaps, Ya’alon disagreed with Bennett, saying his recommendations could spark an escalation that might be difficult to control. It could even lead to a new war, Ya’alon warned. “Do we really want a war in Gaza now?” the defense minister asked rhetorically, according to the source, to which Bennett replied that an eventual war with Gaza was inevitable. “It’s preferable that we’re the ones who initiate it.”

NBC: ISIS Developing Advanced Bomb Making Skills

NBC reported Monday that ISIS now poses a high threat to the United States as they enhance their military capabilities with bomb-making skills and suicide bombers.

According to NBC’s Richard Engel, reporting from Baghdad, “Several counterterrorism officials tell NBC News the threat from ISIS to American interests is, quote, ‘extremely high.’ They say ISIS is developing advanced bomb-making skills and cultivating a roster of foreign suicide bombers who could target the U.S. and Europe–and they’re bragging about it.”

One fighter, interviewed by NBC, called Iraq and Syria “just the beginning.”

Engel also reported that militants “have positions not very far from the airport” and “have captured artillery which would allow them potentially to attack the airport from afar.”

Engel added that there is “One saving grace–ISIS, savage and intolerant, is generally losing support wherever it goes.”

“But,” Engel continued, “hated or not, ISIS has carved out a safe haven in the heart of the Middle East that may now be the most dangerous terrorist sanctuary in the world.”

Et Voila: World War III

Things are happening at lightning speed over in the region and beware of how the turmoil spreads from one flashpoint to another. This would be an opportunity for ISIS to put the Saud family on the spot regarding the just-announced Caliphate — as in the question: who really calls the shots for this new theocratic kingdom? (Answer: maybe not you, doddering, mummified, America suck-up Saudi Arabia). What’s more, what happens to the other kingdoms and rickety states in that corner of the world? For instance, Lebanon, which has been a sort of political demolition derby for three decades. The founder of the group al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), pre-cursor to ISIS, was the Lebanese Abu Mus‘ab al-Zarqawi — blown up in a USA air strike some years ago. Lebanon has been under the sway of Hezbollah for a decade and Hezbollah is sponsored by Shi’ite Iran, making it an enemy of ISIS. Might ISIS roll westward over Hezbollah now to capture the pearl of the Mediterranean (or what’s left of it) Beirut? I wouldn’t be surprised.

Then there’s Jordan, and it’s youngish King Abdullah, another notorious USA ass-kisser. Those crucifixion photos coming out of Syria must be making him a little loose in the bowels. And, of course, Syria, where this whole thing started, is a smoldering rump-roast of a state. And finally, that bugbear in the bull’s-eye of the old Levant: Israel.

It is miraculous that Israel has managed so far to stay out of the way of this juggernaut. Of course, among its chief enemies are Hezbollah and Hezbollah’s foster father, Iran, which happen to be the enemy of ISIS and, of course, in that part of the world the enemy of my enemy is my ally — though, I’m sorry, it’s rather impossible to imagine Israel getting all chummy with the psychopaths of ISIS. One thing is a fact: all other things being equal, Israel has the capability of turning any other state or kingdom in region into an ashtray, if push came to shove. Voila: World War Three.

Remaining Snowden Docs Will Be Released To Avert 'Unspecified U.S. War'

All the remaining Snowden documents will be released next month, according t‪o‬ whistle-blowing site ‪Cryptome, which said in a tweet that the release of the info by unnamed third parties would be necessary to head off an unnamed "war".‬
‪Cryptome‬ said it would "aid and abet" the release of "57K to 1.7M" new documents that had been "withheld for national security-public debate [sic]".

The site clarified that will not bepublishing the documents itself.
Transparency activists would welcome such a release but such a move would be heavily criticised by inteligence agencies and military officials, who argue that Snowden's dump of secret documents has set US and allied (especially British) intelligence efforts back by years.

As things stand, the flow of Snowden disclosures is controlled by those who have access to the Sn‪o‬wden archive, which might possibly include Snowden confidants such as Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras. In some cases, even when these people release information to mainstream media organisations, it is then suppressed by these organisations after negotiation with the authorities. (In one such case, some key facts were laterrevealed by the Register.)

"July is when war begins unless headed off by Snowden full release of crippling intel. After war begins not a chance of release," Cryptome tweeted on its official feed.

"Warmongerers are on a rampage. So, yes, citizens holding Snowden docs will do the right thing," it said.
"For more on Snowden docs release in July watch for Ellsberg, special guest and others at HOPE, July 18-20: http://www.hope.net/schedule.html," it added.
HOPE (Hackers On Planet Earth) is a well-regarded and long-running hacking conference organised by 2600 magazine. Previous speakers at the event have included Kevin Mitnick, Steve Wozniak and Jello Biafra.

Government Stops Glenn Greenwald From Publishing His Big Snowden Revelation...But Others Will Release ALL of The Snowden Documents To Prevent A War

It’s been a dramatic day for whistleblowing news.

A month ago, Glenn Greenwald announced that he was going to publish his biggest story yet:  the names of those the NSA has been spying on.

Earlier today, Greenwald tweeted that he would finally publish the story tonight at midnight.

8 hours later, he tweeted:

After 3 months working on our story, USG [the United States government] today suddenly began making new last-minute claims which we intend to investigate before publishing

Many responded that it’s  a trap, and that the government is dishonestly and illegally censoring Greewald.

At the same time, Cryptome announced that all of the Snowden documents will be released in July … supposedly in order to avert a war.

As the Daily Register notes:

All the remaining Snowden documents will be released next month, according t‪o‬ whistle-blowing site ‪Cryptome, which said in a tweet that the release of the info by unnamed third parties would be necessary to head off an unnamed “war”.‬

‪Cryptome‬ said it would “aid and abet” the release of “57K to 1.7M” new documents that had been “withheld for national security-public debate [sic]“.

The site clarified that will not be publishing the documents itself.

***

“July is when war begins unless headed off by Snowden full release of crippling intel. After war begins not a chance of release,” Cryptome tweeted on its official feed. “Warmongerers are on a rampage. So, yes, citizens holding Snowden docs will do the right thing,” it said.

“For more on Snowden docs release in July watch for Ellsberg, special guest and others at HOPE, July 18-20: http://www.hope.net/schedule.html,” it added.