Netanyahu: I Am Being Attacked Because I Defend Israel, U.S. And Israel: A Fractured Alliance Becomes An Open Conflict

Netanyahu: I Am Being Attacked Because I defend Israel

"I respect our ties with the US," Prime Minister Netanyahu said Wednesday in his first public comment after reports revealed unprecedented criticism of Netanyahu from the White House, brining tensions with the US to a new time high.

"I am being attacked because I'm defending Israel," Netanyahu told the Knesset.

Knesset Speaker Slams U.S. Criticism Of Netanyahu As Disrespectful

Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein commented on unprecedented criticism of Prime Minister Netanyahu by US officials, saying that "the unrestrained criticism at Israel and its leader, as attributed to 'unnamed' White House officials – have crossed a line."

Edelstein added that "I suggest those anonymous officials take a lesson from the American people, who show respect to every president."  

PM Says Personal Attacks Will Not Defer Him From Defending State

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that he will not be deterred from “defending Israel” by personal attacks, in response to a report that quoted an anonymous US official calling him a “chickenshit.”

“I was personally attacked purely because I defend Israel, and despite all the attacks against me, I will continue to defend our country, I will continue to defend the citizens of Israel,” Netanyahu told the Knesset.

The prime minister made his comments following the publication of a story in the Atlantic that portrayed the rift between the US and Israel as a “full-blown crisis.”

The report quoted one Obama administration official calling Netanyahu a “chickenshit,” and others saying they increasingly see the Israeli leader as acting out of a “near-pathological desire for career-preservation” and not much more.

Earlier in the day, Netanyahu’s fellow Likud party-members came to his defense.

“The unrestrained criticism against Israel and its leader quoted today from “officials” in the White House crossed all lines,” Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein said in his opening remarks to the parliament Wednesday. “You can have disagreements, but in diplomatic relations — certainly among close allies — it is appropriate to maintain a respectful dialogue.”

International Relations Minister Yuval Steinitz charged that insulting the prime minister was tantamount to insulting the Israeli people.

“The prime minister of Israel is not a private [citizen] and he represents the position of the democratic and sovereign State of Israel and its constant fear for its existence and security,” Steinitz said in a statement. “Therefore offensive comments toward him are insults against the State of Israel and its citizens.

Obama And Netanyahu: A Fractured Alliance Becomes Open Conflict

Very publicly, very nastily, and very worryingly, we are witnessing the collapse of an alliance.

Not between the United States and Israel — the ties run too deep, and the common interests (if not necessarily the common values) are abiding. But between their current leaderships, the Obama administration and the Netanyahu government.

Each regards the other as arrogant, incompetent, wrongheaded and ill-intentioned.

And here’s what’s new: Neither much cares anymore about hiding it. A fracturing partnership has given way to open conflict.

How and why has it come to this?

The Obama administration, most emphatically including the president and the secretary of state, believes that Israeli building anywhere over the pre-1967 lines deepens Palestinian and wider Arab hostility to Israel and, by extension, to the United States — especially when there are no Israeli-Palestinian peace talks going on. It believes settlements are destroying international support for Israel. It is aghast at the announcement of more construction plans in recent days, as the drumbeat of a possible third intifada — weeks of Palestinian violence in Jerusalem escalating and spreading to the West Bank — grows louder.

The administration’s opposition might be less vehement if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly declared that he would not be approving new construction outside East Jerusalem’s Jewish neighborhoods and the major settlement blocs, areas Israel intends to retain under any permanent accord, and if he backed Palestinian building in West Bank areas that would come under Palestinian sovereignty under such an accord.

But as things stand, the criticisms are coming fast and bitter, with administration spokespeople openly musing on whether Israel “wants to live in a peaceful society” and warning that East Jerusalem housing plans will “distance Israel from even its closest allies.” The use of the term “chickenshit” by an unnamed administration official to describe Netanyahu in an article by Jeffrey Goldberg on Tuesday marks a descent into outright vulgarity that may well be unprecedented in the annals of US-Israel ties.

Relations Between Netanyahu And U.S. Admin Reach New Lows

What does this deterioration in relations hold in store for Israel? It may be unsurprising come post the November mid-term elections to see the Obama administration take the gloves off and even publicly laying down the terms for an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians including delineating the two-state solutions borders. This is something that will not go down lightly with the Israeli government. There is an increasing likelihood that the US administration could even withhold defense of Israel against hostile resolutions.

Does This Look Like A Housing Recovery To You?

We just learned that the homeownership rate in the United States has fallen to the lowest level in 19 years.  But of course this is not a new trend.  As you will see in this article, the homeownership rate in the United States has been a continual decline for more than 7 years.  Obviously this is not a sign of a healthy economy.  Traditionally, homeownership has been one of the key indicators that you belong to the middle class.  When people define "the American Dream", it is usually one of the first things mentioned.  So if the percentage of Americans that own a home has been steadily going down for 7 years in a row, what does that tell us about the health of the middle class in this country?

Also see:

The Pope's Embrace Of Evolution Brings Us One Step Closer To A One-World Religion

U.S. General: N Korea Now Has Nuclear Warheads For Missiles

U.S. Anger At Israel 'Red Hot', Bennett: U.S. Planning To Throw Israel 'Under The Wheels Of The Bus'

U.S. Anger At Netanyahu Said 'Red-Hot' As Ties Hit New Low

American anger at the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “red hot” and the relationship between Israel and the US is now in a “full-blown crisis,” The Atlantic reported Tuesday.

The piece, by Jeffrey Goldberg, observed the extraordinarily harsh tone now used in increasingly regular and open fashion by Obama administration officials in reference to Jerusalem leaders, chiefly among them Netanyahu. One senior administration official was quoted by the publication as calling the Israeli prime minister “a chickenshit,” referring to what he saw as the premier’s pandering to his political base for fear of electoral defeat, his refusal to make any diplomatic headway with the Palestinians and moderate Arab states, and his fear of initiating wars.

US officials increasingly see the Israeli leader as acting out of a “near-pathological desire for career-preservation” and not much more, the article claimed.

“The good thing about Netanyahu is that he’s scared to launch wars,” the senior official said, referring to the prime minister’s ongoing — but so far unrealized — threats to strike Iran to stop its nuclear program. “The bad thing about him is that he won’t do anything to reach an accommodation with the Palestinians or with the Sunni Arab states. The only thing he’s interested in is protecting himself from political defeat.

“He’s not [Yitzhak] Rabin, he’s not [Ariel] Sharon, he’s certainly no [Menachem] Begin. He’s got no guts.”

Diplomatic rhetoric has heated up in recent days as the US used strong terms to condemn Netanyahu’s Monday approval for a thousand new homes in Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem. State Department Spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Israel’s continued building across the Green Line was “incompatible with their stated desire to live in a peaceful society.”

But Netanyahu rebuffed the criticism from American, European and Palestinian leaders.

“We have built in Jerusalem, we are building in Jerusalem and we will continue to build in Jerusalem,” Netanyahu said. “I have heard a claim that our construction in Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem makes peace more distant. It is the criticism which is making peace more distant.”

But while Netanyahu’s “recalcitrance” has long frustrated Washington, Goldberg wrote, it is his apparent contempt and open derision for American leaders that has sparked fury there. According to the piece, Netanyahu has told several sources that he has “written off” the Obama administration and, should the US finalize a deal with Iran that is not to Israel’s liking, will bypass the White House and speak directly to Congress and the American public against such a deal.

Goldberg observed that the relationship between Obama, Netanyahu and their respective cabinets was “the worst it’s ever been, and it stands to get significantly worse after the November midterm elections,” at which point, the piece claimed, the Obama administration may remove its gloves and stop protecting Israel at the UN. While Washington is likely to continue opposing any unilateral Palestinian statehood bid, it may help draft an anti-settlement resolution, the article suggested, which would be catastrophic for Israel’s international standing.

Riffing on Netanyahu’s statements that US strong criticism of East Jerusalem construction was “disconnected from reality,” Goldberg asserted that, on the verge of a third Palestinian uprising and facing increasing international isolation in its defiance of world opinion, it is “the Netanyahu government that appears to be disconnected from reality.” He also called the Israeli right’s message of “the whole world is against us. Only we can protect Israel” disastrous for Israel’s standing as a US ally.

On the issue of Iran and the possibility of a preventative Israeli strike on its nuclear facilities, another US official quoted in the article said it was now too late for Israel to take action and Washington no longer believed it would attempt to do so.

““It’s too late for [Netanyahu] to do anything,” the official said. “Two, three years ago, this was a possibility. But ultimately he couldn’t bring himself to pull the trigger. It was a combination of our pressure and his own unwillingness to do anything dramatic. Now it’s too late.”

Bennett: 'U.S. Planning To Throw Israel Under The Wheels Of The Bus'

Economy Minister Naftali Bennett responded to reports that officials at the White House refer to Prime Minister Netanyahu as "chickenshit" and said, "Israel is stronger than all of its assailants. Netanyahu is not a private person, but the leader of the Jewish country.

Serious curses such as these towards the prime minister of Israel are hurtful to millions of Israeli citizens and Jews around the world."

Bennett added, "If what was written is true, the current government is planning to throw Israel under the wheels of the bus. I call for the US government to renounce these provocative insults and reject them out hand."

Netanyahu's Office On U.S. Criticism: 'There is No Pressure'

Officials in the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed criticism of American officials and said that "Netanyahu will continue to meet the security interests of Israel's citizens and the rights of the Jewish people in Jerusalem. No pressure will change that."

Netanyahu Described As 'Chicken***t' By American Official

Is Washington taking off the gloves when it comes to Israel? Amid the latest tensions in U.S.-Israel relations, journalist Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic on Tuesday quoted unnamed officials in Washington who launched a verbal tirade against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.
“The thing about Bibi is, he’s a chickens**t,” the senior Obama administration official told Goldberg, who referred to Netanyahu as “the foreign leader who seems to frustrate the White House and the State Department the most.”

“Over the years, Obama administration officials have describedNetanyahu to me as recalcitrant, myopic, reactionary, obtuse, blustering, pompous, and ‘Aspergery,’” wrote Goldberg, who is considered close to President Barack Obama.

“But I had not previously heard Netanyahu described as a ‘chickens**t.’ I thought I appreciated the implication of this description, but it turns out I didn’t have a full understanding. From time to time, current and former administration officials have described Netanyahu as a national leader who acts as though he is mayor of Jerusalem, which is to say, a no-vision small-timer who worries mainly about pleasing the hardest core of his political constituency,” wrote Goldberg.

Another official quoted by Goldberg said that Netanyahu is also a “coward” on the issue of Iran’s nuclear threat.

The official said the Obama administration no longer believes thatNetanyahu would launch a preemptive strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities in order to keep the regime in Tehran from building an atomic arsenal.

“The feeling now is that Bibi’s bluffing [on Iraq],” this second official said. “He’s not Begin at Osirak,” the official added, referring to the successful 1981 Israeli Air Force raid ordered by the ex-prime minister on Iraq’s nuclear reactor.

The latest crisis in Israel-U.S. relations revolves around Netanyahu’sgiving instructions for the building of about 660 homes in Ramat Shlomo, in northern Jerusalem, and about 400 more in Har Homa, in the capital's southern section. All of the tenders had been slated for construction from as far back as 2010.

On Monday night, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki responded to the move by saying Washington was "deeply concerned" by the reports and American embassy officials were having high-level talks with Israeli leaders to seek more information.

Netanyahu fired back on Tuesday, declaring that Israel would continueto build Jewish homes in Jerusalem.
"I heard an argument that the construction of Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem distances [the Middle East from] peace," Netanyahu added. "It is this criticism which distances peace."
"These statements are detached from reality, they are harboring false statements made by the Palestinians."

This is not the first time, however, that tensions between Israeli and American officials have publicly surfaced. Just last week, Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon was snubbed by the Obama administration during a visit to Washington, and was denied meetings with Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry.

This was likely done due to Ya’alon’s comments from several months ago,when he was quoted as having described Kerry as "obsessive and messianic."

In a more recent incident, Kerry blamed Israel for the rise in global jihadism, insisting that Israel "humiliated" the Palestinian Arabs and that it has led to a "loss of dignity," leading to a recruitment draw toward ISIS. 

In response, Economy Minister Naftali Bennett fired back at Kerry, saying, "Even when a British Muslim beheads a British Christian, there will always be those who blame the Jews.”

"We don't justify terror; we fight terror," he added. "The Israeli-Palestinian conflict statement encourages ISIS, and is a boost to terrorism worldwide."

Earlier this month, Netanyahu said that the criticism of Israel's plans to build in Jerusalem was “baffling. It’s against the American values. And it doesn’t bode well for peace,” Netanyahu said. “The idea that we’d have this ethnic purification as a condition for peace, I think it’s anti-peace.”

4 Palestinians Wounded In Clashes With The IDF Near Jenin



Islamists Angry Over Jerusalem Mayor's Temple Mount Visit

Isis Threatens Lebanon

'We Have To Defend Our Land': Lebanese Christians Organize In Self Defense

The threat of Islamic State has crossed the borders of Syria to neighboring Lebanon, making Christians there arm themselves to defend their land and families from the extremists. RT goes to the Syrian-Lebanese border, to meet the militias.

More than 20 people have been killed in northern Lebanon in clashes between the army and Sunni militants in the past four days. AP quoted Lebanese security officials as saying that 12 soldiers and 10 civilians were killed while 92 soldiers and 63 civilians have been wounded since Friday.

"With the Syrian war next door, we have many troubles, many suspicious people come here, we have to be on high alert. We have to defend our land from terrorists, from ISIS and Nusra Front [al-Qaeda branch operating in the area," Abu Tony, a militia member of the town of Qaa in north-western Lebanon told RT.

Qaa militia patrol the border area every night, with thousands of Islamic State fighters and other jihadists reportedly massing on the border with Lebanon near the town of Arsal, less than 20 miles away.

There are concerns the militants are about to launch an onslaught against the Christian population in the region.

"Behind this mountain there are militants and they always try to infiltrate here. Last time, just five days ago, with fought with them and killed most of them," Abu Georges of Qaa militia told RT.

The men of Qaa, which is situated some three miles from the Syrian border, organized themselves six months ago. There are around 300 in the group, with more self-defenders expected to join the militia forces.

Thousands of civilians had to flee their homes in northern Lebanon's Tripoli area over the weekend, under the threat of Islamic State militants attack.

Christians maintain considerable power in Lebanon, with estimates suggesting the number is roughly equal to Muslims. The exact percent of Christian believers has been disputed for decades, with the last official census conducted in the country in 1932, but studies show there might be up to 40 percent currently living in Lebanon.

According to a report, published at the start of the year by a group monitoring persecution of Christians worldwide, at least 2,100 Christians died because of their beliefs in 2013. Most of the dead were in Syria, where radical Islamist groups have clamped down on a long-established religious minority.

Abbas Calls For Emergency UN Security Council Meeting On Jerusalem

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas submitted a request Monday for an emergency UN Security Council meeting to discuss the unrest in Jerusalem, the Palestinian Ma’an News Agency reported.

According to the communique, the Palestinian leader is calling for international intervention to stop “Israeli violations” in Jerusalem, and alleged “attacks” by “settlers” at the al-Aqsa Mosque.

Abbas’s spokesman said the PA would ask the UN to prevent further building over the Green Line, amid reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved 1,000 new units in East Jerusalem Monday.

Earlier Monday, Abbas said news of the planned 1,000 new homes would spur Ramallah to continue its drive for statehood.

“These developments push us to decide and turn to international agencies and the [UN] Security Council as soon as possible,” Abbas said in a statement.

“This announcement amounts to evidence of an intent to further commit crimes defined by and punishable under international law,” Saeb Erekat, a top aide to Abbas and former chief peace negotiator, said in a release from his office.

Abbas sent an urgent message to the United States Sunday, asking the administration to stop “Israeli escalations” in East Jerusalem.

According to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA, Abbas emphasized what he described as “incursions by extremist settlers” into the al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount. He warned that Israeli actions around holy sites would lead to a dangerous and uncontrollable “explosion.”

Netanyahu Promises To Keep Building In Jerusalem

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Monday’s opening of the Knesset winter session defended Israel’s right to build in Jerusalem and criticized the Palestinians for making unreasonable demands for peace.

As several MKs from Arab and left-wing parties interrupted his speech, Netanyahu plowed ahead, declaring that Israel has the same right to build in Jerusalem as other nations do in their own capital cities, and that there was a wide consensus in Israel to continue building throughout the city, as every government has done since Israel captured east Jerusalem in the 1967 war.

“There is wide agreement among the public that Israel has the full right to build the Jewish neighborhoods of Jerusalem,” the prime minister said. “Every Israeli government in the last 50 years did that, and it is also clear to the Palestinians that those places will stay under Israeli control in any mutual agreement.”

“The French build in Paris, the English build in London, the Israelis build in Jerusalem. Should we tell Jews not to live in Jerusalem because it will stir things up?” Netanyahu asked.

“Israelis pray for ‘next year in the rebuilt Jerusalem,'” he continued. “And you tell us not to build in Jerusalem? We are building, just like we built since the start of the state. On that there needs to be a clear agreement.”

He added: “Building is the natural answer to those who want to remove us from our land. They want death and we are building life.”

“The violence against us is not an outcome of the building in Jerusalem,” he said. “Terror comes from our enemies’ desire that we shouldn’t be here at all, in no place and in no part of Jerusalem. Not in Tel Aviv, or Haifa. Since the dawn of Zionism, construction has been the natural and crushing answer to those are harassing our existence and want to uproot us from our land. They want death, and we build here for life.”

Also see:

How Will The Stock Market React To The End Of Quantitative Easing?

U.S. Admin Plans To Import Ebola-Infected Patients From Other Countries

NASA: Revisiting Out Vulnerability To Solar Flares

Heavy Rioting In E. Jerusalem, Worldwide Surge In 'Great' Earthquakes, A Spirit Of Fear

This first article should be read by all of us, particularly at this time:

A Spirit Of Fear

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love (1 John 4:18).

There’s lots of fear mongering going on today. The word “monger” originally referred to a trader of commodities, but today it’s more often used to describe a person involved in something petty or contemptible.

You don’t have to look very far to find someone who’s only too willing to inform you about all the things you should fear, whether it’s financial collapse, food shortages, killer diseases, or the government secretly planning to lock you up in the FEMA camps they’ve been building so they can force you to take the mark of the beast.

Books and videos explaining signs from God that foretell of coming judgments are guaranteed to sell even if they are not always accurate in their interpretation of His word. 

This is because all around the world there is a growing expectation of judgment. Paul explained that even those who have no knowledge of God’s law intuitively know right from wrong (Romans 2:14-15), and even the most casual observers are beginning to sense that things are going wrong.

We recently compared current events in the world with the “birth pangs” Jesus described as indicators that the end of the Age was drawing near. We saw evidence that these indicators are steadily becoming more frequent and more intense as the time for the Second Coming approaches in the same way that birth pangs become more frequent and more intense as the time for the delivery of a new life approaches.

Many Christians are still deeply immersed in the world, and even though they are born again, the fearful attitudes of their unbelieving counterparts have begun occupying their minds as well. What with the evening news, the internet, radio and TV talk shows, and what passes for secular entertainment these days it’s no wonder.

The Bible warns us about letting the fears and uncertainties of this world infect our minds. In Matt. 6:25-34 Jesus repeatedly said, “Do not worry.” And in Matt. 13:22 He said the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of worldly wealth could stunt the growth of His word in our hearts and make us unfruitful. He said we should expect trouble in this world but to take heart because He has overcome the world (John 16:33). And about the times we’re in, He said, “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:28).

Notice that Jesus didn’t tell us to take heart because He would give us the strength to overcome the world ourselves. He said to take heart because He has overcome the world.  And He also said seeing the signs of the approaching End Times should cause us to stand up and lift up our heads because our redemption is drawing near. One of the great promises of the Bible is that we don’t have to be overtaken by events in this world, but can remain above them.

But because of our fallen nature, this doesn’t happen automatically. Our natural tendency is to mirror the attitudes of the world around us. We learn very early in life that this is how we get the people around us to accept us, and acceptance is one of our most basic human needs. That’s why so few of us are truly individuals. We’ve been working to fit in with the world around us since we were little children. By the time we reach adulthood it has become second nature to us. Most of us never come to understand that we are who we are primarily because we’ve learned to reflect the attitudes and habits of people whose acceptance has been important to us.

Jesus said there will be trouble in this word but to take heart because He has overcome the world (John 16:33). He said when the particular trouble the world is experiencing right now begins to take place we should stand up and lift up our heads because our redemption is drawing near (Luke 21:28). He said because we’ve kept His command to endure patiently He will keep us from the hour of trial that’s coming upon the whole world to test those who live on the Earth (Rev. 3:10). He said He will come back and take us to be with Him so that where He is we will also be (John 14:2-3).

Paul said Jesus will rescue us from the coming wrath (1 Thes. 1:10). He said we who are alive and are left will be caught up (raptured) to meet Him in the clouds and we will be with the Lord forever (1 Thes. 4:17). He said to encourage each other with these words (1 Thes. 4:18). He said events leading up to the end of the age should not take us by surprise (1 Thes. 5:4), and that we are not appointed to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through Christ our Lord (1 Thes. 5:9).

You know that these promises do not necessarily exempt you from any persecution or trial between now and the day He comes to take us, but you know you are a child of God (John 1:12-13) and because of that you can continue to endure patiently. Since He left to prepare a place for you, you know He will come back for you. When He does He will take you to His Father’s house, and you will dwell in the house of the Lord forever (John 14:2-3). You can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah. 10-25-14.

Heavy Rioting Erupts In East Jerusalem

In the mainly Arab neighborhoods of East Jerusalem, heavy rioting broke out again in the early hours of Sunday. Masked rioters threw stones and firebombs, blocked roads and set fire to trash cans. Attacks were perpetrated against the light rail tram once again. The rioting comes on the backdrop of a 14-year-old Palestinian shot and killed north of Ramallah. According to an army spokesman he was involved in rioting and was shot when he threw a fire-bomb at Israeli security forces on the main trans-Samaria highway.

In East Jerusalem at the outset of Shabbat Arab rioters set fire to garbage cans and attacked a yeshiva. One person was lightly injured by a stone. In the Silwan neighborhood of the city a cleaning vehicle involved in clearing debris from the previous day's violence was attacked by stone-throwers. Israeli police used riot dispersal methods and tear gas to disperse the rioters and several rioters were arrested overnight.

Israeli security forces fear further unrest this evening as the 21-year-old Palestinian terrorist, who perpetrated last week's light rail attack killing a three-month-old Jewish girl and injuring another 7 people, some seriously, is expected to be buried. The Palestinians have honored him as a "hero and a martyr." Police have bolstered their presence in the capital.

Worldwide Surge In 'Great' Earthquakes Seen In Past 10 Years

The annual number of “great” earthquakes nearly tripled over the last decade, providing a reminder to Americans that unruptured faults like those in the northwest United States might be due for a Big One.

Between 2004 and 2014, 18 earthquakes with magnitudes of 8.0 or more rattled subduction zones around the globe. That's an increase of 265 percent over the average rate of the previous century, which saw 71 great quakes, according to a report to the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America this week in Vancouver, British Columbia.

It’s clear that recent "great" earthquakes "triggered" related major quakes, says study author Thorne Lay, distinguished professor of earth and planetary sciences at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Ioyama Volcano Raises Fears Japan's Sendai Nuclear Power Plant May Be At Risk

FIRST it was an earthquake. Then it was a tsunami. Now Japan fears another nuclear disaster — this time because of a stirring volcano.

The Japan Times has reported a sleeping volcano next to its already damaged Sendai nuclear power facility has woken, and is beginning to shake.

The new activity comes barely a month after the sudden and unexpected eruption of Mount Ontake killed 57 hikers enjoying its until-then scenic slopes.

Volcanologists have warned that the enormous magnitude 9.0 earthquake of March 2011 may have increased the likelihood of volcanic activity throughout Japan — which sits on the “Ring of Fire” band of more than 100 volcanoes which forms the Pacific Rim.

Now the signs appear to be proving them right.

Iceland Volcano Sits On Hottest Bit Of North Atlantic Mantle Plume

Mighty eruptions at a volcano in Iceland involve huge amounts of lava, so it's no surprise the Bardarbunga volcano lies directly over the hottest portion of the North Atlantic mantle plume, researchers say.

The volcano in central Iceland, which has been ejecting huge amounts of lava since Aug. 31, is evidence that such eruptions require extremely high mantle temperatures deep beneath the Earth's surface to generate such massive amounts of magma, scientists from the University of California Davis and Denmark's Aarhus University say.

"From time to time the Earth's mantle belches out huge quantities of magma on a scale unlike anything witnessed in historic times," says UC Davis earth and planetary science Professor Charles Lesher.

Hawaii Volcano Prompts Evacuation Concerns

Dozens of residents in a rural area of Hawaii were placed on alert as flowing lava from an erupting volcano continued to advance.

Authorities on Sunday said lava flow on the Big Island of Hawaii had advanced about 230 metres since Saturday morning and was moving at the rate of about 9 to 13.5 metres an hour, consistent with its advancement in recent days.

The flow front passed through a predominantly Buddhist cemetery, covering grave sites in the mostly rural region of Puna, and was roughly 800 metres from Pahoa Village Road, the main street of Pahoa.

Residents in the flow path have been told to complete all necessary preparations by Tuesday for a possible evacuation. The timeline could change, based on the flow rate.

Oliveira estimated there were at least 50 to 60 structures, including homes and businesses, in the area most likely to be impacted.

CDC Finally Admits That Ebola Can Float Through The Air

Frontline Healthcare Workers Must Protect Themselves from Aerosol Transmission of Ebola

We’ve noted for some time that Ebola can be spread by aerosols to frontline healthcare workers.

The CDC is finally admitting this fact.

The CDC put out a new poster stating:

Droplet spread happens when germs traveling inside droplets that are coughed or sneezed from a sick person enter the eyes, nose, or mouth of another person. Droplets travel short distances, less than 3 feet (1 meter) from one person to another.

A person might also get infected by touching a surface or object that has germs on it and then touching their mouth or nose.

***

Clean and disinfect commonly touched surfaces like doorknobs, faucet handles, and toys, since the Ebola virus may live on surfaces for up to several hours.

Meryl Nass, M.D. – a board-certified internist and a biological warfare epidemiologist and expert in anthrax - comments:

CDC says it doesn’t travel farther than 3 feet.  Well, at least CDC is starting to move the narrative.  Maybe tomorrow it will be 5 feet.  Then 10.  Maybe next month they will tell us why all the victims’ possessions are being incinerated and apartments fumigated.

Just remember: historically, Ebola spread fast in healthcare facilities.

And see this.

Dr. Nass previously argued that the CDC has been lying about aerosol transmission of Ebola, as its own 2009 publication admitted that Ebola:

pose[s] a high individual risk of aerosol-transmitted laboratory infectionsand life-threatening disease that is frequently fatal, for which there are no vaccines or treatments…

Also see:

Netanyahu Okays 1,000 New East Jerusalem Homes

Abbas Asks U.S. To Stop Israeli 'Escalations' In East Jerusalem

PM Set To Approve 2,000 Housing Units In West Bank