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Beirut - A high-ranking Hezbollah official has said the party would launch an offensive on Israel in the Palestinian territories occupied in 1948 in case the Jewish state wages a new war. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the statement in an interview with Syrian magazine "al-Hakika," the Iranian News Agency Fars reported. "We would not initiate war but in case they wage any war in the future ...there will be a counter attack behind the front lines...and for the first time since 1948 in Palestine itself," the official reportedly said. The Hizbullah Shura Council member also revealed...

Israeli government authorities are building a ramp to allow non-Muslims to reach the enormous platform atop the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The old access ramp was condemned as unsafe and torn down several years ago. The interim ramp that replaced it was designed for short-term service only. (Muslims control the Temple Mount and therefore have their own private access routes.) The new ramp is controversial. Some ramp must be built or non-Muslims will have no way to reach the Mount; but leading Israeli archaeologists say that the ramp under construction is badly placed and ought to be someplace else. This...

JERUSALEM - Amid the old city of Jerusalem and rising above it is the ancient site of Solomon's Temple and the point from which the Prophet Mohammed journeyed to Heaven. Holy to Jews and Muslims, it is as dangerous these days as a ticking atom bomb. Any readjustment of its ancient stones can detonate outrage among millions of faithful around the world. On Friday, Muslims in Jerusalem protested against Israeli excavation work next to al-Aqsa, one of Islam's holiest shrines, which sits atop the site. Around the world, Muslims declared a universal "day of anger," Israeli police stormed into the...

If you were to live outside of the US, what country would you pick to be an ex-pat in? Why?

RAMALLAH, West Bank: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday declared Hamas' paramilitary militia in the Gaza Strip illegal, raising the stakes in the increasingly violent standoff between his Fatah party and the rival Islamic movement. Hamas condemned Abbas' statement, accusing him of giving a "green light" for attacks against its men and pledging to resist any crackdown. It defiantly announced plans to double the size of its force. Fatah and Hamas have been locked in a power struggle since the Islamic group defeated Fatah in parliamentary elections a year ago, gaining control over most government functions. The dispute has centered...

'I'm frustrated Israelis don't get the point' Ruthie Blum, THE JERUSALEM POST Jun. 8, 2006 In Israel last month to receive the "Guardian of Zion" award from Bar-Ilan University's Rennert Center for Jerusalem Studies, Middle East scholar and author Daniel Pipes pulled no punches. In his acceptance speech at the King David Hotel before a distinguished gathering of academics, politicians, business people and the media, Pipes did something that - while perhaps, par for his own lonely course of late - was unconventional to say the least. It certainly strayed from the pro forma podium fare that was the focus...

If this devotional is a blessing to you, maybe you have a friend or family member that would like to start receiving this daily word. You can forward this to them, and they can use the following link to subscribe. www.liveprayer.com/signup.htm DAILY DEVOTIONAL MONDAY MARCH 6, 2006 (Genesis 12:1-7, 13:14-16, 15:18, Deuteronomy 9:4-6, Joshua 1:1-11, 21:43-45) ***COMING TOMORROW! The real message of "Brokeback Mountain!" On Friday, a critical message for young adults about Spring Break..don't miss it!!! ***YOU MEAN SO MUCH TO ME!!! During some time alone with the Lord yesterday, I was thinking how much you mean to me....

It took Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D.-Nev.) only a few hours to condemn Pat Robertson’s disparaging remark about Ariel Sharon, but no such rebuke was directed at Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who made an even more despicable comment about Sharon. “Yet again, Pat Robertson has made a completely outrageous, insulting and inappropriate comment,” Reid said in a statement sent to reporters at 8:24 p.m. “Prime Minister Sharon is fighting for his life. He and his family deserve our thoughts and prayers, and I hope Mr. Robertson will offer them after he apologizes." News about Robertson’s remark broke late Thursday...

NORFOLK, Va. - Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson suggested Thursday that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's stroke was divine punishment for "dividing God's land." "God considers this land to be his," Robertson said on his TV program "The 700 Club." "You read the Bible and he says `This is my land,' and for any prime minister of Israel who decides he is going to carve it up and give it away, God says, `No, this is mine.'" Sharon, who ordered Israel's withdrawal from Gaza last year, suffered a severe stroke on Wednesday. In Robertson's broadcast from his Christian Broadcasting Network in...

The Reverend Pat Robertson says Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's massive stroke could be God's punishment for giving up Israeli territory. The founder of the Christian Broadcasting Network told viewers of "The 700 Club" that Sharon was "dividing God's land," even though the Bible says doing so invites "God's enmity." Robertson added, "I would say woe to any prime minister of Israel who takes a similar course." He noted that former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated. Robertson said God's message is, "This land belongs to me. You'd better leave it alone."

NORFOLK, Va. Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson criticized Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon today, connecting Sharon's stroke to Israeli policies. Robertson said Sharon divided Israel and ... quote ... "woe unto any Prime Minister of Israel who takes a similar course to appease the EU (European Nation), the United Nations, or the United States of America." The comments came on "The 700 Club," broadcast from Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network in Virginia Beach. Robertson said he considers Sharon a good friend, and that he was sad to see him so ill. Robertson spokeswoman Angell Watts did not immediately return a telephone call...

The Rev. Pat Robertson said Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is being punished by God for dividing the Land of Israel. Robertson, speaking on the “700 Club” on Thursday, suggested Sharon, who is currently in an induced coma, and former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, assassinated by an Israeli extremist in 1995, were being treated with enmity by God for dividing Israel. “He was dividing God’s land,” Robertson said. “And I would say, Woe unto any prime minister of Israel who takes a similar course to appease the E.U., the United Nations or the United States of America. God says,...

Hundreds of Ethiopian Jews have gone on hunger strike to protest against a delay in their relocation to Israel. Frustrated by an eight-year-long wait, the community has resolved not to eat until the planned move gets under way. More than 20,000 Jews live in Ethiopia The Falasha Mura, or Beta-Israel as they prefer to be called, are an ancient and isolated group living in the Ethiopian highlands. Although some were forcibly converted to Christianity, they trace their roots to the biblical King Solomon. 'Grave starvation' Members of the Falasha Mura community - many wearing Jewish skullcaps - began the...

Al Qaeda’s New Publication: “The Jews” Are Unworthy of the Promised Land DEBKAfile’s Exclusive Report August 1, 2005, 10:10 PM (GMT+02:00) Shown above is the cover of al Qaeda’s new print-Internet magazine Zerwat al Sanam, - Tip of the Camel’s Hump. A lavishly produced, professionally-edited publication, it reads as though Iraq commander Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was dictating his operational creed - yet another indication of his high rank in al Qaeda’s hierarchy. A five-page essay appearing under the transparent alias of Abu Zubeida al-Baghdadi is titled: How should Islam relate to the Jews? This is the first time this question...

Religious (IAF) F-16 pilot slated to head one of settlement evacuation teams talks to Ynet about the preparations, misgivings, and fears ahead of what is shaping up as one of the most controversial moments in Israel’s history TEL AVIV – First Lieutenant A. knows this is not the mission he had in mind when he joined the Air Force. The 22-year-old religious F-16 pilot, whose name cannot be disclosed due to security considerations, will head one of the teams slated to execute the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank pullout this summer. He says he enlisted in the army to...

Israel today faces one of the most traumatic times in its history. The division within Israel over Ariel Sharon’s plan to evict Jews from Gaza has put Israel on the brink of a civil war. Many believing Jews and Christians say it also puts both Israel and the U.S. on the wrong side of the Bible. On any given day in Israel, you are likely to see Israelis protesting. Opponents of Sharon’s Gaza Pullout Plan say he is giving up promised land, and making Israel dangerously vulnerable to its enemies. Protesters on the left applaud Sharon and hope he will...

RAMALLAH, West Bank -- A senior Hamas leader indicated Monday that the militant group is halting attacks on Israelis while the Palestinians prepare to choose a new leader, the latest sign of change following the death of Yasser Arafat. Sheik Hassan Yousef, the group's top leader in the West Bank, said Hamas also would consider a formal truce with Israel. Hamas has carried out dozens of suicide bombings and other attacks, killing hundreds of Israelis during four years of fighting. Since Arafat's death Nov. 11, there has been a sharp drop in violence. The Palestinians have turned their attention to...

TODAY: Security Council to vote on resolution seeking assurances of leader’s safetyUNITED NATIONS - Facing a U.S. veto threat, the U.N. Security Council set a vote for Tuesday on a resolution, backed by Arab nations, demanding that Israel not harm or deport Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. THE COUNCIL'S decision Monday night to go to a vote on a resolution drafted by the Palestinian envoy to the United Nations, Nasser al-Kidwa, capped a day of harsh debate in which more than 40 governments took the floor to condemn a decision by the Israeli security Cabinet to get rid of Arafat through...

I was in the White House Rose Garden Friday for the Bush – Abbas meeting. I watched as President Bush spoke and then observed him as he listened to Abbas. I really sense he thinks he can “will” peace into place with rhetoric, charm, creativity, military might and money. It appears Bush believes he can use his diplomatic skills to reverse thousands of years of hatred, and bring peace to the Middle East. I observed Colin Powell (a few feet to my left) using his charm as he mingled with five members of the Palestinian Cabinet. He shook their hands...