Prophetic Times

WEEKLY WORLD NEWS UPDATE

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA

15 NOVEMBER 2003

DOES ISRAEL HAVE THE RIGHT TO EXIST?

November 13, 2003 Ha= aretz reports: A The Sharon government has been accused of late of working o prevent a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, effectively blocking off the option of an independent Palestine alongside the Jewish State. But if recent polls are any indication, substantial numbers of Europeans may have a different one-state solution in mind: the end of the independent state of Israel.

As evidence of anti-Semitic sentiment mounts across Europe, Israelis have begun asking if foreign criticism of their government= s policies has crossed a line of no return into virulent Jew-hate and serious debate over the very right of the Jewish state to continue to exist. The latest catalyst for discussion - and outraged fear- were statements by the noted Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis, composer of the score for the 1964 film > Zorba the Greek= and of the acclaimed Ballad of Mauthausen, a commemoration of the victims of a Nazi concentration camp.

In comments that sparked huge red-backed headlines in Israeli tabloids Wednesday (> ZORBA THE ANTI-SEMITE,= roared Yedioth Ahronoth) Theoodorakis declared: > Today we can say that this small nation is the root of evil, not of good, which means that too much self importance and too much stubbornness is evil. > We are two nations without brothers in the world, us and the Jews, but they have fanaticism and are forceful,= Theodorakis told a news conference last week.

He also derided the biblical patriarchs Abraham and Jacob, contending that the Greeks > did not turn aggressive like them= because of the Greeks= rich history and mythology. > They only had Abraham and Jacob, shadow...We had the great Pericles here.= The statements came as the latest in a series of shocks to Israelis, already reeling from indications of anti-Jewish and virulently anti-Israel sentiment in other areas of Europe...@

AL QAIDA COMMANDER > ANTICIPATES' 100,000 AMERICANS DEAD IN ATTACK

November 13, 2003 WorldTribune.com reported: A Al-Qal'a (The Fortress) an Islamist Internet forum, posted the first of a two-part interview with a person who introduced himself as Abu Salma Al-Hijazi, one of the Al Qaida commanders closest to Osama bin Laden. The interview was conducted in Iraq, south of Faluja. The article notes that Al-Hijazi was surrounded by five masked men carrying missiles as well as personal weapons. Here are excerpts from the interview:

In regard to rumors about a large-scale attack against the U.S. during the month of Ramadan, Al-Hijazi said that "a huge and very courageous strike" will take place and that the number of infidels expected to be killed in this attack, according to primary estimates, exceeds 100,000. He added that he "anticipates, but will not swear, that the attack will happen during Ramadan."

He further stated that the attack will be carried out in a way that will "amaze the world and turn Al Qaida into [an organization that] horrifies the world until the law of Allah is implemented, actually implemented, and not just in words, on His land... You wait and see that the balance of power between Al Qaida and its rivals will change, all of a sudden, Allah willing."

Regarding Al Qaida detainees, Al-Hijazi said: "We follow their situation closely... the collaborating governments will pay the price for capturing these heroes who want to revive the glory of their nation and shake off the dust of humiliation and disgrace."

Al-Hijazi added that the "collaborating and treacherous" governments should know that Al Qaida has a long reach and its members enjoy popularity that will not end just because apostate governments detain hundreds of Al Qaida's members. "As soon as the governments detain one of our people, ten like him join us... this is no secret."

Al-Hijazi said that Al Qaida instructed its members not to confront the governments of Islamic countries and clarified that Americans are the main target of the organization, wherever they may be, in order to cause their disintegration and collapse, even if it takes a long time."

Al-Hijazi also said: "There is no doubt that the demise of America and its collapse will lead to the collapse of these fragile regimes that depend on it... We will not stop until we establish the Islamic Caliphate and until Allah's law is implemented in His land."...@

ITALY STUNNED BY IRAQ DEATHS

November 12, 2003 UPI reported: A Wednesday's suicide bomb in Nasiriyah killing at least 16 Italian servicemen and two civilians was on a par with the Nov. 2 death of 16 U.S. soldiers who died when their Chinhook helicopter was shot down. In either case, the loss of life was tragic, but proportionately the political and emotional impact of the Italian bombing is far larger. There are 2,400 Italians deployed in Iraq, compared to 140,000 American troops.

This point was being made by Italian political sources in Rome Wednesday, to explain the enormous sense of shock and anger in Italy. For the first time opposition politicians were calling for an Italian withdrawal from Iraq. Until now, conservative Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi -- a staunch supporter of the U.S.-led war -- has had almost full parliamentary backing for committing Italian troops for a coalition occupation force.

But after what the authorities are describing as a deliberate terrorist attack on the barracks in Nasiriyah, on the banks of the Euphrates River in southern Iraq, positions are hardening. Berlusconi insisted Wednesday that the mission will continue, but he faces a political battle on the future of the Iraq force...@

EU PLANS BORDER GUARD 'LITE'

November 12, 2003 United Press International reported: A The European Union may not be very good at creating jobs or growth, but it is a world-leader in creating agencies, foundations, monitoring centers and committees of wise men.

There is already a European Agency for Safety and Health at Work in Bilbao, a European Center on Racism and Xenophobia in Vienna, and a European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction in Lisbon. The EU has also recently agreed to set up a European Food Agency -- once Finland and Italy can settle their petty squabble over which country should house the prestigious body -- and a European Maritime Safety Organization.

If the European Commission gets its way, there could be another EU agency on the block in 2005 -- this time charged with guarding the club's external borders. The Brussels-based executive announced plans to set up the agency Tuesday, but the modest scale of its plans shows what a political hot-potato immigration has become in the bloc.

If given the green light by EU governments, the new body will have a staff of only 30 national experts and a budget of just $6.5 million in its first year of activity. Its scope will be as limited as its resources.

The agency will help train national border police to guard the EU's common frontiers, provide back-up for member states during mass influxes of refugees or asylum seekers and coordinate the removal of illegal immigrants by charter planes. It will also loan member states expensive equipment such as infrared scanners, used for detecting stowaways in cars and trucks.

With more than half a million illegal immigrants entering the EU each year, in addition to 400,000 asylum seekers, guarding the EU's borders has become one of the key challenges for the bloc...@

CARTOON MOCKS MEMORIAL OF GIs KILLED IN DOWNED HELICOPTER

November 12, 2003 WorldNetDaily.com reported: A In a continuing blitz of what some analysts call "new" anti-Semitism targeting Americans, the official Palestinian daily newspaper published a cartoon deriding U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq.

The cartoon featured in Al Hayat Al Jadida, according to Israel-based Palestinian Media Watch, mocks a memorial built to honor 15 American soldiers killed in the downing of a U.S. helicopter Sunday. It was juxtaposed in the paper next to a photograph of the actual memorial. The American tribute consists of U.S. military rifles, helmets and boots assembled in a row to represent each slain serviceman. The Palestinian caricature of the memorial shows helmets perched atop of rifles with purported "quotes" of coalition officials next to each helmet: "We will imprison Saddam soon", "Casualties are relatively low", "The uprising is weak and desperate", and "International forces are needed".

Itamar Marcus, with Palestinian Media Watch, reports the ridicule of American troop deaths in Iraq is an increasingly common theme in the Palestinian media. WorldNetDaily reported the same paper published another cartoon Sunday that plays off an recent European poll showing nearly 60 percent of those surveyed believe Israel is the greatest threat to peace in the world today.

The poll was conducted in 15 European countries. In the survey, 500 people from each of the 15 EU countries were asked which state they regard as most dangerous to world peace. According to the results, 59 percent believe Israel tops the list, and 52 percent positioned the U.S. in second place.

The publishing of the latest cartoon coincided with Veterans Day in the U.S...@

L. Jim Tuck, Pastor
UCGIA Oakland, San Jose, Stockton, and Santa Rosa
ljtuc@msn.com