Saudis Financed al Qaeda Escape

Saudis Financed al Qaeda Escape
Vol: 4 Issue: 31 Thursday, January 31, 2002

According to Western intelligence reports, the Saudis financed the escape of some 4,000 al Qaeda fighters to Lebanon. The German daily Die Welt, quoting CIA and Western intelligence sources, said the operation is meant to provide the Palestinian Authority with trained combatants to fight in the war against Israel. The sources were quoted as saying that Saudi Arabia has offered $5,000 for each al Qaeda member who resettles in the West Bank or Gaza Strip.

Already 4,000 al Qaeda insurgents have fled from Afghanistan to Lebanon, with many of them being harbored in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ein Hilwe. Die Welt also reported that the Saudi intelligence service paid Iran $10 million to buy weapons for the Palestinian Authority.

The weapons were confiscated in wake of the capture by Israel of the Karine-A freighter on Jan. 3 in the Red Sea. Last week Western diplomatic sources in Ankara confirmed a report in the Turkish Daily News that Bin Laden agents are seeking to escape to the Palestinian Authority.

Terror Documents Name Potential Targets

Documents found in Afghanistan suggest that both Washington’s Space Needle and a six-block area of Los Angeles were [or are] targets of al Qaeda. “I was made aware several days ago by the FBI that a photograph of the Space Needle was on a computer system,” Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske told The Associated Press. “We are taking it seriously, but we don’t believe there’s any reason for undue concern.” Gov. Gary Locke said the FBI had assured him that “based on its current information Washington state is not a target of terrorist attacks.” The document mainly pictures or maps with circled locations. Since the documents did not make any reference to dates, methods of attacks or a specific attack, government sources do not consider the new information a high-level threat.

Nuclear Plants At Greater Risk

A detailed warning issued to US intelligence agencies within the past two weeks says Islamic terrorists are planning another spectacular attack to rival those carried out on September 11. One target was a U.S. nuclear power plant or one of the Energy Department’s nuclear facilities. The warning outlined several specific areas of concern.

1. A bombing or airline attack on a nuclear power plant or other U.S. nuclear facility, such as a weapons storage depot, designed to cause mass casualties and spread deadly radiological debris.

2. A bombing against a U.S. warship in Bahrain, headquarters of the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, where some 20 ships are based. The attack would be similar to the October 2000 suicide bombing attack on the USS Cole.

3. Another airliner attack on a building using a hijacked commercial jet as a suicide bomber.

4. A vehicle bombing in Yemen.

No public announcement has been made of an impending terrorist attack based on recent assessments. But the information related to a potential new attack first came to the attention of intelligence agencies last week.

Syria Smuggling Military Components To Iraq

Iraq is using Syria for the smuggling of military systems and other banned material to the regime of President Saddam Hussein. Western intelligence sources said Iraq is smuggling components for tanks, armored systems and anti-aircraft batteries as well as material for weapons of mass destruction through Syria. The sources said the smuggling began more than a year ago and has increased over the last few months. The main Syrian port employed for goods smuggled to Iraq is Tartous. The Iraqi smuggling route has led to a sharp increase in traffic at Tartous.

On Tuesday, the London-based Al Hayat daily reported that the U.S. Sixth Fleet stopped two Syrian merchant ships in the Mediterranean over the last week. The daily said the ships were taken to Cyprus and searched for unspecified weapons and materials. Nothing was confiscated from the Syrian ships.

Egypt To Press Arafat

As we reported last week, Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak undertook a tactical decision to throw his support behind the West’s war on terror and refuse membership in the developing Saudi-Iran-Iraq alliance.

Following a meeting with Israeli Defense Secretary Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, Mubarak announced he was going to apply “very heavy pressure” on Arafat on behalf of the Israelis. The Egyptian leader also promised to return an ambassador to Tel Aviv, “the moment there is the beginning of any movement toward a peace process.”

The Egyptian tone appeared to have changed following the Karine A episode, Israeli defense officials said.

“Axis of Evil”

“Axis of Evil”
Vol: 4 Issue: 30 Wednesday, January 30, 2002

In his State of the Union Address, President Bush identified what he called the “Axis of Evil” — the nations of North Korea, Iraq and Iran. The President spoke of the ‘true nature’ of these regimes, singling out Iran for exporting terror, North Korea for starving its population in order to support its missile and nuclear programs, and Iraq for flaunting anti-US hostility, supporting terror, and its weapons of mass destruction program.

The President noted that, in meeting the threats, “time is not on our side”. The president pledged that, “I will not wait on events while dangers gather. I will not stand by as the peril draws closer and closer.”

Analysis:

It was significant that the president singled out these three nations. There has been much speculation about the next targets in the war on terror. The pundits argue the 2nd Front will open up in the Philippines, or Somalia or the Sudan. The US already has troops on the ground and engaging the enemy in all three of these states. But Bush didn’t mention any of these. Instead he singled out the three most dangerous states.

Iraq Given US Ultimatum

President Bush is expected issue an ultimatum to Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in the next several months: Allow United Nations weapons inspectors into the country or face a cutoff of UN-sanctioned oil sales. The ultimatum is planned for June, according to sources close to the United Nations, when the next phase of the oil-for-food program will be launched.

Undersecretary of State John Bolton said last week in Geneva that Iraq is continuing to build weapons of mass destruction since expelling UN inspectors in 1998. I think it’s very clear in the three years since Iraq has completely excluded the UN Weapons Inspectors that they’ve been making efforts with respect to a number of weapons of mass destruction including attempting to acquire a capability in nuclear weapons, Bolton told reporters in Geneva, where he attended a conference on disarmament.

Iraq s government said recently it would permit United Nations weapons inspectors back into the country if Israel agrees to give up its nuclear weapons, an unlikely prospect. A U.S. intelligence community report on missile threats made public earlier this month warned that Iraq has maintained its missile production infrastructure and is seeking long-range nuclear missiles.

Intelligence agencies believe that for several years after U.N. restrictions are lifted or modified, Iraq probably will strive to reestablish its SRBM inventory to pre-Gulf war numbers, continue developing and deploying solid-propellant systems, and pursue MRBMs to keep pace with its neighbors. Once its regional security concerns are being addressed, Iraq may pursue a first-generation ICBM/Space Launch Vehicle.

Iran Dismisses “Bush’s Arrogant Statements”

Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi denounced as “arrogant” the comments made by President Bush about Iran’s efforts to develop weapons of mass destruction. “The Islamic Republic of Iran considers these remarks as interference in its internal affairs,” Kharrazi said, adding they are intended to divert public opinion from heightened atrocities being committed by the racist Israeli regime against innocent Palestinians in occupied lands.”

Not exactly new thinking on the part of Tehran. And not particularly convincing. The same old theme. The ‘racist’ Israelis [composed of virtually every race on earth] and the ‘innocent’ Palestinians [just busted with fifty tons of Iranian weapons destined for Israel] and the ‘occupied’ lands of Gaza and the West Bank. It’s important to note that before they were ‘occupied’ by Israel, they were ‘occupied’ by Egypt and Jordan. And nobody was demanding they be given to the ‘Palestinians’ because until those lands were lost to the Israelis in 1967, there was no such people as the ‘Palestinians’ to give the lands to. Until the ’67 War, they were either Egyptian or Jordanian.

North Korea Warned “Time Is Running Out”

A senior U.S. official said last month that North Korea has violated its commitment to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty since 1994. John Bolton, undersecretary of state for international security, told reporters in Geneva that North Korea has been in violation of its NPT obligations ever since it signed the agreed framework. It has not, to this day, permitted the IAEA sufficient access for the IAEA even to make a baseline determination of what materials and technology North Korea has, he said. Bolton said Pyongyang also is not allowing the International Atomic Energy agency to do the kind of verification and analysis to find out how much bomb making material North Korea has. So, it is just a fantasy to say that North Korea has been cooperating with the IAEA, Bolton said. We are going to continue to try and work with Japan and South Korea to bring the North Koreans into compliance with their obligations to what they committed to in 1994. Time is running out and I think they are beginning to understand that.

al-Qaeda Fighters Escaping To Saudi Arabia

The United States is concerned that Al Qaida fugitives are trying to flee Afghanistan and Pakistan for Saudi Arabia.The concern is that agents of Saudi fugitive Osama Bin Laden are boarding ships and planes from Pakistan in the guise of Islamic pilgrims who plan to attend the Haj in Mecca. U.S. security agents have been stopping ships and planes leaving Pakistan in the search for Bin Laden agents. On Tuesday, the Islambad-based daily, The Nation, reported that FBI agents had blocked two flights from leaving Pakistan for the Saudi city of Jedda last week. The newspaper said the agents searched the planes for suspected members of the toppled Afghan Taliban regime and Bin Laden’s Al Qaida organization.

The Haj pilgrims had boarded the flights in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi. The United States believes Karachi is being used as a haven for Al Qaida and Taliban fugitives. One flight searched was that of the Saudi national air carrier. The newspaper said nobody was arrested but passengers resisted the search. Gulf diplomatic sources said Saudi Arabia has agreed to tighten security regulations for the Haj pilgrimage. They said this would include a thorough examination of visas and passports by arriving pilgrims.

Iraqi Oil Interests Attacked

Iraqi opposition forces have struck that nation’s oil fields. Iraqi opposition sources said oil fields and installations under the control of the regime of President Saddam Hussein were bombed in an apparent sabotage campaign. They said the bombing took place last week in the Salah governate in northern Iraq.

The bombings sparked a fire that blazed four days in the area of Musafa Biji. The fire led to a halt in oil production. The London-based Al Hayat daily reported that Iraqi Oil Minister Amir Rashid visited the oil region to oversee firefighting efforts. The newspaper said the attacks took place on Jan. 17 and resulted in ‘great damage’ to Iraqi oil installations.

Special Report: The Media, Politics, Scandal and Scripture

Special Report: The Media, Politics, Scandal and Scripture
Vol: 4 Issue: 29 Tuesday, January 29, 2002

Since the announcement of the collapse of Enron, the media and the DNC have gone to great lengths to prove George Bush was directly involved.

The hope, of course, is to either discover or create a Whitewater type scandal that the DNC can use to unseat the Republicans during the mid-term elections.

The DNC had eight years of unfettered control of the country during boom times that screeched to a halt as soon as they left office. Eight years of scandals, trials, jail sentences, questionable business deals, election improprieties, Chinagate, etc., later, the DNC claims the GOP ruined the economy.

Increasingly, the evidence suggests the DNC ran riot with the inheritance run up by previous administrations, and left the following administration holding the bag.

Look For the Partisan Label

There are those who see the world who view politics solely from the perspective of partisanship. If one is anti-Democrat, one is immediately assumed to be pro-Republican. Not true. Instead, the term ‘partisanship’ is used to hide a multitude of sins.

Employing the “Partisan” label is a variation of the “victimization” excuse. Ask Jesse Jackson about his girlfriend or his financial empire, and be ready to be accused of racism. Ask Bill Clinton about perjury or questionable Chinese connections or the Lincoln bedroom and be ready to be accused of partisanship. Dismissing an allegation as being ‘partisan’ is as good as denying it. Better, even.

One can be anti-Democrat without having ever heard of the Republicans. The cynical effort by the DNC to prolong the agony of those years for political gain is ample reason by itself.

Although one could counter-argue the GOP did something similar during the Clinton years, Clinton provided the fuel, the gasoline and the matches himself. All the GOP did was smell the smoke and look for the fire.

Enron Vs. Global Crossing

While the DNC and the media try to paint the administration with scandal simply because Enron asked them for help [which was refused], nobody is paying any attention to the 4th largest bankruptcy in history — Global Crossing.

Global Crossing was a top Democratic donor. Its chairman, Gary Winnick, once donated a million dollars to the Clinton library in exchange for a golf game with the president, arranged by the current chairman of the DNC, Terry McAuliffe.

In the 1990’s McAuliffe operated out of an office in downtown Washington that belonged to Winnick — to help the mogul “work on deals.” McAuliffe also invested $100,000.00 in Global Crossing. He sold just before Global Crossing announced its Chapter 11 deal and its stock plunged to thirty cents a share.

While McAuliffe takes every opportunity to paint the administration as ‘heartless capitalists’ profiting from Enron’s collapse at the expense of the ‘little guy’ he doesn’t mention Global Crossing. While the little investor got mauled in America’s 4th largest bankruptcy, the Drudge Report says Terry McAuliffe made eighteen million dollars!

While there is no evidence at the moment, the Enron scandal may yet touch the current administration. But its fascinating the watch the way the media scurries to ‘dig out the story’ on Enron and the GOP while ignoring Global Crossing’s political ties. All the while, solemnly assuring America that there is no liberal bias in the media.

Summary:

What does US partisan politics have to do with Bible prophecy? The Bible says that the antichrist will appear on the scene, not as the Dictator of the Tribulation, but as a man of peace. He will be a charismatic political leader who will somehow be able to convince the world to worship him, to accept his Mark and to entrust him with global authority. Watching the media and the DNC shows how he does it. Nowhere is the power of the media to shape minds and opinions more evident.

The Clinton administration raised propaganda to an art form, arguing down was up, black was white, (“it all depends on what your definition of the word ‘is’ is”) until a majority of Americans believed the Paula Jones case was about sex and not about perjury. The propaganda machine that is being perfected is being perfected for a purpose.

The Apostle John said it will be so effective that, when unleashed, “power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations” [Rev 13:7]; to “cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed” [Rev 13:15]; until, finally, ” he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” [Rev 13:16-17].

Such power, on a global basis, was never possible at any time in history prior to this generation. Today, that power rests in the hands of a few men with differing agendas who control the media. One day, it will rest in the hands of one man, with a single agenda, who controls them. The antichrist.

Second Jerusalem Attack in 24 Hours

Second Jerusalem Attack in 24 Hours
Vol: 4 Issue: 28 Monday, January 28, 2002

Second Jerusalem Attack in 24 Hours

A second Arab suicide attacker used a stolen car instead of a bomb or a gun to run down two Israelis in Jerusalem before being shot to death by police. The man was not armed. The attack comes one day after a suicide bombing attack in Jerusalem that killed two and wounded more than one hundred. The Jerusalem bombing marked the first time the Palestinians have used a woman in a suicide attack. Hezbollah claimed the bomber was Shinaz Amuri, a female student at Al-Najah University in the West Bank town of Nablus. In a twist on irony, one of the victims, American Mark Sokoloff, was a survivor who was in the South Tower of the WTC on September 11. Sokoloff suffered only minor injuries.

Congress Says Egypt Lying

Congress is demanding that Egypt explain U.S. intelligence reports that North Korea has supplied Cairo with medium-range ballistic missiles. The issue was raised by several congressional delegations that have toured the Middle East over the last week. Egypt has denied missile cooperation with Pyongyang. The report was said to have asserted that the regime of President Hosni Mubarak was lying. Mubarak is expected to visit Washington in April to discuss bilateral relations with President Bush.

Prison Term Given Bible Smuggler

A Hong Kong businessman accused of smuggling thousands of bibles into China has been sentenced to two years in prison. Li Guangqiang had been accused of spreading “an evil cult” – a crime that can carry the death penalty. Earlier this month, China downgraded the charge to ‘illegal trading’ after President Bush expressed concerns over the charges. President Bush is due to visit Beijing next month. China wants to draw attention away from the fact it still engages in religious repression, particularly against China’s Christian minority. The US State Department demanded that Beijing meet the standards on freedom of religious expression laid down in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Li was arrested last May as he delivered 16,000 bibles to a banned evangelical group in south-eastern China.

US Says Detainees Not POWS

US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said the US would NOT extend POW status to the detainees at Guantanamo Bay. US authorities insist the detainees are being treated humanely in spite of international criticism of the camp. If POW status were to be extended to the al-Qaeda captives, they would have to be charged or repatriated at the end of a conflict, and they are expected to give only their name, rank and serial number when questioned. Since they have no rank or serial number, serve no nation and have no legal status, the US says they are simply ‘illegal combatants’.

Iran, Iraq To Bury The Hatchet

Iran and Iraq fought an eight year war in the 1980’s that has been over now for thirteen years. But the bitterness between the two nations is so deep that both sides still hold each others prisoners of war, all these years later. The two countries are beginning to work out their differences as both find themselves on the short list of US targets in the war on terror. The Arab states are all beginning to set aside their differences as the probability of a regional war in the Middle East increases.

After talks in Tehran, Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri and his Iranian counterpart, Kamal Kharrazi, spoke of their willingness to leave behind the legacy of the conflict. “Iran is seriously seeking to close this chapter which has lasted long years,” Iran’s official news agency IRNA quoted Foreign Minister Kharrazi as telling Mr Sabri. Sabri “reiterated that his country would do its utmost to do away with the bitter record of the past relations between the two countries,” IRNA said. The war between the two countries left almost one million dead.

Saudis Want Their Nationals

Saudi Arabia is quietly attempting to negotiate the release of its nationals being held at Guantanamo Bay by the US. The Arabic-language al-Watan newspaper quoted Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef as saying the kingdom hoped “there would be cooperation between the Saudi and American authorities” over the prisoners.

Almost all the hijackers on 9/11 were Saudi nationals. Osama bin-Laden is a Saudi. Saudi Arabia is both birthplace and spiritual headquarters of the Wahabi form of Islam practiced by al-Qaeda.

Should the US hand over the Saudi prisoners to Riyadh or would that be like turning Palestinian suspects over to Arafat? Well, when asked what would happen to the prisoners if the United States were to hand them over to the kingdom, Nayef said: “We will not be satisfied with the [US] investigation conducted [against] them. We will question them ourselves to find the facts and then we will act accordingly.”

China Opposes Widening War

Chinese Vice Premier Qian Qichen met with his Iraqi counterpart this week to pledge solidarity, saying China does not support the expansion of military action in the war on terrorism, the official Xinhua news agency reported. Aziz, who arrived in China on Sunday after a trip to Russia where he sought support in Iraq’s confrontation with the United States, called on China for help in resolving Iraq’s problems. Aziz said he hoped China would “play a more active role in settling the Iraqi issue in a just and rational way,” Xinhua said. Qian said China “sympathized deeply with the Iraqi suffering caused by the long standing sanctions.”

Arabs Threaten US Interests

The Saudis are behind an Arab plan to send a strongly worded message to the United States that its interests in the Arab world are at risk if it does not stop Israeli attacks on Palestinians. The Arabic-language al-Watan quoted what it described as a high-ranking Jordanian source as saying that King Abdullah of Jordan will deliver the message to President Bush when he visits Washington this week.

“It will be an Arab message, particularly a Saudi one, that U.S. interests and relations with the Arab states will be in danger if Washington did not try to end Israel’s terrorist policy in the region,” the paper quoted the Jordanian source as saying. It said that in their talks in Riyadh, the Jordanian and Saudi leaders agreed on the need to exert joint efforts to “end the suffering of the Palestinian people and lift a siege imposed by Israel on Palestinian President Yasser Arafat.”

Islamic Militants Get Clean Slate

Islamic Militants Get Clean Slate
Vol: 4 Issue: 27 Sunday, January 27, 2002

A convenient fire at the Pakistani intelligence headquarters has destroyed hundreds of records on Islamic militants, the ISI sorrowfully announced. The Shahid-E-Millat building in Islamabad caught fire on Jan. 15. The building houses the offices of the Pakistani Interior Ministry, including the ISI and is the location of all the Islamic militants in the country. The fire was deliberately set on the top floor of the building by ISI agents out to protect its Islamic networks from the crackdown ordered several days earlier by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. The Pakistani leader banned five extremist groups linked to attacks in Kashmir and India.

Pakistan has taken some steps to control the 20 militants sought by the Indian government for their role in cross-border terrorist attacks. Fourteen of the militants are Indian nationals and six are Pakistanis. Musharaff’s cooperation is welcomed by New Delhi and Washington, but has deeply fractured his own Islamic government.

Weapons For India Delayed

Musharraf began to see some fruits from his cooperation with the West in the war on terror when the sale of Israeli/Russian airborne warning and control aircraft to India was ordered delayed until after tensions with Pakistan subside. The transfers are not now expected to take place until later this year or early next year.

Manufacturers of the A-50 system, which include the IL-76 airframe combined with Israeli Phalcon electronics, announced last week that the sale would take place after the United States dropped its objections. As part of arrangements, the United States urged all the parties involved to hold off on the sale because of the high tensions between the two nuclear-armed Southwest Asian states. Washington also said its approval of the sale is based on limitations being imposed on the capabilities of the electronics. Three of the jets will be sold to India at an estimated cost of $1 billion.

The Phalcon is based on a phased-array radar built by the Israeli firm Eltra. The jets are comparable to the U.S. AWACs airborne warning and control aircraft that provide real-time coverage of targets and warning of enemy aircraft. They are considered the backbone of modern aerial combat capabilities. Israel canceled the sale of similar AWACs planes to China in 2000 at the urging of the United States. U.S. defense officials fear the sale would tip the balance of power against Taiwan.

Arafat Feeling The Heat

Yasser Arafat, once the darling of the Arab world, stares at his phone, hoping somebody will call. But Arab diplomatic sources said that not one Arab leader has telephoned Arafat over the last five weeks since Israeli restrictions that have trapped him in his headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah. The boycott includes that by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordan’s King Abdullah.

Palestinian diplomats, including the Palestinian envoy to the Arab League, Mohammed Sbeih, have confirmed the boycott on Arafat. Mubarak, Arab diplomatic sources said, was angered by the Palestinian attempt to smuggle a ship full of Iranian weapons through the Suez Canal, owned by Egypt. Washington, in its communiqu to Cairo on Wednesday, presented evidence that PA officials bribed Egyptian customs officers to allow the Karine-A through the canal.

Analysis:

A perfect diplomatic solution, allowing Mubarak plausible deniability while explaining how a shipload of weapons could both pass through the Suez and then enter the port of Alexandria. Improbable, but it lets Mubarak off the hook.

Where Is The $25 Million Man?

Osama bin-Laden appears to have vanished. Is he dead in a cave? Did he escape? If he did get out of Afghanistan, who would be stupid enough to take him in? Some intelligence sources say his best bet is Chechnya. Russia has a weaker grip on the breakaway republic than ever before and Bin Laden would probably never get caught among the tens of thousands of Islamic combatants. Western intelligence sources said President Vladimir Putin’s pledge to defeat the Chechen insurgency is more distant than ever.

Islamic resistance is stronger than it has even been since the Russian offensive began in 1999. Russian casualties are said to be highest since 1996, the low point of the military campaign and when troops were virtually driven out of the republic.

Osama’s best option would be to head into Chechnya’s mountains. A huge area, it is completely in the hands of the Chechnyan rebels. Russia sends in troops, but they don’t come out. The only way Russia would be able to get bin-Laden – or anybody else — would be to employ search-and-destroy operations that would kill civilian and rebels alike. Even if Moscow could kick its demoralized army into shape and convince it to march back into the Chechnya meat-grinder.

Bush May Cut Ties To PA

Bush May Cut Ties To PA
Vol: 4 Issue: 26 Saturday, January 26, 2002

The fallout from the Karine A seizure on January 4 continues as anticipated. Saying he was “very disappointed in Yasser Arafat”, President Bush said he was contemplating his next move, which might include suspending or even cutting ties with Yasser Arafat. Arafat responded by threatening, through an aide, a consequential ‘regional earthquake’.

According to Arafat aide Nabil Abu Rdeneh, instead of cutting ties to Arafat, Bush should cut ties to Sharon. After all, goes the reasoning, if Sharon would just give in to the Palestinian territorial demands, they wouldn’t need to smuggle weapons from Iran to make them give in by force. Rdeneh said, “What is needed is to isolate Sharon.” Arafat complained to a Greek TV camera that the world is ignoring the ‘plight’ of the Palestinians, while denying any knowledge of the weapons smuggling operation. This time, the PA’s ‘usual suspects’ routine fell on deaf ears.

Arafat Groups To Make Terror List

The US has learned Arafat is planning additional attacks against Israel, of which the suicide bombing in Tel Aviv January 25 was the first. Washington intends to announce a series of decisions against Arafat should those attacks occur. Among them will be the severing of ties with Arafat and the Palestinian Authority; closing the PLO mission in the US; and adding Arafat’s Fatah, together with its component wings of Force 17, the Tanzim and Aqsa Brigades to the US list of terror organizations. It also means terminating the hundreds of millions of dollars in aid money the US contributes annually to the PA. Congress also included a provision in that aid bill that requires the President to act against the PA if he determines the Palestinians are not fulfilling their obligations to fight terror as a condition of accepting aid money.

US Shares Intelligence With Arab Leaders

Washington is not only considering cutting ties with Arafat, it encouraging other states to do so as well. The administration is already actively encouraging EU states to isolate Arafat. It also sent letters this week to King Abdullah, Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak containing the intelligence findings from the Karine-A arms boat Israel intercepted on the Red Sea on Jan. 3. They included proof of Arafat’s operational, intelligence and terrorist links with the Iranian leadership, as well as evidence of his Tehran-assisted attempts to subvert both the Egyptian and Jordanian regimes.

Analysis:

When bin-Laden said the West “would find no security” it was clearly a terrorist threat. Arafat’s promise of a retaliatory ‘earthquake’ is elevated by the media, and accepted by the State Department, at the level of a ‘diplomatic reply’.

It is not. It is a terrorist making a threat in an effort to impose his will over that of a sovereign state — the textbook definition of a terrorist. So what is the difference? Arafat is recognized — by the virtue of his official recognition by the US as the legitimate spokesman of the Palestinian people — as a diplomat.

Without US recognition, Arafat is just another Osama bin-Laden. That means the US is free to interpret the ‘warning’ of an impending regional ‘earthquake’ as the terrorist threat it actually is. This is what it all means, once the diplomatic ballet is over. Tarnished as he is, the US realizes Arafat is still the only game in town if there is to be peace in the Middle East. Any US move to cut ties with the PA is a tantamount to recognizing there remains no hope for peace. Which leaves only war as the alternative.

Beijing Caught Aiding Iran’s WMD Program

The Bush administration imposed economic sanctions on China this week. Beijing was caught [again] selling chemical and biological weapons equipment to Iran. It was the second time in four months that sanctions were imposed on China for its sales of weapons of mass destruction, products and missile goods. In September, the State Department imposed sanctions on the China Metallurgical Equipment Corp. and Pakistan’s National Development Complex. Those sanctions were for Chinese missile-related sales.

US Repeats Warning of Wider War

A senior US official speaking at the U.N.-sponsored Conference on Disarmament in Geneva warned that the United States will use “every method at its disposal” against countries that — because they sponsor terrorism, seek to obtain weapons of mass destruction, or help spread ballistic missile technology. Undersecretary for arms control John Bolton singled out North Korea and Iraq in the speech. But he also sent a message to Beijing and Tehran, saying, “I caution those who think that they can pursue nuclear weapons without detection. The United States and its allies will prove you wrong.”

Summary:

The global situation continues to spiral toward chaos. The world is at a pivotal moment in history, one of those periods that historians like to study and shake their heads in wonder that nobody saw what was coming. The Bible outlined the exact alignment of nations, in much the way a historian would look at them in hindsight — only the Bible predicted that alignment thousands of years in advance, for a precise moment in history, in a specific generation.

Think of it. The qualifying generation would be one that experienced an exponential explosion of knowledge. [Dan 12:4] Moore’s Law dictates that computer processing ability doubles every 18 months. For the first time in 2500 years, there would have to exist a Jewish state, called Israel, and located on the same piece of real estate from which they were exiled. Israel’s rebirth would coincide with a revival of the old Roman Empire. The EU was born out of the 1948 Benelux Customs Treaty. Today, it is routinely referred to as Revived Rome.

The generation that saw all these things would also see a global economy [Rev 13:17] a global government [Rev 13:2] and a global religion [Rev 13:11-15].

All these things can only happen once, and all of them, according to the Bible, must occur in a single generation, somewhere in time. That generation, according to Scripture, will see the complete fulfillment of Bible prophecy for the last days.

Including the Rapture of the Church. It cannot be a future generation. These prophecies have not been fulfilled in generations past. Since they have begun, they will not be fulfilled in generations future. Jesus said, “Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” [Matt 24:34]. That only leaves one generation that meets all the qualifications. This one.

Target: Israel

Target: Israel
Vol: 4 Issue: 25 Friday, January 25, 2002

Target: Israel

Israeli generals continue to warn of an Egyptian military resurgence and believe they present a threat to Israel. The Israelis take the threat so seriously they have gone so far to block delivery of American weapons to the Cairo government.

The reason given is that Israeli military intelligence discovered that in all recent Egyptian army exercises, the targeted enemy was Israel!

The Israelis acted quickly and asked the Americans not to supply Egypt with new, state-of-the-art F-15s. The US refused until Israel provided the evidence. According to Jane’s Defense Weekly, Washington quietly blocked the sale.

Iraq Hit Third Time This Week

U.S. warplanes bombed anti- aircraft artillery and surface-to-air missile sites in Iraq for the third time in four days. The attacks are focusing on disabling Iraq’s increasingly active defenses. The latest attack took place at 7:20 a.m. Washington time, in an unidentified area of the “no-fly zone” in southern Iraq. “In the last few days, coalition aircraft have reported being fired upon while flying in the southern no-fly zone over Iraq,” Air Force General Richard Myers, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at the Pentagon.

Since December 1998, coalition aircraft have been targeted by Iraqi air defenses more than 1,060 times, including more than 420 incidents this year.

Iran To Overfly Iraq

Complicating the US enforcement of Iraq’s no fly zone is the fact direct flights between Iran and Damascus will soon pass through Iraqi airspace, according to Iran’s state news agency IRNA.

“Direct regular flights between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Syrian Arab Republic will soon be using Iraqi airspace,” Behzad Mazaheri told a meeting on transport on the Iranian Island of Kish, IRNA said.

The over flights are being allowed by Iraq because the Tehran-Damascus pipeline is funneling weapons to Hezbollah and the Palestinian Authority for use against Israel. Iran Upgrades US Weapons Arsenal

In the event the United States does go after Iran, US troops will be facing weapons stamped “made in the USA”. Iranian officials said the military industry has obtained the expertise and spare parts necessary to revive many U.S. systems that had fallen in disuse in the early 1990s. They said these include ground, air and naval systems. Iranian Defense Minister Ali Shakhani proudly announced that “all the armaments, purchased before the revolution, which foreign countries thought would be ditched with the pull-out of foreign military advisers, are operational.”

Teheran invested heavily in its defense industries in the aftermath of the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war. Ten years later, Iran has completed prototypes of fighter-jets, tanks and other military equipment.

Western intelligence sources said Russia has played a large role in the development of Iran’s defense industry. The sources said virtually all of Iran’s weapons contracts with Russia include the transfer of technology to Teheran.

Mounting Unrest in Jordan

At least one person was killed and 15 people were injured when rioting broke out last week in the southern Jordan city of Maan. Maan is one of the poorest cities in the country and has been the site of a number of riots in recent years, including one protesting the U.S. bombing of Iraq. It is also a hotbed for political dissent and home to a leading opposition Islamist. The riots suggest the precariousness of social stability in Jordan’s poorer regions and point to an area that will likely be a growing social problem for the government.

Mounting unrest in Jordan’s provincial areas could create a host of difficulties for the government of King Abdullah II. Jordan’s Hashemite Kingdom is unpopular among many Arabs, who view it as an artificial British construction. Abdullah is a moderate leading a nation largely composed of anti-Israeli Islamic fundamentalists who support Arafat’s Palestinian Authority. Prior to 1967, the West Bank was Jordan and its “Palestinian” inhabitants were Jordanian.

US-Russian Tensions Quietly Building

The Russians believe the recent thaw in relations between Washington and Moscow was a marriage of convenience while America prosecuted its war in Afghanistan. According to Russia Weekly, “when the US has gained all it could from Russia, American “hawks” have decided that any closer relations between our countries would only impede the realization of long-term plans for expansion of US influence around the world.”

The Russians are rethinking allowing the US to set up bases in Central Asia, believing the US is settling into bases in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan ‘seriously and for the long term’.

Analysis:

Moscow is adamantly opposed to any US strike against either Iran or Iraq — both likely future targets in the war on terror. Although there are burps and temporary shifts in policy, the fundamental alignment of nations foretold by Ezekiel for the last days continues to develop exactly as predicted across the span two and a half millenia.

Jihad Schools Still Operating

Jihad Schools Still Operating
Vol: 4 Issue: 24 Thursday, January 24, 2002

Thousands of Arabs are continuing to be indoctrinated in Islamic holy war in countries aligned with the United States. Among the countries graduating holy warriors [guess who they are at war with] are Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Sen. Carl Levin, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the growth of Islamic indoctrination is endangering the U.S. security relationship with Riyad. Levin said Saudi Arabia has failed to restrict the so-called Islamic schools, or “madrassas,” in wake of the Sept. 11 suicide attacks on New York and Washington. “What makes it a little different is the support that comes from that country for the madrassas,” Levin said. “I think if the Saudi government wanted [it could] prevent that from happening.” ‘If it wanted to’, that is.

Hamas Developing Larger Warheads For Kassam-1

In another sign of a coming all out war, the Palestinian insurgency group, Hamas, is said to have expanded its warhead payload on a new short-range rocket and deployed the weapon in the West Bank. Hamas is said to be developing a new version of its Kassam-1 short-range rocket. Israeli intelligence sources said the new model Kassam-1 will continue to have a range of five kilometers, that of the original model. But the updated version will have a large warhead.

The Palestinian group first deployed the Kassam-1 in attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza Strip in October. Nobody was hurt in the attack. Hamas is also developing a longer-range Kassam-2 rocket. Kassam-2, the intelligence sources said, will have a range of between six and 10 kilometers. [4-6 miles]

Gog Supplies Weapons Upgrades To Arab States

Russia is offering to modernize the Sukhoi fleets of Middle East nations. Officials said Moscow has held discussions with several Arab countries for the modernization of the Sukhoi combat aircraft. They said the effort is part of a Russian project to upgrade 100 Su-25 for the air force.

Algeria, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen have Sukhoi fleets. Iraq has 15 Sukhoi-25 jets, obtained in 1985. Seven of the Su-25 are in Iran. Syria has 35 MiG-25s dating from 1980. Sukhoi Aircraft said it is upgrading about 100 aircraft for foreign customers. No further details are available at press time.

Iran Will Be Target This Year, Says Think Tank

A US think-tank says Iran and Sudan are likely to be areas of conflict during 2002.The Washington-based National Defense Council Foundation said in its annual survey that Iraq and Sudan are two of 10 countries most likely to be conflict areas over the coming year. Other countries on the list include Afghanistan, Burma, Burundi, Congo, Comoros, Pakistan, Sierra Leone and Somalia.The study, meant to alert Washington to foreign military and security dangers, cited the civil war in Sudan as well as the U.S.-led efforts to stop Baghdad’s weapons of mass destruction programs as the potential spark for conflict. The foundation surveyed 159 countries and determined that 59 of them engaged in serious conflicts during 2001.

The foundation’s annual report asserted that most of the conflicts involved insurgency groups. The report said many of these groups could exploit the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington by Saudi fugitive Osama Bin Laden.

bin-Laden Phone Home

The United States has not ruled out the prospect that Osama Bin Laden has fled to Saudi Arabia. U.S. officials said Saudi Arabia is one of several countries that Bin Laden would most likely to choose had he escaped Afghanistan. The other countries are Chechnya, the disputed Kashmir region, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

“There are a number of places, but I don’t think there are many places that would like to have him right now,” U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said.

Officials said the Bush administration has raised the prospect with Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Yemen. They said they were pledged cooperation by all three countries, despite the lack of any concrete action on their part so far. The officials said that Bin Laden might have sought refuge along the Saudi-Yemeni border, a stronghold of his al Qaeda group.

Hezbollah Biding Its Time

Almost daily, Hezbollah, the Lebanese Islamist organization, insists that Israel’s occupation of south Lebanon is not over and that its anti-Israel resistance will continue unabated. Yet Hezbollah has been unusually quiet.

For three months it has launched no attack on Israel. Recently Hezbollah has begun to show signs of irritation about comments on its inactivity. Hezbollah’s fighting arm, Islamic Resistance, is demanding action. But Hezbollah is gearing up for something. And that has Israel watching them very closely.

Terrorists Moving to Nepal

While the West applauds the US campaign against terrorism in Afghanistan, another insurgency problem is brewing on the other side of the Himalayas. The Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-M) is moving from strength to strength in its six-year-old war against Katmandu. The government there felt sufficiently threatened to have declared a state of emergency on 26 November 2001 after a fragile ceasefire broke down three days earlier because the CPN-M leadership did not see a “positive political” result. King Gyanendra reluctantly sent the 47,000-strong Royal Nepal Army to battle the insurgents.

Special Report: Modern Israel and Bible Prophecy
Vol: 4 Issue: 23 Wednesday, January 23, 2002

Nablus Raid Nets Largest Bomb Lab Ever

Israeli General Yitzhak Eitan called the bomb lab they destroyed in Nablus “perhaps the largest ever found” in the West Bank. In an apartment occupied by four militants, police found explosive belts of the type used by suicide bombers, together with explosives, ammunition, wires, metal pellets used as shrapnel and several cell phones and beepers that can be used as detonators. The IDF killed four militants in what it called a fierce firefight. The Palestinians claim the men were gunned down without mercy and promised ‘unrestricted warfare’ against the Israelis in retaliation. “What happened in the West Bank is a dangerous military escalation that gives Hamas the right to respond,” said Ismail Shanab, a senior Hamas political leader. “The security coordination between Israel and the Palestinian Authority must stop.” But Hamas did admit one of the dead, Yousef Haled Yousef Sukagi, was the leader of the military wing of Hamas in the West Bank. Hamas ‘righteous indignation’ at Israel’s ‘dangerous military escalation’ did not address the apartment full of bombs. The discovery proves only that Israel hit Hamas before Hamas hit them first.

Analysis:

This is the kind of war forced on the Israelis by world opinion. If Israel is hit by Hamas suicide bombers, Hamas takes to the airwaves to claim the strike on behalf of ‘oppressed peoples’ forcing Israel to fight every battle twice. First, Jerusalem must fight the propaganda war, proving the targets of the bombers weren’t combatants and reminding the world it’s not nice to kill innocent civilians before retaliating. Then comes the firefight when the IDF responds. Following that, another defensive propaganda battle over whether Israel’s retaliatory strike was appropriate to the provocation. And the battle must be fought in the face of the global refusal to accept Israel’s legitimacy to occupy its historical ancestral homeland in the first place.

The Palestinians, on the other hand, are allowed to ignore such facts as an apartment full of bombs and still blame Israel for ‘military escalation’. Such statements are quoted as fact in the media, leaving Israel to disprove them. It is a war in which the actual aggressor [if one defines the term as the party who strikes first] is innocent even when proved guilty, and the defender [if one can apply the term ‘retaliatory’ strike, it implies there was something to ‘retaliate’ for] is guilty even when proved innocent. And in war, there is always a guilty party. When Israel is guilty of war excesses, [an inevitability of war] its enemies [the entire global press corps] portray it as ‘evidence’ proving Israel is always the guilty party. When the Palestinians are guilty of excesses, the microscope focuses on the ‘ferocity’ of the Israeli response, ignoring the provocation behind it.

Divinely Ordained Double Standard

Throughout the Old Testament history of the Jewish people one finds a unique element — especially given that it was recorded by Jews in the first place. All the OT prophets predicted the world would hate the Jews to the end of time. [Deut 28:37;1 Kings 9:7; 2Chron 7:20; Psalms 44:14, etc.]. Jesus said of the future of the Jewish people, “They shall put you out of the synagogues, yea, the time cometh that whosoever killeth you will think they do God service” [John 16:2].

There are Christian groups who teach that the Church has replaced Israel as the ‘Chosen People”. Israel was ‘chosen’ to be the visible reminder of God’s sovereignty. No nation so hated through history, so reviled and persecuted, a nation marked for destruction and assimilation for thousands of years, without nation, land or flag, could have survived the millennia apart from God. But the Jews survived; culture, dietary laws, religion and even ancient language intact – waiting the Divine Call to return to the Land. In 1948, the Call came and the Jews returned. They claimed the land as a Divine birthright, re-igniting an ingrained, inexplicable, global anti-Semitism.

Israel the Improbable

The existence of the State of Israel is a visible proof that God remains on the Throne. That Israel is hated by the world system is undeniable. Israel is held to a standard of conduct higher than any nation on earth and is punished unmercifully when it violates that standard. [Consider imposing restraints on Washington similar to those imposed on Jerusalem in responding to terrorist attacks]. The Bible said thousands of years ago, that, in the last days there would be three improbable realities.

First, there would exist a state of Israel for the first time since Sargon II captured the Kingdom of Israel in 702 BC. Second, although tiny among nations, it would be the centerpiece of global attention. Thirdly, it would be universally despised, a pariah among nations. Israel exists. Although it is no larger than Connecticut and has a total population roughly the size of Greater New York City, it is the center of world attention, even during a global war on terror. And of 186 nations, America is Israel’s only friend.

Divine Evidence

Frederick the Great is reputed to have once asked an advisor to give him a single evidence of the existence of God. Although he lived 200 years before the rebirth of Israel, the advisor replied instantly, “Have you considered the Jew, sire?” Israel is the centerpiece of Bible prophecy. Its existence and history are proof positive of the accuracy of Bible prophecy. To this point in the historical record, Bible prophecy — where it can be proved at all — has proved to be 100% accurate, 100% of the time.

It continues to unfold before our eyes. The same God that predicted what has already occurred with such unerring accuracy will continue to perform His Will until His Purpose is accomplished. Bible prophecy proves God remains on the Throne and is intimately concerned with the affairs of men.

“Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:” [Isaiah 46:9-10]

That promise has no expiration date. God’s blueprint for the future will continue to unfold with the same accuracy in the days ahead as it has in millennia past. Prophecy is His signature of authenticity. And our confidence is well placed.

The Enemy of my Enemy is My Friend

The Enemy of my Enemy is My Friend
Vol: 4 Issue: 22 Tuesday, January 22, 2002

There have been rumors of backroom agreements between Iran and Iraq as the war on terror progresses. In a further signal of possible secret rapprochement, Iran released nearly 200 Iraqi POWs it captured on its border in 1991 — the first of 697 POW s it promised to return to Baghdad. The remaining five hundred prisoners have been held by Iran for almost 20 years and will be released over the next few weeks. An Iraqi foreign ministry spokesman said the two sides would also exchange the bodies of 1,183 Iraqis and 574 Iranians who had died in prison.

Background:

Iran and Iraq are bitter enemies who fought a debilitating 8-year war to a stalemate in 1988. One million Iranians and Iraqis died. At the last, Iran was throwing waves of ill-equipped, untrained teenagers at the Iraqi lines. It was all Tehran had left with which to fight. The war ended when each side ran out of troops and materiel to prosecute it, rather than in a victory for one side followed by a peace agreement.

Analysis:

Individually, Iran and Iraq are Israel’s two most implacable enemies. They are also recognized state sponsors of terror and prime candidates to become targets of the US war on terror. The shared threat from Washington — together with their shared hatred of Israel — are forcing the two nations together.

Iran and Iraq together form a much greater threat to global security than either pose separately. This is a very important development, viewed from the perspective of strategic intelligence and Bible prophecy. Ezekiel s Gog-Magog war line-up includes Persia, which in Ezekiel s day included both modern Iran and Iraq an alliance that seemed extremely unlikely even a year ago. No longer.

Last Independent TV Pulled By Moscow

Russia s TV-6 was the last remaining independent national television station to survive a series of takeovers that returned control of the airwaves to Moscow. The Russian Media Ministry has decided not to renew its broadcasting license, claiming the privately operated station was losing money .

TV-6 was an outspoken critic of the government and especially of Moscow s war in Chechnya. Moscow had previously offered to do a deal with the station, under which its journalists could stay on air as long as they broke with TV-6’s owner, Boris Berezovsky – a sharp critic of the government. The journalists initially agreed, then backed out. Then the state apparatus fell on them. It looks like some kind of television coup, said TV-6 director Yevgeny Kiselyov. “The authorities today showed that their single goal is to gag us.” He said power supplies, telephone lines and internet connections had all been cut off.

New Wine, Old Bottles

President Putin has been quietly reversing Russia s direction, claiming to champion democracy to the global audience, but systematically seizing control of what the domestic audience can hear. The old Russians mostly pulled from the rosters of the former KGB, are running the new Russia. Jesus observed that no man puts new wine in old bottles [Mark 2:22].

Analysis:

Russia has a date with destiny. Ezekiel said that when Russia makes its move against Israel, it would be like having a hook in their jaw that God says He will use to bring thee [Russia] forth [Ezek: 38:4]. The Russians will be pulled — almost against their better judgment — by strategic alliance and circumstance, into the conflict in the Middle East. The media and the diplomats say a new era has arrived in US Russian relations. Intelligence indicates it is more like the calm before the coming storm.

US Assures Allies On Iraq

Washington has reassured allies that it does not plan to launch an attack on Iraq ‘over the coming weeks’. The message was relayed by the Bush administration to Turkey. President George Bush was said to have reassured Turkish Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit that Washington was not planning an ‘imminent’ attack on Baghdad.

“The United States has been assessing a possible military operation against Iraq,” Ecevit said. “The United States does not plan to launch a military operation against Iraq in short term. Turkey’s strategical [sic] importance is vital. Turkey has a significant position in the region.”

Analysis:

The ‘reassurance’ does not say there won’t be an attack on Iraq, simply that it won’t come over the ‘coming weeks’. It really means our buildup isn’t ready.

Turkey is concerned that US war plans will work against Ankara s own strategic national security interests. Washington wants to use Iraqi opposition forces to fight the ground war to overthrow Saddam. The fiercest “Iraqi opposition forces” are the Iraqi Kurds. The Kurds are fighting a war of independence against Turkey. Turkey is a stalwart US ally and the only Muslim country in NATO. It is central to maintaining the balance of power in the region.

Strategically, Turkey s importance to the US can t be overstated. If Washington loses Turkey, it loses vital military installations necessary to successfully prosecuting any war with either Iraq or Iran. Moreover, Turkey is the only state in the region and the only Muslim state on earth — that has a military cooperation agreement with Israel.

Washington can’t please everybody, and Saddam is on the short list for elimination, no matter who objects. So every day, the fuse on the Middle East powder keg gets a little shorter. And every day, Bible prophecy for the last days grows that much clearer. “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” [Luke 21:28]