Christians have no greater ally than Israel

Religion News Service | By Lauren Markoe
Posted: 09/11/2014 1:17 pm EDT Updated: 09/11/2014 1:59 pm EDT

(RNS) After he said “Christians have no greater ally than Israel,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, was heckled off the stage at a Wednesday night (Sept. 10) gala to raise awareness of beleaguered Mideast Christians.

Cruz, the keynote speaker at the Washington, D.C., dinner, sponsored by In Defense of Christians, a new organization spearheaded by Catholic and Orthodox Christians, prompted boos and cries of “stop it!” and “enough” and “no!” as an increasingly louder crowd told him to get off the stage.

The incident, first reported by the online news organization The Daily Caller, was captured on video by EWTN, the Catholic television network. The video shows that Cruz tried to continue speaking, but many in the audience, in a hotel ballroom, expressed anger when he included Hamas in the list of militants out to destroy religious minorities in the Middle East.

Middle Eastern Christian leaders condemn 'barbaric' persecution

Published 10 September 2014  |   Carey Lodge


Politicians, policy makers and faith leaders have urged the international community to step up its response to religious persecution in the Middle East.

Meeting for the inaugural IDC (In Defence of Christians) Summit in Washington this week, representatives from Middle Eastern churches condemned global inaction, insisting all nations must immediately address the growing crisis in Iraq and Syria.


According to the Washington Post, Patriarch Mar Bechara Boutros Cardinal Rai, Maronite patriarch of Antioch and all the East, said: "Far too long the world has stood there watching these atrocities without lifting a finger while the local government has proved to be utterly incapable of saving the lives of its citizens."

The plight of Christians in the region has been of particular concern after being targeted specifically by Islamic State (IS) militants in a bid to create a caliphate.

Last week, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby noted that the Middle East is the "birthplace of Christianity, and home to indigenous Christian communities that have been an indispensible part of its history".

He warned that the region is "in desperate danger of losing an irreplaceable part of its identity, heritage and culture."

The IDC summit yesterday echoed this sentiment, with Aram I Keshishian, Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia of the Armenian Apostolic Church, branding the crisis a "global evil".

"Religious freedom is not just an American right, it's a universal right," Cardinal Patriarch Rai, speaking before several members of Congress, added.

The 'Gharkad' tree

Nitraria retusa

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nitraria retusa
N. retusa, from Vegetation der Erde(1910)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Sapindales
Family:	Nitrariaceae
Genus:	Nitraria
Species:	N. retusa
Binomial name
Nitraria retusa (Forssk.) Asch.

Nitraria retusa is a salt-tolerant shrub or bush in the Nitrariaceae family. The plant grows to 2.5m tall, although it is usually less than 1m in height.^[1] It has tiny, white to green, fragrant flowers,^[1] and small edible red fruit.^[2] The plant is native to desert areas of northern Africa, where it grows in primary succession on barren sand dunes.^[3]

References

1. ^ Jump up to:^a b "Nitraria retusa". Flora of Pakistan. eFloras.org. Retrieved 2008-12-30.
2. Jump up^ Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation. A guide to medicinal plants in North Africa. International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. p. 256. ISBN 978-2-8317-0893-5.
3. Jump up^ Zahran, M.A.; A.J. Willis (2008). The Vegetation of Egypt. Springer. p. 440. ISBN 978-1-4020-8755-4.

No Innocents in Gaza: Israeli Army :
http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/S...News/NWELayout


Chabad rabbi: Jews should kill Arab men, women and children during war:
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1091469.html


Chief Jewish Rabbi Eliyahu advocates carpet bombing Gaza civilians:
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satelli...cle%2FShowFull


Jewish Rabbis tell Israeli army to "Kill all Palestinian civilians":
http://english.aljazeera.net/archive...850935259.html


Jewish Rabbi calls for "hanging Arab children":
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/968729.html


Rabbi Eliyahu: Life of one yeshiva boy worth more than 1,000 Arabs:
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7...527410,00.html


Israeli spokesperson says children are legitimate target:
http://www.uruknet.de/?p=m50093&s1=h1


UN: "Israel knew they were bombing a school:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=uWP0GU0wVSk


Israel Uses Gazans as Human Shields:
http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/S...News/NWELayout


Israeli soldiers say Palestinians are not human:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BP8uZrytG48


UN levels war crimes warning at Israel:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009...acuees-zeitoun


Jewish colonists tie Palestinian teacher to a pole and savagely beat him up:
http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/S...News/NWELayout


Israeli IDF shoot Palestinian in point blank range, caught on video:
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/mi...259205217.html


If Americans Knew - what every American needs to know about Israel/Palestine:
http://www.ifamericansknew.org/


CNN: Israel Broke Gaza Cease-Fire:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=uDBiycEz12s


United Nations representative confirms Israel broke the truce:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=4jOFXL62zw0


Hamas answers Israeli air raid with rockets as truce ends early:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008...-gaza-violence


Pro-Israel commentators on the Internet being directed by Israeli government:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisf...ministry-media

Palestinian land

Reuters

By Jeffrey Heller

JERUSALEM, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Israel announced on Sunday a land appropriation in the occupied West Bank that an anti-settlement group termed the biggest in 30 years, drawing Palestinian condemnation and a U.S. rebuke.

Some 400 hectares (988 acres) in the Etzion Jewish settlement bloc near Bethlehem were declared "state land, on the instructions of the political echelon" by the military-run Civil Administration.

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Edited time: June 28, 2013 12:43

Get short URL

Israeli settlers are up in arms about McDonald’s refusal to build an outlet in the West Bank, calling to boycott the company’s entire operations in Israel. The chain cited a policy of “staying out of occupied territories” with other businesses joining in.

McDonald's stated that its refusal to operate in the West Bank "had always been the restaurant chain's policy" and that its decision was not coordinated with McDonald’s headquarters in the US.

The co-owner of the new mall in the town of Ariel located in central West Bank admitted that some other international companies which were asked to open up businesses in the mall have also declined. He refused to specify which ones.

"The mediators told us that branches operating abroad and other companies holding rights in Israel for international brand names are worried about the potential negative response toward their businesses [from consumers] abroad if they open shops in the mall," Tzahi Nahmias told Calcalist newspaper.

In response Israeli settlers have called to boycott McDonald’s altogether. The right-wing ‘My Israel’ Facebook page posted a “McDonald’s: I’m not loving it” sign in protest.

Zionism

 Treatment of Jews in the Arab World

- “Arabs cannot possibly be anti-Semitic as they are themselves Semites.”
- “Modern Arab nations are only anti-Israel and have never been anti-Jewish.”
- “Jews who lived in Islamic countries were well-treated by the Arabs.”
- “As ‘People of the Book,’ Jews and Christians are protected under Islamic law.”
- The Situation Today

Climate change blame and liability

I can sincerely say this is the most important petition we've ever done.
  
Sorry for the language, but one top scientist just warned that we are all "f*cked" if global warming releases gigantic amounts of methane gas from the arctic tundra. The UN knows this, and is bringing world leaders to New York for an emergency summit.
  
Hundreds of thousands of us will take to the streets for the People’s Climate March just before the summit. Let’s make sure that on that day we deliver the largest Avaaz petition ever, for the only solution: mobilize the world to shift to 100% clean energy. Add your voice, and forward this widely:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/100_clean_78/?bnJLaib&v=44756

Whether it's the 'arctic methane bomb', the rapid acidification of our oceans, or apocalyptic flooding, climate change is the biggest threat humanity is facing, and we need the biggest petition ever to meet it. The number of us who sign will be read out to all leaders at the summit, published in hundreds of media articles, and be delivered by our marches worldwide.
  
100% clean energy is a realistic goal. Already, 20% of the world's electricity comes from clean energy, and solar power is cheaper than coal in many countries! We just need to get our leaders to agree to put our foot on the accelerator.
We're gearing up for the largest climate mobilization in history on September 21. Already hundreds of events are organised and hundreds of thousands of people signed up. But the events are designed to deliver our petition to decision makers. Let's make it the largest call to action ever. Join now and tell everyone:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/100_clean_78/?bnJLaib&v=44756

We're all different, and beautifully diverse. But whoever and wherever we are, climate change threatens everything we love, and brings all of us together. Let's come together now.
  
With hope,

Ricken, Danny, Lisa, Judy, Alex, Iain, and the rest of the Avaaz team
PS - Every signature really does count! Add your voice here: https://secure.avaaz.org/en/100_clean_78/?bnJLaib&v=44756 


MORE INFORMATION: 

Climate scientist drops the F-bomb (Salon)
http://www.salon.com/2014/08/06/climate_scientist_drops_the_f_bomb_after_startling_arctic_discovery/

EU to beat 2020 climate targets, split over 2030 ones (Reuters)
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/05/14/eu-carbon-idUKL6N0O06BG20140514 

The most influential climate change paper today remains unknown to most people (Inside Climate News)
http://insideclimatenews.org/news/20140213/climate-change-science-carbon-budget-nature-global-warming-2-degrees-bill-mckibben-fossil-fuels-keystone-xl-oil?page=show

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Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Newly leaked documents have revealed how U.S. negotiators at the U.N. climate summit in Warsaw are opposing efforts to help developing countries adapt to climate change. According to an internal U.S. briefing memo seen by Democracy Now!, the U.S. delegation is worried the talks in Warsaw will "focus increasingly on blame and liability" and that poor nations will be "seeking redress for climate damages from sea level rise, droughts, powerful storms and other adverse impacts."

a shady and illegal pipeline expansion

In August the State Department quietly posted documents revealing that it is allowing Canadian pipeline company Enbridge to move ahead with a shady and illegal pipeline expansion project that could nearly double the amount of tar sands crude pumped into the U.S. through its Alberta Clipper pipeline, in clear violation of its existing permit.¹

Enbridge is responsible for the Kalamazoo tar sands disaster, the largest inland oil-spill in U.S. history.

But shockingly, the State Department is green-lighting this scheme without giving public notice of its decision, without conducting a detailed environmental review, and without a finding of "national interest," as required for Keystone XL and other new pipeline projects.

Expanding tar sands production, by any means, will lead to “essentially game over” in our fight against climate change. So it is crucial that we strongly challenge this decision.

Tell Secretary Kerry and President Obama: Stop Enbridge’s dangerous and illegal tar sands pipeline expansion scheme.

Enbridge has been trying since 2012 to get a presidential permit to expand the Alberta Clipper from its current permitted capacity of 450,000 barrels per day to 800,000 barrels per day.

Thanks in large part to our public pressure, activists have stalled approvals for this tar sands project and others, like the Keystone XL pipeline. So Enbridge concocted a dangerous scheme that essentially amounts to smuggling to get their filthy product across the border.

Instead of carrying tar sands across the border on the Clipper pipeline directly, Enbridge is diverting the tar sands flow to an adjacent 47-year-old pipeline, where it will travel 20 miles across the US border into Minnesota, then back to the Clipper pipeline. Disturbingly, the aging "Line 3" was not designed to carry toxic and corrosive tar sands crude, yet would be operating at more than double its current capacity.

Yes, this is a proven recipe for disaster: The 2013 Mayflower Arkansas spill was caused by a rupture of the similarly aging Pegasus pipeline, which had been also co-opted to carry tar sands crude.

Tell Secretary Kerry and President Obama: Stop Enbridge’s dangerous and illegal tar sands pipeline expansion scheme.

The quiet State Department approval of Enbridge’s pipeline scheme stands in clear violation of the process required to approve new tar sands infrastructure, and the National Interest Determination test the President set for Keystone XL: If the project significantly increases carbon pollution, it should not be approved.

This project, which could carry about half as much crude as Keystone XL, clearly fails that test.

It’s possible that President Obama and Secretary Kerry did not know about this decision, in which case they could intervene and put a stop to it. But if they do nothing, it will seriously call into question the President’s commitment to fighting climate change, and commitment to the test he himself set for ensuring that tar sands pipeline projects do not make climate change worse.

Only time will tell. But now is the time to raise our voices against the State Department’s approval of Enbridge's dangerous and illegal tar sands pipeline expansion scheme.

Thanks for taking action.

Elijah Zarlin, Campaign Manager
CREDO Action from Working Assets

Add your name:

Learn more about this campaign

1. "State Department Approves Illegal Scheme for Doubling Tar Sands Flowing through the Great Lakes," National Wildlife Federation, 8/25/14

Gaza dream of a normal life

Routine counter insurgents patrol door to door

A spokesperson for the IDF defended the presence of troops in the home.

"The premises and its surrounding grounds house are frequently used by Palestinians to hurl rocks at a main road, route 60, that is located just a few meters away," she told VICE News. "In May alone there were over nine instances of rock hurling that took place in the immediate vicinity. In light of the danger to commuters the forces acted in order to safeguard all drivers on the road and prevent such acts of violence from being carried out."

It is not uncommon for Israeli soldiers to take over homes and other buildings in occupied Palestine.

Video shows moment Palestinian teens were shot dead in the West Bank. Watch here.

"There's a pattern whereby Israeli forces use civilian structures or privately-owned land for training or operational purposes, often leaving the area in shambles and riddled with unused weaponry," Ivan Karakashian, an advocacy coordinator at Defense for Children International Palestine (DCI-Palestine), told VICE News.

 

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Gaza Under Assault

BY Noam Chomsky

An old man in Gaza held a placard that read: “You take my water, burn my olive trees, destroy my house, take my job, steal my land, imprison my father, kill my mother, bombard my country, starve us all, humiliate us all, but I am to blame: I shot a rocket back.”