Discussions at the White House Regarding the Temple Mount
IsraelNationalNews.com reported on November 7, 2007, about an interesting development, pertaining to the Temple Mount (please see, in this context, our Editorial and Q&A in this Update). The report stated the following:
“Israel’s Chief Rabbis and the Chief Rabbi of Haifa have been invited to the White House for pre-Annapolis talks to explain the Jewish connection to the Temple Mount… Despite the fact that many rabbis both visit and encourage other Jews to visit the Temple Mount in the manner permitted by Jewish law, the chief rabbinate says that Jews should not visit the Temple Mount. A large sign is affixed to the path leading to the Mount saying it is ‘forbidden for Jews to visit the Mount according to Jewish law.’ All three rabbis agree that the Temple Mount must remain under Jewish sovereignty. However, the chief rabbis believe the mount should be closed to all since a special level of ritual purity must be obtained before ascending to the site of the Jewish Holy Temple. Rabbi Cohen believes the Temple Mount should be open to Jewish worship and a synagogue should be constructed there.
“Arutz-7’s Yedidya HaCohen reports that a secret meeting on the matter took place two weeks ago during one of the recent visits by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to Jerusalem. The meeting dealt with Jerusalem’s holy sites and was attended by Rabbi Cohen, as well as Muslim and Christian religious leaders. The meeting lasted over two hours. Muslim leaders aired their claim that ‘the Jews want to destroy the Al-Aksa Mosques’ and their oft-heard denial that there was ever a Jewish temple at the site. The chief Mufti has already declared that Jews should not be allowed to pray at the site. Recent [archeological] finds from the First Temple have not tempered Muslim denial of pre-Islamic history on the mount, as well as the Western Wall.
“Rabbi Cohen responded to those present: ‘It is forbidden to deny that the Jews had our Holy Temple at that site. It is forbidden to forget that King David purchased the Temple Mount, King Solomon built the Holy Temple and Ezra the Scribe rebuilt it as well [after it was destroyed –ed.]. All who come afterward must recognize the rights of those who came first. Although I do not propose the demolition of the mosques, the Muslims must remember that they are there due to us.’… In summation, Rabbi Cohen told Rice and the other religious leaders that he is completely opposed to any withdrawal from the Temple Mount and site of the Holy Temple.
“Rice reportedly responded: ‘Honorable rabbi, I understand you well. I am the daughter of a priest and the granddaughter of a priest, I learned the Bible and know what is written there.’…
“The meetings [at the white House], which will be attended by members of the Islamic Wakf and Christian leaders… According to [a] proposal [to be discussed at the meetings], the Jerusalem ‘Holy Basin’ – meaning the Old City and surrounding areas – would be administered by a joint committee and not remain under Israeli sovereignty… [T]he Western Wall and Temple Mount would remain under Israeli control, but the Americans are reportedly pushing to see the Temple Mount relinquished as well.”
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia Meets With Pope, Prime Minister Prodi and Queen Elizabeth
AFP reported on November 6:
“Pope Benedict XVI raised the issue of Christians living in Saudi Arabia in a historic meeting Tuesday with King Abdullah, the first monarch of the ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom to visit the Vatican… The Holy See does not have diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia, which is home to Islam’s holiest shrines in Mecca and Medina and applies a rigorous doctrine of Sunni Islam known as Wahhabism. The question of religious freedoms for the roughly one million Christians and other non-Muslims in Saudi Arabia remains an extremely sensitive one…
“The groundbreaking talks were not King Abdullah’s first contact with the head of the Roman Catholic Church, since he met Pope Benedict’s predecessor John Paul II in 1999 when he was crown prince to his half brother King Fahd. King Abdullah, 84, and the 80-year-old pontiff also exchanged ‘ideas on the Middle East and the need to find a fair solution to the conflicts afflicting the region, in particular the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,’ the Vatican communique said…
“Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi met the Saudi king later, saying afterward that he hoped a planned Middle East peace conference in Annapolis, Maryland, later this year would ‘yield solid expectations for an end, once and for all, to this conflict.’ He said the conference held out ‘strong expectations’ among Palestinians for a future sovereign state ‘with geographical continuity in peace and security with the state of Israel, which in turn would be recognised by all the countries of the region.’ Prodi also mentioned the upcoming election by the Lebanese parliament of a new president, saying that Italy and Saudi Arabia were in ‘constant close contact to facilitate dialogue and to exhort Lebanese political forces to reach a compromise in the primary interests of the people.’…
“King Abdullah, who ascended the throne two years ago, had arrived in Rome late Monday following a lavish three-day visit to London at the invitation of Queen Elizabeth II. That visit, the first by a Saudi monarch in 20 years, sparked human rights protests… King Abdullah will travel on to Germany and Turkey before returning home.”
King Abdullah arrived in Germany on Wednesday, where he was received by Chancellor Angela Merkel with military honors. He will also meet with Germany’s President, Horst Koehler, but no press conference was planned, according to an article of USA today, dated November 7.
… And You Will Lose the Gates of Your Enemies…
The Christian Science Monitor wrote on November 2:
“For the second time in three years, a Senate panel has given the nod to a treaty that governs the oceans. Last time, alarmist concerns about the loss of US sovereignty kept the treaty from a floor vote. This time, the Senate must steer past those criticisms, or America will be left high and dry.
“The Law of the Sea Convention protects its members’ navigation rights to the oceans. It establishes limits for marine boundaries and rules for extracting resources and preserving the health of the seas. And it sets up a way to resolve disputes about these issues.
“The United States was the lead negotiator on this treaty, starting during the Nixon administration. President Reagan had some problems relating to deep-sea mining, but they were fixed in a second negotiation. It’s in force for more than 150 nations – for almost all NATO members, and for four of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, including Russia and China, but not the US.
“Global warming has made US approval urgent. As the polar icecap melts, nations are steaming ahead to claim rights to Arctic sea lanes and oil and gas reserves. Staying outside the treaty leaves the US with little say in this region, especially off Alaska.
“The treaty has remarkably broad support in America: State Department and Pentagon chiefs from both parties; oil, gas, and fishing industries; and environmentalists. And yet, a few senators have the power to tangle this treaty in a kelp forest of myths:
“The US is giving up sovereignty. Actually, the US gains sovereignty as never before. The treaty extends the nation’s territorial waters from three miles to 12. It gains a marine ‘economic zone’ that goes out at least 200 miles. The US would have exclusive rights to explore, conserve, manage, and exploit resources in this mammoth zone, about equal in size to the continental US.
“The treaty also gives the US important new navigational rights. The key one allows warships and submarines to pass through straits and archipelagos.
“The treaty is UN overreach. True, the agreement was negotiated under UN auspices, but the signatories created it. The three bodies to deal with disputes and issues are not UN bodies. And the US has opted out of an international tribunal to settle military disputes; for general disputes it’s chosen arbitration.
“The treaty hinders US ability to fight terrorism. Critics say rules restricting boarding of foreign ships and seizing their goods would prevent the US from intercepting weapons of mass destruction. But the treaty provides an exception for ‘military activities,’ and international law amply allows for self-defense.
“The treaty restricts US intelligence by making subs surface in territorial waters. This provision is already binding law as part of a 1958 treaty. And does America really want Chinese subs lurking off its beaches?
“What’s going on is an attempt by a small, vocal group of think tanks to scare senators with the one-world-government specter. Let’s remember that the US has negotiated this treaty (twice!) with its own interests at heart; that order on the oceans is preferable to chaos; and that the US cannot complain about violations when it is not party to the treaty, neither can it influence it.
“This ship is leaving the harbor. The US must get on board now.”
But will it? Biblical prophecies may suggest otherwise. For more information, please read our free booklet, “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America.”
“One of the Worst Natural Disasters in the History” of Mexico…
AFP wrote on November 2:
“Rescuers on Friday worked on saving hundreds of thousands of people trapped by the worst floods on record in Mexico’s southern state of Tabasco… The disastrous floods affected more than one million residents, or about half Tabasco’s population.
“‘New Orleans was small compared to this,’ said state Governor Andres Granier, in reference to the disaster wrought by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which killed about 1,000 people in the southern US city alone. Only one fatality was recorded so far in Tabasco, but the floods have caused widespread devastation. The oil-rich state the size of Belgium is 80 percent underwater, and 850 towns have been flooded, officials said…
“President Felipe Calderon urged Mexicans to donate aid to flood victims. ‘The situation is extraordinarily grave,’ he said in an address to the nation on Thursday, calling the flooding ‘one of the worst natural disasters in the history of the country.’…
“The floods began last week when a cold front brought heavy rain that caused the Grijalva, Carrizal and Puxcatan rivers to burst their banks. Soldiers and state authorities had placed more than 700,000 sand bags along the rivers to prevent flooding, but the water rose above the barriers. The floods worsened over the past three days as authorities drained water from two dams in the neighboring state of Chiapas to prevent them from exceeding their capacity. The water rose again Thursday in the state capital of Villahermosa, which was flooded Wednesday after the Grijalva River burst its banks.”
The Associated Press reported on November 5:
“Authorities worked early Monday to deliver badly needed food and water to thousands of residents stranded by devastating floods that have damaged the homes of up to 500,000 people. Since swollen rivers first broke their banks on Oct. 28, flood waters have isolated many Gulf coast communities. Thousands of residents who rescuers haven’t been able to reach have run out of food, water and are living with no electricity and no way to flee…”
AFP added on November 5:
“Anger and despair rose Monday as victims of southern Mexico’s disastrous floods, some perched on rooftops, complained of chaotic aid distribution and looting… Authorities estimate that about 20,000 people were trapped in their homes and had not received any aid… Health officials worried about health risks from open sewage and the spread of disease-carrying mosquitoes. Dengue, cholera and diarrhea outbreaks now are very real possibilities, they said. Several countries responded to President Felipe Calderon’s call for international solidarity, including Germany, which pledged 250,000 euros and the United States which announced aid totaling 350,000 dollars.”
Deadly Hurricane Noel Hits the Caribbean
AFP wrote on November 2:
“Hurricane Noel on Friday churned over the Atlantic Ocean on a northerly track to Canada after battering the Caribbean where it killed at least 116 people in the Dominican Republic and Haiti… Before it even strengthened from a tropical storm to a hurricane, Noel went on a deadly rampage through the Dominican Republic and Haiti, which share the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. Noel left in its wake floodwaters that hampered the rescue of people in the Dominican Republic, where at least 73 people were killed, with 27 more reported missing. Authorities used helicopters to deliver emergency supplies to areas cut off by floodwaters. Torrents of water smashed several bridges, while authorities reported that 664 homes were destroyed and a further 15,600 were damaged.
“In impoverished Haiti, officials on Friday said the death toll rose to 43, while 15 people were missing. A total of 4,850 houses were damaged and 1,075 completely destroyed, [but] many crops were lost to floods and mudslides. Cuba, was also hit hard, but reported no fatalities.”
Daniel 2:43: “… Just As Iron Does Not Mix With Clay…”
The Associated Press reported on November 1:
“A woman who was raped and beaten near a Gypsy camp allegedly by a Romanian died Thursday night, state radio reported. The latest attack blamed on a foreigner has prompted the government to give authorities the power to expel EU immigrants deemed dangerous. ‘Horror in Rome’ read the front-page headline Thursday in Il Messaggero, a daily newspaper in the city. ‘End of tolerance,’ began an accompanying editorial calling for a tough response…
“Although the free movement of EU citizens within the 27 member nations is a cornerstone of EU policy, countries still have the right to keep certain people out if they are deemed dangerous. Italy’s president signed a decree Thursday allowing the expulsion of European Union citizens ‘for reasons of public safety’ to fight ‘episodes of heavy violence and ferocious crime.’…
“A series of violent crimes in the capital has been blamed on Romanians in recent months… The attacks have shocked Rome, where street violence has long been unusual… ‘Today’s horror in Rome … is the consequence of yesterday’s excessive tolerance,’ said the editorial in Il Messaggero… “
The Associated Press reported on November 4:
“Opposition leader Silvio Berlusconi urged Italy to close its borders to Romanian workers and a conservative ally called Sunday for the expulsion of tens of thousands of immigrants amid public outrage over a wave of violent crimes blamed on foreigners. Pope Benedict XVI added his voice to the debate over the balance between citizen safety and treatment of foreigners, reminding authorities that immigrants have both obligations and rights. The pope weighed in as lawmakers prepared to debate the government’s response to recent crime, including fast-track expulsions of Romanians and other EU citizens deemed dangerous and bulldozing shantytowns housing immigrants…
“After Romania joined the EU earlier this year, Romanians poured into Italy in search of work as maids, nannies, waiters, janitors and bricklayers, and they now account for nearly 1 percent of the population in Italy… Italian authorities say statistics show foreigners commit a disproportionate number of crimes. Rome Mayor Walter Veltroni said 75 percent of arrests in the city in the last year involved Romanians. On a national level, less than 5 percent of Italy’s population in 2004 — before Romania joined the EU — was foreign, yet foreigners accounted for 26 percent of those convicted of crimes.”
The EUObserver added on November 5:
“Over the weekend, Romania protested against its nationals being singled out as the main target of expulsions… Romania’s president Traian Basescu said: ‘Improvised measures that induce fear and awaken hatred can be unjust and can have other effects than those hoped,’ according to AGI agency. But Franco Frattini, the EU commissioner in charge of security and justice, argues that Rome’s action was in line with the bloc’s rules on citizens living in other member states.
“‘What has to be done is simple. Go into a nomad camp in Rome for example, and ask them: “Can you tell me where you live?” If they say they do not know, take them and send them home to Romania. That is how the European directive works,’ he said, according to the UK daily Telegraph. He also urged the Italian authorities to pull down the camps to prevent Romanians from returning while suggesting that Bucharest ‘cannot say they will not take them back, because it is an obligation that is part of being a member state of the EU.'”
Frightening–US Allegedly Involved in Recent Attack on Syria
The Jerusalem Post published the following spectacular article, dated November 2:
“The September 6 raid over Syria was carried out by the US Air Force, the Al-Jazeera Web site reported Friday. The Web site quoted Israeli and Arab sources as saying that two strategic US jets armed with tactical nuclear weapons carried out an attack on a nuclear site under construction. The sources were quoted as saying that Israeli F-15 and F-16 jets provided cover for the US planes. The sources added that each US plane carried one tactical nuclear weapon and that the site was hit by one bomb and was totally destroyed.
“At the beginning of October, Israel’s military censor began to allow the local media to report on the raid without attributing their report to foreign sources. Nevertheless, details of the strike have remained clouded in mystery.
“On October 28, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told the cabinet that he had apologized to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan if Israel violated Turkish airspace during a strike on an alleged nuclear facility in Syria last month.
“In a carefully worded statement that was given to reporters after the cabinet meeting, Olmert said: ‘In my conversation with the Turkish prime minister, I told him that if Israeli planes indeed penetrated Turkish airspace, then there was no intention thereby, either in advance or in any case, to – in any way – violate or undermine Turkish sovereignty, which we respect.’
“The New York Times reported on October 13 that Israeli planes struck at what US and Israeli intelligence believed was a partly constructed nuclear reactor in Syria on September 6, citing American and foreign officials who had seen the relevant intelligence reports. According to the report, Israel carried out the report to send a message that it would not tolerate even a nuclear program in its initial stages of construction in any neighboring state.”
2007– the Deadliest Year in Iraq for American Troops
AFP reported on November 6:
“Six American troops have been killed in bomb attacks in Iraq, the US military said on Tuesday, making 2007 the deadliest year for the American forces since the invasion… 851 US soldiers have died so far this year in Iraq, against 846 in 2004, the previous most lethal year for the American military since the US-led invasion of March 2003… The US military’s overall losses in Iraq since the invasion four years ago have now reached 3,856.”
Serious Problems With US Legal System
AFP wrote on October 31:
“Many US juvenile courts routinely shackle teens accused of minor crimes and deny them adequate access to a lawyer, a study released Wednesday has found. Most teens in the study did not get to meet with a lawyer before a hearing to determine whether they should be held in jail prior to trial. They also rarely got to adequately discuss their case with a lawyer prior to the trial date. Anywhere from 70 to 100 percent of the teens ended up pleading guilty, many at their first court appearance. ‘You have youth that are not guilty who are pleading guilty because they want to get it over with,’ said study co-author Cathryn Crawford…
“Juvenile convictions, while theoretically sealed, are also disclosed to schools and can impact access to financial aid for college. And there have also been reports that prospective employers have been able to access juvenile records, Crawford said. But perhaps the most serious impact is on how these teens feel about the system, she said… Researchers looked at the juvenile court system in a representative sample of 16 Illinois counties. They found the same systemic problems present in 15 other states examined in recent years.”
Dire Consequences of America’s Unfriendliness Towards Visitors
AFP wrote on November 1:
“The number of foreign visitors to the United States has plummeted since the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington because foreigners don’t feel welcome, tourism professionals said Thursday. ‘Since September 11, 2001, the United States has experienced a 17 percent decline in overseas travel, costing America 94 billion dollars in lost visitor spending, nearly 200,000 jobs and 16 billion dollars in lost tax revenue,’ the Discover America advocacy campaign said in a statement…
“‘Travelers around the world feel the US entry experience is among the world’s worst,’ [the statement said]… Last year, only 56 percent of Britons had a positive opinion of the United States compared with 83 percent in 2000… Thirty-nine percent of French people saw the United States in a positive light last year, compared with 62 percent in 2000…”
The Collapse of the U.S. Dollar?
Bloomberg reported on November 5 about the expected further downfall of the U.S. dollar, as follows:
“Even after the dollar lost 34 percent since 2001, the biggest investors and most accurate forecasters say it will weaken further as home sales fall and the Federal Reserve cuts interest rates. The dollar plummeted to its lowest ever last week against the euro, Canadian dollar, Chinese yuan and the cheapest in 26 years against the British pound… BNP Paribas chief currency strategist Hans-Guenter Redeker, the most accurate foreign-exchange forecaster last quarter in a Bloomberg survey, said the dollar may drop to $1.50 per euro by year-end… Jim Rogers, a former partner of investor George Soros, said last month he’s selling his house and all his possessions in the U.S. currency to buy China’s yuan. ‘The dollar is collapsing,” Rogers said last week in an interview…
“Wealthy clients at San Francisco-based Union Bank of California have doubled their deposits in foreign currencies to $60 million the past two months as a hedge against a decline, said Bradley Shairson, head of currency and derivatives at the bank. U.S. investors bought $198 billion in foreign securities this year through August, 72 percent more than in the same period last year, Treasury Department data show.”
Unapologetic Pilot of Hiroshima Bomb Died
AFP reported on November 1:
“The pilot of the plane that ushered in the age of atomic warfare with the first nuclear attack on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, died Thursday at the age of 92… Paul Warfield Tibbets, Jr., whose B-29 bomber dubbed the Enola Gay dropped the 9,000-pound ‘Little Boy’ bomb on August 6, 1945, died at his home in the midwest city of Columbus, Ohio…
“Tibbets was more than just the pilot. He was instrumental in redesigning and testing the plane used to carry the massive bomb and organizing and training the men needed to deliver it.
“Tibbets never regretted the bombing that led to the end of World War II but at a horrific price: 140,000 dead immediately and 80,000 other Japanese succumbing in the aftermath, according to Hiroshima officials. ‘That’s what it took to end the war,’ he told the Columbus Dispatch in 2003. ‘I went out to stop the killing all over.’ Aware that not everyone agrees with his view of history, Tibbets asked his family to cremate him so his grave site would not be desecrated by detractors…
“President Harry Truman gave his approval to drop the bomb in the afternoon of August 5, 1945. Tibbets and his crew lifted off from a base on the Pacific island of Tinian at 2:45 am for an uneventful six and a half hour flight to Japan. They dropped the first atomic bomb ever used in combat at 9:15 plus 15 seconds (8:15 Hiroshima time) and returned to base at 2:58 pm. He didn’t tell the crew that the bomb they were going to drop was atomic until well into the flight.
“‘As the bomb left the airplane we took over manual control, made an extremely steep turn to try and put as much distance between us and the explosion as possible,’ he once said. ‘After we felt the explosion hit the airplane, that is the concussion waves, we knew the bomb had exploded so we took a turn around to look at it. The sight that greeted our eyes was quite beyond what we had expected. We saw this cloud of boiling dust and debris below us with its tremendous mushroom on top. Beneath that was hidden the ruins of the city of Hiroshima.'”
Iran’s Nuclear Ambitions
The Jerusalem Post wrote on November 2, 2007:
“Bahrain’s Crown Prince, Sheik Salman bin Isa al-Khalifa, said Friday that Iran is striving to acquire nuclear weaponry… Al Khalifa said that at the very least, Iran is attempting to gain the ability to produce nuclear weaponry. The statement would make Bahrain the first Arab nation in the Persian Gulf to claim that Iran is attempting to deceive world leaders in relation to its nuclear aspirations. Al Khalifa warned that the crisis could worsen and draw the region into military conflict. For this reason, he said, it must be resolved by diplomatic means…”
AFP wrote on November 7:
“Iran has reached a key target of 3,000 centrifuges for uranium enrichment, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday, vowing to ignore UN resolutions calling for a halt to Tehran’s sensitive nuclear work… The number is a key milestone because scientists say that in ideal conditions it is sufficient to produce enough enriched uranium in one year to make a single nuclear bomb…
“Although Washington insists it wants a diplomatic solution, it has never ruled out a military option, with President George W. Bush raising the prospect of ‘nuclear holocaust’ and ‘World War III’ if Iran acquires atomic weapons.
“German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday she would urge a diplomatic solution to the Iran crisis in talks with Bush this week and that any further sanctions should be agreed by Russia and China, both major energy and trade partners of Iran.”
Pakistan in Turmoil
One of America’s few allies is in turmoil, due to dictatorial and autocratic measures by Pakistan’s president. His move to arrest judges and lawyers deeply upsets the West–and has become another thorn in the flesh for the United States and the Bush Administration.
The Associated Press reported on November 5:
“Police fired tear gas and clubbed thousands of lawyers protesting President Gen. Pervez Musharraf’s decision to impose emergency rule, as Western allies threatened to review aid to the troubled Muslim nation. More than 1,500 people have been arrested in 48 hours, and authorities put a stranglehold on independent media. Musharraf, who took power in a 1999 coup and is also head of Pakistan’s army, suspended the constitution on Saturday ahead of a Supreme Court ruling on whether his recent re-election as president was legal. He ousted independent-minded judges and granted sweeping powers to authorities to crush dissent…”
AFP added on November 5:
“The White House said it was ‘deeply disturbed’ by the crisis, urging Musharraf, a key ally in the fight against Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants, to call elections in January and to quit his military post… ‘We cannot support a path that does not put them back on the road to democracy,’ White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said… Perino confirmed that aid to the staunch ally in the US ‘war on terror’ was under review. A Pentagon spokesman said earlier that the United States had suspended annual defence talks with Pakistan because of the political situation…”
Der Spiegel Online wrote on November 5:
“Musharraf’s move puts the US in a difficult spot. Since the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Pakistan has been Washington’s closest regional ally in the war on terror, despite Musharraf’s apparent inability — or unwillingness — to root out al-Qaida and Taliban cells from the Afghanistan border region. The US has begun a review of future aid to Pakistan, calling into question a program that has sent $10 billion to the country in the last five years… Britain too has warned Pakistan that future aid may be at stake calling into question a $491 million (€339 million) aid program from 2005-2008. And the Netherlands on Monday became the first country to completely shut off aid to the South Asian country, suspending the remainder of €15 million ($22 million) yet to be paid this year. Holland had been planning to almost triple aid next year.”
The New York Times reported the following on November 5:
“President Bush has made spreading democracy a major foreign policy theme and his administration has quietly pushed General Musharraf for months to be more open to sharing power, going so far as to help broker talks between him and Benazir Bhutto, the leader of Pakistan’s largest opposition party.
“But Mr. Bush has said nothing in public about General Musharraf’s latest action. His silence contrasts sharply to his reaction to the crackdown on dissidents in Myanmar last month. In that case, Mr. Bush announced specific steps against Myanmar rulers. But Pakistan, officials argued, is a different case: it is a nuclear-armed nation that Mr. Bush had designated a ‘major non-NATO ally,’ even though its enthusiasm for counterterrorism has been episodic…
“For more than a year before Saturday’s declaration, American officials have seethed over Pakistan’s poor performance against Al Qaeda and the Taliban. General Musharraf’s effort to strike a deal with Islamic militant groups in the tribal areas failed. When he ordered troops back into the tribal areas in recent months, many were killed or kidnapped… Through it all, the United States has continued pumping money to the country… There is little question that General Musharraf has failed to develop broad domestic support for battling terrorists. His political party is divided, has not carried out promised reforms and would likely lose an election.
“A poll in September by Terror Free Tomorrow, a Washington-based nonprofit group, showed that Osama bin Laden was more popular in Pakistan than General Musharraf, with 46 percent of respondents giving him a ‘favorable’ rating against 38 percent for the president. Ms. Bhutto got a ‘favorable’ rating from 63 percent.”
Pakistan–The West Reaps What It Has Sowed
Der Spiegel Online wrote on November 6:
“As Pakistan teeters on the verge of chaos, the West looks on nervously and prays that the country’s nuclear weapons don’t fall into the wrong hands. German commentators feel that the West — and the US in particular — share part of the blame for the mess. The world is holding its breath to see what will happen in nuclear-armed Pakistan now that President Gen. Pervez Musharraf has declared a state of emergency.
“Although the West had been hoping that Musharraf would continue with tentative steps towards democracy, it is nervous about condemning the military leader too strongly now, for fear he may be toppled: The thought of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons falling into the hands of Islamist extremists is the stuff of Western politicians’ nightmares.
“The current crisis puts particularly the United States — Musharraf’s staunchest backer up until now — in a difficult position. Pakistan is an important American ally in the fight against terror, and the US felt a strongman like Musharraf was needed to guarantee stability in the country. But now the US has to be wary about being seen to be supporting a dictator who is against democracy — especially considering its vocal support for democracy in Iraq and Afghanistan. The US is now trying to put pressure on its ally to pull back from the brink…
“The conservative Die Welt writes:
“‘Since (the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks), the fate of Musharraf has been fundamentally linked to the success of the West in Afghanistan. But the reverse is also true: If Pakistan becomes ungovernable, then Afghanistan is lost. What comes next? What should be done? The West does not want to lose Pakistan, for reasons connected both to its nuclear weapons as well as to the anti-terrorist operation. But who stands for the Pakistan of today, and who stands for the country of tomorrow? It seems unlikely that Musharraf will pretend in a few months’ time that nothing has happened and allow elections to take place — or to accept their result, which will probably not be in his favor. But the protests of the educated middle classes against the state of emergency should not be underestimated. Can the West betray those who stand for democracy?’…
“The business daily Handelsblatt writes:
“‘Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf has abandoned his democratic façade and has outed [sic] himself as a dictator. Is this really a surprise? If we are honest: no. No one seriously expected that Pakistan would develop into a true democracy under Musharraf. Unfortunately, it is very difficult for the current United States government to see things that way…’
“The center-right Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes:
“‘… Musharraf has managed to slowly make enemies out of almost all major political forces in the country. This creates an almost impossible situation for the West. The West cannot rely exclusively on Musharraf in the medium and long term. But neither can the West drop him, because otherwise Pakistan — complete with its nuclear arsenal — would slide into the final abyss. Direct action is impossible, for a variety of reasons. So in the end, the only thing that remains is the hope — expressed often enough in the case of Pakistan, albeit in vain — that the country is able to summon up sufficient political self-healing to at least prevent the worst.'”
Former Pakistan’s President Bhutto Speaks Out
On November 7, The New York Times published an editorial of Benazir Bhutto, the prime minister of Pakistan from 1988 to 1990 and from 1993 to 1996, who is currently the leader of the Pakistan People’s Party. In the editorial, Bhutto wrote:
“The United States, Britain and much of the West have always said the right things about democracy in Pakistan and around the world. I recall the words of President Bush in his second inaugural address when he said: ‘All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know: the United States will not ignore your oppression, or excuse your oppressors. When you stand for your liberty, we will stand with you.’
“The United States alone has given the Musharraf government more than $10 billion in aid since 2001. We do not know exactly where or how this money has been spent, but it is clear that it has not brought about the defeat of the Taliban and Al Qaeda, nor succeeded in capturing Osama bin Laden, nor has it broken the opium trade. It certainly has not succeeded in improving the quality of life of the children and families of Pakistan.
“The United States can promote democracy — which is the only way to truly contain extremism and terrorism — by telling General Musharraf that it does not accept martial law, and that it expects him to conduct free, fair, impartial and internationally monitored elections within 60 days under a reconstituted election commission. He should be given that choice: democracy or dictatorship with isolation… It is dangerous to stand up to a military dictatorship, but more dangerous not to. The moment has come for the Western democracies to show us in their actions, and not just in their rhetoric, which side they are on.”
… While the Chaos in Pakistan Continues…
AFP reported on November 7:
“Pakistani police rounded up about 400 supporters of ex-premier Benazir Bhutto in a crackdown hours after she called for mass protests against emergency rule, her party said Thursday. The move came as US President George W. Bush said he had telephoned President Pervez Musharraf to tell him bluntly that he must hold elections as scheduled and quit as army chief… Bhutto said she would hold a rally in Rawalpindi on Friday despite police threats of a crackdown, and called for a ‘long march’ on November 13 from Lahore to the capital if Musharraf does not repeal emergency rule…
“US deputy secretary of state John Negroponte told the US Congress continued engagement with Pakistan — an ‘indispensable ally in the war on terror’ — was the ‘only option.’ But in a sign of growing international pressure on Musharraf, President Bush told a press conference: ‘I just spoke to President Musharraf before I came here, and my message was very plain, very easy to understand. And that is: The United States wants you to have the elections as scheduled and take your uniform off.’ Britain and France also urged Musharraf to hold polls on time. But Pakistan rejected the ‘excessive’ global criticism.”
Little Reform in Turkey
The EUObserver wrote on November 1:
“Almost one year after the EU partially froze Turkey’s membership talks, little reform progress has been made by Ankara in key areas, with the European Commission in a fresh report urging Ankara ‘to renew the momentum of political reforms.’… The commission report also says restrictions in freedom of speech remain a ’cause of serious concern’… The EU executive highlights the notorious article 301 of Turkey’s recently adopted penal code, which criminalizes insults against ‘Turkishness’…
“Brussels concludes that ‘the Turkish legal system does not fully guarantee freedom of expression in line with European standards.’… Similarly, ‘no progress’ was seen in the area of protection of minorities and ensuring cultural diversity in line with EU principles, the commission says… Non-Muslim religious communities ‘continued to face problems such as restricted property rights’… The commission concludes that the ‘atmosphere’ in Turkey surrounding minorities and religious issues has ‘not been conducive to the full respect of fundamental rights and might de facto restrict their exercise.'”
… But Turkey May Give In to Europe…
Der Spiegel Online wrote on November 7:
“Turkey is planning to amend a heavily criticized law limiting freedom of expression, apparently in response to European Union pressure. Justice Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin said Tuesday that the government had almost finished preparatory work on reforming the penal code’s notorious Article 301, under which people can be prosecuted for ‘insulting Turkishness.’… Under the law, which has been a stumbling block in Turkey’s path to EU membership, those who denigrate Turkey or insult its institutions can be sentenced to up to three years in prison. The notorious law has been used in the past to prosecute intellectuals and journalists who have spoken out about the 1915 Armenian massacre…
“The announcement came just hours after the European Union presented its annual report on Turkey’s progress towards EU membership, in which it said Turkey must make ‘significant further efforts’ on freedom of expression. ‘It is not acceptable that writers, journalists, academics and other intellectuals … are prosecuted for simply expressing a critical but completely non-violent opinion,’ EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said. He made clear that the repeal of what he termed the ‘infamous Article 301’ was a top priority, recommending that the EU should not extend accession negotiations to the key policy area of justice and human rights until the article had been changed.”
… While the USA Gives In to Turkey
AFP reported on November 5:
“President George W. Bush, vying to avert a Turkish incursion into Iraq, Monday pledged to step up US military and intelligence cooperation to aid Turkey’s fight against Kurdish rebels. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan welcomed Bush’s commitments following crisis talks here between the two leaders, but said his country had no plans to withdraw some 100,000 troops massed on the border with Iraq…
“As Pakistan sinks deeper into political crisis, Bush would be loath to see any escalation in tensions between Turkey, another crucial anti-terror partner, and US allies in northern Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region…
“Some observers fear that US influence with Turkey has been undermined by a push in Congress to label the Ottoman Empire’s World War I massacre of ethnic Armenians as ‘genocide.’ But fierce pressure from both Turkey and the White House appears to have paid off for now, with its Democratic authors agreeing late last month to shelve a House debate on the resolution.”
Changes in Poland
AFP reported on November 5:
“Poland’s conservative prime minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski handed in his resignation to his twin, President Lech Kaczynski, on Monday, ending a surprise political double act on the European stage. Jaroslaw Kaczynski was forced to quit after the twins’ deeply Catholic and eurosceptic Law and Justice party lost an election on October 21. Lech Kaczynski is expected to name a bitter political rival, Donald Tusk, whose liberal Civic Platform won the election, as the new prime minister later this week, a presidential aide said…
“In September, after the government collapsed, the Kaczynskis gambled on the snap election as a way to cement their party’s hold on power. But voters swung solidly behind Civic Platform, which also promised to heal the rifts at home and spur Poland’s already healthy economy to tempt back some of the million-plus Poles who have emigrated to other EU member states in recent years. Among Tusk’s vote-winning pledges was one to withdraw the country’s 900-strong military contingent in Iraq…
“Observers still expect relations to be strained between Tusk and the president… Kaczynski, whose term runs until 2010, has already warned he will veto Tusk’s plans to introduce a single-rate ‘flat tax’. He has also slammed plans to ratify the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights, which the conservatives argue goes against deeply Catholic Poland’s point of view, notably Poles’ antipathy to gay rights.”
The EUObserver added on November 7:
“Just days before being sworn in as Poland’s prime minister, Donald Tusk has outlined his cabinet’s priorities: to improve problematic relations with other EU countries; to adopt the euro in 2012-2013; as well as to re-examine the US plan to place an anti-missile shield in Poland… Mr Tusk said he was set to place Poland back in the European mainstream. In addition, special attention will be paid to Polish-German relations…
“Poland’s new pro-European course may come at a price for the country’s ties with Washington. Mr Tusk has indicated he will consult his EU counterparts before agreeing to the US plan to place an anti-missile shield in Poland. ‘If we decide, jointly in talks with our partners in the European Union and NATO partners, that this isn’t an unambiguous project, then we are definitely going to think it over’, he was cited as saying by AP. The statement was the first signal of a different approach compared to the one adopted by outgoing prime minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski as well as his twin brother, president Lech Kaczysnki…
“In addition, Poland’s prime minister elect has reiterated his plans to withdraw 900 Polish soldiers stationed in Iraq next year – a mission that he described as a burden to the country’s budget. Speaking about the euro, he has vowed to prepare his country for ‘as fast as possible’ decision on joining the euro, cautiously setting the target for 2012-2013.”
Reuben Is “Unstable as Water” and “Shall Not Excel” (Genesis 49:4)
Reuters reported on November 7 about a “warming up” between France and the USA–or more specifically, President Bush and President Sarkozy. We understand France to be descendants of Reuben, and the USA of Manasseh–both sons of ancient Jacob or Israel. However, it is hard to say whether this is good news for the USA–given the fact that Sarkozy’s reputation and credibility in France, and in Europe in general, has suffered tremendously after the French election, due in part to his divorce and his “bullying” conduct toward other leaders.
Reuters stated:
“The U.S. and French presidents forged a common front against Iran’s nuclear ambitions on Wednesday, signaling a further warming of once-chilly relations between Washington and Paris… Underscoring how times have changed, Sarkozy trumpeted strengthened ties with Bush in a speech earlier to a joint session of the U.S. Congress that was filled with effusive praise for American values.
“‘America can count on France in its battle on terror,’ Sarkozy said, pledging that his country would stand by the United States in the fight against nuclear proliferation in Iran and terrorism in Afghanistan. Bush, notably frosty toward Chirac, has been just as eager for a fresh start in relations badly strained by the Iraq war, and called Sarkozy a ‘a partner in peace.’… But mindful of Bush’s deep unpopularity in France, Sarkozy, a fellow conservative, must also show he will not flinch at disagreeing with him. Sarkozy was mocked as ‘Bush’s poodle’ by Socialists before coming into office in May…
“Taking a swipe at Chirac over Iraq, Bush told Sarkozy, ‘We had a difference of opinion with your great country over whether or not I should have used military force to enforce U.N. demands.’ Sarkozy sought to avoid any divisiveness and said only that France wanted a united, democratic and peaceful Iraq.”
