‘Israel's best friend’ firmly backing Arabs at Annapolis conference

‘Israel's best friend’ firmly backing Arabs at Annapolis conference

By Caroline B. Glick

Will Bush and Rice do whatever necessary to secure a legacy?


http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | The mood is dark in the IDF's General Staff ahead of next week's "peace" conference in Annapolis. As one senior officer directly involved in the negotiations with the Palestinians and the Americans said, "As bad as it might look from the outside, the truth is ten times worse. This is a nightmare. The Americans have never been so hostile."

Thursday a draft of the joint statement that Israeli and Palestinian negotiators are discussing ahead of the conference was leaked to the media. A reading of the document bears out the IDF's concerns.

The draft document shows that the Palestinians and the Israelis differ not only on every issue, but differ on the purpose of the document. It also shows that the US firmly backs the Palestinians against Israel.

As the draft document makes clear, Israel is trying to avoid committing itself to anything at Annapolis. For their part, the Palestinians are trying to force Israel's hand by tying it to diplomatic formulas that presuppose an Israeli withdrawal to the 1949 armistice lines and an Israeli acceptance of the so-called "right of return" or free immigration of foreign Arabs to Israel.

The Palestinians are also trying to take away Israel's right to determine for itself whether to trust the Palestinians and continue making diplomatic and security concessions or not by making it the responsibility of outside actors to decide the pace of the concessions and whether or not the Palestinians should be trusted.

As the leaked draft document shows, the Americans have sided with the Palestinians against Israel. Specifically, the Americans have taken for themselves the sole right to judge whether or not the Palestinians and the Israelis are abiding by their commitments and whether and at what pace the negotiations will proceed.

But the Americans are have shown themselves to be unworthy of Israel's trust. By refusing to acknowledge Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party's direct involvement in terrorism and indeed the direct involvement of his official Fatah "security forces" in terrorism, the Americans have shown that their benchmarks for Palestinian compliance with their commitments to Israel are not necessarily based on the reality on the ground. Then too, the US demands for wide-ranging Israeli security concessions to the Palestinians even before the "peace" conference at Annapolis have shown that Israel's security is of little concern to the State Department.

IDF sources blame the shooting murder of Ido Zoldan on Monday night by Fatah terrorists on Israel's decision to bow to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's demand to take down 24 security roadblocks in Judea and Samaria. If it hadn't been for US pressure they say, it is quite possible that the 29-year-old father of two small children would be alive today.

But this is of no concern for Washington. As Rice has made clear repeatedly, the US wants to see "signs of progress." Since the Palestinians are taking no action against terror and doing nothing to lessen their society's jihadist fervor, the only way to achieve "signs of progress" is by forcing Israel to make concessions to the Palestinians. And so that is exactly what Rice and her associates are doing.

Rice is able to force Israel to accept her demands because she faces the weakest Israeli leaders the country has ever produced. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Defense Minister Ehud Barak are all incapable of standing up to the Americans or even arguing with them. Olmert and Livni's weakness has been apparent since their mishandling of the war with Hizbullah last summer and their negotiations over the ceasefire agreement with Rice. For his part, throughout his brief and disastrous tenure as prime minister, Barak behaved as though he were then president Bill Clinton's employee.

But if Olmert, Livni and Barak's willingness to compromise their nation's security is a function of their weakness, what explains Rice and Bush's behavior? Why are they weakening Israel and pushing for the establishment of yet another Middle Eastern terror state? What US interest do they think they are advancing by acting as they are?

Over the past several weeks, a number of theories have been raised to explain their behavior. The most frequent explanation is that Rice and Bush are championing Palestinian statehood at Israel's expense in a bid to mobilize a coalition of Sunni Arab states to cooperate with the US against Iran.

According to this theory, if Annapolis is seen as a success, then the Arab states will be convinced that the US is worth supporting on Iran. This theory has several flaws. First, as the US's treatment of Israel makes clear, success in Annapolis involves weakening Israel whose destruction Iran seeks and empowering the Palestinians who Iran supports. This means that far from weakening Iran, success at Annapolis advances Iran's interests.

But beyond that, whether wittingly or unwittingly, by convening the conference next week, the Bush administration has directly empowered Iran. Today the determination of whether the administration emerges unscathed or humiliated from Annapolis is entirely in Iran's hands. Iran will decide whether the conference opens and closes peacefully or whether it is convened as Lebanon submerged in civil war by Iran's proxies Syria and Hizbullah.

According to the Lebanese constitution, Saturday is the last day on which a new Lebanese president can be elected. Lebanon's president must be elected by two-thirds of the members of Lebanon's parliament. Through their campaign of assassination, Syria and Hizbullah have taken away the 2/3 majority that anti-Syrian forces won in the 2005 elections. As a result, Hizbullah has veto power over the election. And so far, Iran and Syria have refused to allow Hizbullah to back any candidate. This is the case despite the anti-Syrian majority's willingness to support a pro-Syrian presidential candidate.

Due to the Iranian-Syrian induced impasse, today there are two possible scenarios for what may happen in the next few days in Lebanon. Either Iran and Syria will allow elections to take place and an agent of their regimes and Hizbullah will take over the presidency, or elections will not take place and two governments - one anti-Syrian under Prime Minister Fuad Siniora and one pro-Syrian will be formed. The pro-Syrian government will be supported by Hizbullah and the Lebanese army. The anti-Syrian government will be supported by Christian, Sunni and Druse militias. A civil war will ensue. Syria, Hizbullah and Iran will win.

In a bid to induce the first scenario, Bush has been lobbying every leader he can think of to appeal to Teheran and Damascus to relent and allow elections to go through. To this end, he even asked their primary arms supplier Russian President Vladimir Putin to intervene. Olmert's decision to allow Fatah security forces to receive 25 advanced Russian armored personnel carriers in spite of IDF objections was no doubt a consequence of Bush's appeal to Putin for help.

If the Americans believe the key to countering Iran is to build an anti-Iranian Arab coalition, the crisis in Lebanon shows just how futile their efforts are. Just as the Sunni Arab states oppose Iran acquiring nuclear weapons, so they oppose Iranian control over Lebanon. Yet in spite of this, they have done nothing to prevent Iran and its proxies from taking control of the country. To the contrary, the Saudis have encouraged the Siniora government to support pro-Syrian candidates for the presidency.

So if the administration has decided to embrace the Palestinians as a means of weakening Iran, its decision is wrong on three counts. First, given Iran's support for the Palestinians, empowering them against Israel simply advances Iran's interest. Second, the Annapolis conference has become a hostage of Iranian goodwill which is non-existent. And finally, even if it were formed, an anti-Iranian Arab coalition would be powerless to check Iran's power.

Even though the summit at Annapolis weakens the US's position vis-à-vis Iran, it might still make sense for the Bush and Rice to support Palestinian statehood if doing so enhanced public support for the administration. But the opposite is occurring. Bush and Rice's seeming obsession with Palestinian statehood is being criticized from all sides of the aisle.

Critics on the Left like New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman and former Clinton negotiator and Palestinian apologist Robert Malley have expressed mystification at the administration's insistent advance of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians when there is no chance that those negotiations will bring peace. So too, over the past few weeks, four Republican presidential candidates - Rudy Guiliani, Mitt Romney, John McCain and Fred Thompson - have criticized Bush and Rice's Palestinian policies generally and the convening of the conference at Annapolis in particular.

There is also the theory that Bush and Rice's primary concern in pushing for Palestinian statehood is their legacies. Rice's stated intention of seeing a Palestinian state declared before Bush leaves office lends weight to this view. But of course, given that the maximum that Israel is willing to concede to the Palestinians is less than the minimum that the Palestinians are willing to accept, and given that the Olmert government will be brought down if Olmert agrees to any major concessions, it is clear that there is no chance that Rice will succeed.

Finally there is the thought that Rice and Bush understand that there is no chance of achieving peace, but that they think that their legacies will be strengthened just for having tried. After all, Bill Clinton is remembered well for his attempts to achieve peace between Israel and the Palestinians in spite of the fact that his attempts brought war rather than peace. But Clinton's example is no longer applicable because the conditions under which Clinton pursued peace were far different than those that exist today.

Clinton's peace policies caused a war that began only at the end of his presidency. Until then, they seemed like relatively safe and cost-free moves. On the other hand, Bush's presidency has occurred in its entirety against the backdrop of the Palestinian jihad. Every attempt he has made at peacemaking from the Tenet Plan through the Roadmap and Sharm el Sheikh and onto Annapolis has been blown apart through violence before it could get off the ground.

So then there is no good excuse for the Bush administration's decision to embrace the Palestinians at Israel's expense. It all comes down to Bush and Rice not thinking through the consequences of their moves.

It is a singular tragedy that Israel's elected leaders are too weak to make them understand that by harming Israel, they are harming the United States and making fools of themselves.

Annapolis could be your worse nightmare.

Annapolis could be your worse nightmare.
Posted: Thursday, November 22, 2007
- written by jerry golden

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There was a time when the majority of the Church stood still and remained silent when 6 million Jews among them 1.5 million children where beaten killed and lead away to death camps then systematically murdered by a Devil called Hitler. Today there are 6 million Jews living in Israel and about the same number of Jewish children and once again the Church is standing still and silent while the same evil spirit moves forward to destroy the Jewish people and the nation of Israel in Annapolis.

Heading this charge is the same man that pressured Ariel Sharon to force 9,000 Jews out of their homes in Gaza creating a Hamas Terrorist State that is now a threat to the entire world, and today shelling Israeli civilians with their Kassam rockets. When I first started telling you that this man who plans to destroy Israel is indeed the President of the United States, many jumped on me as if I was the evil one. Today I can’t see how it could be any clearer to those who still think he is a good “Christian” man. The Annapolis meeting on the 27th is designed to destroy Israel and we all know it, and it’s being forced on us by none other than the same man.

When the second Iraqi war began it was obvious to me and many others that he struck a deal with the Saudi Royal family close friends to the Bush family. Bush put Israel on the table if they would sit still while the US attacked an Arab State he would deliver Israel to them. His Road Map to Hell is no other than the Saudi Peace Plan with a new name.

This sell out of Israel started with Rabin and Oslo, he was assassinated. We have all witnessed what happened to the one Israelis loved and trusted “Ariel Sharon” he was our hero and the champion of the Settlements in Judea and Samaria. We watched while Bush somehow turned this hero into our worst nightmare. Sharon now lies in a bed as a vegetable kept alive on machines with no hope of recovery. Now we see Olmert being worse than either Rabin or Sharon ever were, he is selling out all hopes of the Zionist dream of a Jewish Home Land and doing it once again under the pressure of George W. Bush.

But thank God there are still some in the Israeli Knesset who want to stand up. But the question is have they waited to long to stand up? At a time like this the easiest thing for any of us to do is to point fingers at others that is the blame game. But what we all need to do is get on our faces before a Holy God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob pleading with God to come to the rescue of Israel His Beloved. Beyond prayer we need to start contacting Congressmen/women and Senators letting them know that what Bush is doing is wrong, it’s wrong with God and it is wrong for the USA as well.

It would seem to most of us that God has shown His displeasure over recent events of the White House towards Israel, but Bush is blinded and says he worships the same god the Moslems worship. I’ve said this before and have been attacked because of it, but I will say it again, George W. Bush is the worse enemy Israel has ever had, and he is the worse enemy the USA has ever had and before he is done everyone will know it. I am only trying to wake you up if you have been asleep to long, wake up before it is to late, your freedom and liberties are being taken from you and the New World Order is moving in your lives at every level.

I read in today’s Jerusalem Post the headlines on the front page “US to let Syria put Golan Heights on Annapolis agenda”. Just think about that, who is the US (or George Bush) to allow a Country they consider part of the axis of evil to come to this meeting and force Israel to talk about the Golan Heights? Not even asking Israel if they would accept such talks. In the mean time many MK’s are doing all they can to stop Olmert from having any power to give anything away to these bloodthirsty Islamic murderers. In fact, in the past few weeks a bill has been passed in the Knesset stating that Olmert cannot give away or divide Jerusalem without 2/3 of the MK’s approval. Before Olmert leaves for the Annapolis meeting he intends to release 432 “Palestinian” prisoners, with no mentioning of Hamas or Hezbollah releasing our prisoners. He is so blinded in pleasing Bush that he pays no attention to the crisis in our education system where our kids have been out of school way over a month because of a teachers strike. With several thousand Jews still homeless thanks to the Disengagement of Gaza, still with no income or livelihood; This Prime Minister is a shame

I could of course go on and on, we are very upset with this most unpopular Prime Minister that we inherited from Ariel Sharon, but we have hope. We have many problems of corruption in our government and society as well, but there is another Israeli you hear little to nothing about and that is the majority who are good hard working honest people who love God and the Land given to them by God.

There is one thing I am certain of, Israel will be here for the return of the Messiah and I can’t say that about the US or any other country. I know with every fiber of my being that God has spoke to me and said to prepare to rescue Jews for many will be running for their lives. We will continue doing all we can to be ready as long as God gives us the time and means. As usual I am asking you to pray about your part in what God has called us to do.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, pray for our son Joel and all the IDF soldiers. Pray for this Ministry and your part in it. Shalom, jerry golden

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The Golden Reort
http://www.thegoldenreport.com/

Rice Is Deceived By Palestinian

Rice Is Deceived By Palestinian
Ruse Ahead Of Peace Summit - Bill Wilson

By Bill Wilson, KIN Senior Analyst

WASH—Nov 14—KIN-- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is lobbying hard before Jewish Americans that having a “responsible” Palestinian state next to Israel will help with Israel’s security and will serve as a counterbalance to the terrorist sponsoring state of Iran and its influence in the Middle East. Speaking before the United Jewish Communities General Assembly in Nashville, Tennessee, Rice said, “Indeed, the threat of violent extremism has created a new strategic alignment in the Middle East. Responsible states now see that they share a common interest in combating a common threat and that a responsible Palestinian state can be a bulwark against that threat.”

Secretary Rice calls “responsible” Palestinian leaders like Mahmoud Abbas and his political party Fatah. But Fatah is a member of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, whose Charter still maintains in Article 9, “Armed struggle is the only way to liberate Palestine. Thus it is the overall strategy, not merely a tactical phase. The Palestinian Arab people assert their absolute determination and firm resolution to continue their armed struggle and to work for an armed popular revolution for the liberation of their country and their return to it. They also assert their right to normal life in Palestine and to exercise their right to self-determination and sovereignty over it.”

Secretary Rice should be reminded that her experiment in democracy with “responsible” Palestinians ended with the election of Hamas, a terrorist group that has set up shop in Gaza with the help of Iran and Egypt, who are funneling weapons to terrorists there at a $20 million per month pace. It was not long ago that the world was treated to television video of the Israeli military on horseback evicting Jewish settlers from their productive farms, businesses and homes in Gaza in an American-sanctioned land for peace deal. Within days all the Israeli infrastructure in Gaza was bulldozed and terrorist rockets began tracing through the skies of nearby Israeli villages—injuring and killing innocent citizens.

Iran is arming and equipping Palestinian terrorists in Israel. Hamas is just a more radical version of terrorists than is Fatah. Like “good cop” and “bad cop” Fatah and Hamas are taking the State Department and the U.S. government to school when it comes to the ruse of “land for peace.” America will force its will upon Israel that the land will be given and the “peace” of Islam will be administered just as it is being carried out in Gaza. And the prophecy of Zechariah 12:9 may well cast a long shadow over America: “And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.” Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, that there will be blessing instead of judgment.

Bush and the Saudis refuse to give up.

Bush and the Saudis refuse to give up.
Posted: Thursday, November 15, 2007
- written by jerry golden

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It may be to late but who knows, one thing good that has happened in the past 24 hours, the Knesset or at least some of the MK’s in the Knesset have voted against the Olmert’s “Kadima Party” Government and made it next to impossible for Olmert to divide Jerusalem without a two thirds votes in the Knesset and at this time that would be impossible. In the mean time Netanyahu is trying to muster enough support to overthrow the corrupt Olmert Government, no one has been able to do that since Sharon begin this in-sane move to destroy the Jewish State but at least there is an effort being put forth.

It also looks like the News Media and others are waking up to the words used by the Palestinians when Arafat and Abbas say they recognize the fact that Israel is a State. This is not the same thing as saying they recognize Israel as a Jewish State. The State of Israel is now plainly saying that the PA must recognize that Israel is a Jewish State. But the PA has come out in the last couple of days very clearly and saying they will never formally recognize that Israel is a Jewish State.

Even Olmert says that it’s impossible for Israel to accept the right of return for all Palestinians into Israel for it would be the instant destruction of Israel but the Palestinians say there will be no peace with Israel unless Israel accepts that. Which simply means they will accept nothing less than the total destruction of Israel.

The Annapolis meeting is nothing less than a train wreck waiting to happen; it’s like two trains on the same track speeding directly at each other. One is driven by Bush and Rice the other has two causalities in it, the Arabs who call themselves “Palestinians” and the Israeli people. Neither the Israelis nor the Palestinians want this Annapolis meeting to take place at this time but they can’t stop the train driven by Bush and Rice who are hell bent for destroying the Jewish State.

When the two trains meet in Annapolis there will be an explosion heard around the world and it will be felt by not just the Jews and the Arabs but the ripples will reverberate through out the world’s economy and politics. We here in Israel are bracing for the train wreck knowing things could get really bad. But what other choice do we have other than to fight once again asking God to give us victory.

Everyone one has been looking for the attack on the US by Islamic extremists well this could be the signal for that to kick in as well. One thing is certain we have but a few days to find out. The only thing that could hold off the inevitable is for Bush to call off this Annapolis insanity no one wants but Bush and Rice, and everyone knows it is doomed to fail causing terrible things to happen very soon.

Regardless of what happens our only real hope is in Yeshua HaMashiach (Jesus the Messiah) not only a train wreck is about to occur but the world’s largest storm on the horizon is gathering. No matter where you’re at, if you have the presence of the Ruach Ha Kodesh (Holy Spirit) in you, you will be used as a great witness in the days ahead. For the only storm that will effect you is the one inside of you, and with God’s presence there will be no storm there.

It appears that Bush cannot be stopped from his desire to destroy Israel and in so doing he is bringing down destruction on the US as well, possibly on the rest of the world as well. Bush says that he worships the same God the Moslems worship, maybe so but I worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and His name is not Allah.

Israel will not be destroyed and God will bring the rest of the Jews back to the land He promised them. Isaiah 11:11th verse. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.

We will be there to assist in this re-gathering.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem for our son Joel and all the IDF soldiers. Pray for this Ministry and your part in it. Shalom, jerry golden

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The Golden Reort
http://www.thegoldenreport.com/

God said it that settles it.

God said it that settles it.
Posted: Saturday, November 10, 2007
- written by jerry golden

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Like you I read all the gloom and doom, but everyday I read something much better the “Good News”. We read in the book of Ecclesiastes that there in nothing new under the sun. For God knows the beginning from the ending, He is the Aleph and Tav (Alfa and Omega) all that is happening and about to happen has been written and prophesized in God’s Word.

For those of us who have spent the past few decades studying God’s Word we know that if you really want to know what is about to happen on planet earth and the human race all one has to do is look at Israel and more to the point Jerusalem. Zechariah is full of references to what will happen to those Nations that come against or try to divide Jerusalem. Even at the beginning of Genesis we read in 12:3 what God has to say about those who bless or those who curse Israel. Today when we see oil at close to $100 a barrel and rising and the national debt of the US at a level that would seem impossible to be paid off. China threatening to disassociate its economy from the US dollar and when you consider the debt the US owes it is simply mind boggling and many believe that if China did that it would be instant depression in the US.

The dollar is at an all time low on all international markets and falling daily. It is either known or strongly believed that Bush and his New World Order colleagues have been planning a North American Union of Mexico, USA and Canada much like the EU and bringing in a new currency destroying the US dollar. If all this sounds too hard to be believed it is because you just don’t want to accept what is happening. Maybe it is just as well for there isn’t much you can do about it anyway. There is however a lot you can do on a personal level concerning your relationship with God and protecting your family as best you possibly can. While your money still has some worth you can use it to bless God and listen closely to His Spirit that speaks into your heart I would also suggest that you read I-John 4:1 and try every spirit and be sure it is God speaking to you.

In round numbers there are about 200,000 Arabs who call themselves “Palestinians” living in East Jerusalem. About 1.3 million Arabs living in Israel “Proper” who are Israeli citizens and enjoy all the benefits the Israeli Jews have. But the Arabs living in East Jerusalem are not Israeli citizens they are permanent residents under the Israeli law they have nearly the same rights as citizens. This brings us to a very large problem in dividing Jerusalem and putting East Jerusalem under “Palestinian” control. The PA wants that part of the city as the PA Capital but they do not want to give up their permanent resident status. They are human beings with certain legal rights under Israeli law and Israel can’t just give them away like pieces of property.

In the mean time we are seeing a panic within the community of East Jerusalem where hundreds of “Palestinians” are lining up every day at the Israeli offices asking for Israeli citizenship so they will not be left out or placed under PA control. They simply do not want to lose their medical benefits or all the other rights they now enjoy which are higher than any Arab country in the Middle East.

While the 200,000 East Jerusalem Arabs have the legal right to work in Israel there are over 100,000 sneaking into Israel to work illegally every day many risking long jail terms or much worse if caught. So you see the 200,000 Arabs in East Jerusalem don’t want to give up what others risk their life for every day. And if they were to be forced to make a decision to leave their homes much like the Jews of Gaza the Government would be obligated to provide them with homes elsewhere and compensation. The 9000 Jews of Gaza still has not been completely compensated and many are homeless today. What would this Government to do with 200,000 homeless Arabs forced to leave East Jerusalem.

There are many security reasons that dividing Jerusalem will bring, kassam and other terrorist activity will come to the homes of Jews throughout Jerusalem and all the neighborhoods around Jerusalem. Not to mention that the so-called green line puts kassam rockets within range of our only International Airport.

So if you’re talking about security or economy to divide Jerusalem it is an impossible situation and makes the total destruction of Israel more evident.

Then there is the Temple Mount the most Holy Place to the Jewish World, many will say that the Western Wall is the most Holy Place, but that is a cop-out for we all know it is the Temple Mount that Moshe Dyan gave back to Jordan after the victory of the 6 day war in 1967 in hopes of stopping the entire Islamic world from attacking us. (Big horrible mistake). If the Temple Mount is totally given over to the PA it would be like cutting the heart out of Judaism. You see even though the Islamic Arabs have control over the management of the Temple Mount we still have control of the security of it, for what satisfaction that brings anyone.

So when God said in Zechariah 12 2-3 He would make Jerusalem a cup of trembling and a burdensome stone and that all that burden themselves with it will be cut to pieces God was not speaking lightly to the likes of Bush and Olmert. For those in the US it might be a good time to look around and see what being cut to pieces is like.

God has called this Ministry to prepare to rescue Jews who will be fleeing for their lives out of Europe for another holocaust is surely on the way. I am thankful every day that we given another day to prepare knowing that we have little time and so much is needed if we are to purchase the larger boat. There is also much to be done in groundwork and daily we are in contact with important people who have been spoken to by God. This Ministry has very little over head, as Connie and I do all the office work and nearly everyone else is volunteers with the exception of those few who have to be helped. We try to be good stewards for we know we will have to answer to God one day. We need your help now, thousands of dollars are needed.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, for our son Joel and all the IDF soldiers. Pray for this Ministry and your part in it. Shalom, jerry golden

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The Golden Reort
http://www.thegoldenreport.com/

2007: Nine Major FEMA Disasters and Two Major Crises Coincide with U.S. Involvement in the Israel "Peace" Process

2007: Nine Major FEMA Disasters and Two Major Crises Coincide with U.S. Involvement in the Israel "Peace" Process - Bill Koenig

I primarily focus on billion dollar-plus U.S. events that coincide with White House involvement with Israel’s land. However, after research, I discovered there were nine major FEMA disasters and/or clusters of events in 2007 and two other major crises that coincided either with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s visit to Jerusalem or U.S. President George W. Bush, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Secretary Rice’s Quartet meetings.


After four of Rice’s eight trips to Israel this year, President Bush declared major FEMA disasters for events that coincided with her trips to Israel.


Four disaster events and/or clusters of events were weather-related. A fifth disaster occurred when a major bridge collapsed in the Congressional district of Congress’ only Muslim Congressman — on the day he stated he was going back to Israel to work on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. At the same time, Rice was in Jerusalem meeting with Olmert, Shimon Peres, Tzipi Livni, and Ehud Barak.


The bridge collapsed in the area known as the ‘West Bank’ — the west bank of the Mississippi River at the campus of the University of Minnesota. (There is a West Bank campus and an East Bank campus.)


During Rice’s November trip to Israel there was a major political crisis for the Bush Administration in Pakistan, a sixth major non-FEMA weather event, record oil-prices, and the euro hit a new high against the US dollar .

There were five additional major FEMA disaster events and/or clusters of events that occurred in the United States in 2007 that coincided with President Bush and Rice preparing for a meeting with Olmert, meeting with Olmert in Washington, and during Rice’s Quartet meetings.


The costliest FEMA event in 2007 was the billion dollar Southern California fires in October, which were right on the heels of Rice’s five day visit to Israel to push for her Middle East Summit at Annapolis — where there were discussions on the boundaries and timing of a Palestinian state, the forfeiture of Judea and Samaria, pressure to divide Jerusalem, and initial discussions on the sovereignty over the Temple Mount.


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Rice in Israel (2007) …

January


Rice visits Tel Aviv/Jerusalem, 1/13-15; Ramallah, 1/14; Egypt 1/15; Saudi Arabia 1/15-16; Kuwait 1/16-17; Germany 1/17-18, and Great Britain 1/18-19.



Rice pitches President Bush's vision of "Israel and Palestine — living side by side in peace and security" in all the stops and goes to Germany and Britain to give status reports.

President Bush declares major FEMA disasters due to severe winter storms in Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas from 1/13-19. The California freeze loss was over $1 billion — affecting a majority of the orange and lemon crops.


During Rice's stops in Germany and Britain, those countries experienced record hurricane-force winds that shut down the train system in Germany, affected trains in Britain, forced the cancellation of most flights out of Frankfurt and London Heathrow's airports, and disrupted barge travel throughout northern Europe and left tremendous property damage.
February


Rice visits Tel Aviv/Jerusalem, 2/17-20; Ramallah, 2/18.



Aluf Benn of Ha'aretz wrote, "A kind word for Condoleezza," saying that people who spoke to Secretary of State Rice during her visit that week were impressed by her determination to invest the remainder of her tenure in promoting a "two-state solution" for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.


Rice: "As I have said, it is, in fact, a complicated time because we are between the announcement of the intention to form a [Palestinian] government and the actual formation of the government."


There was no FEMA disaster or apparent political crisis that corresponded to this trip. Rice's main purpose was the establishment of a Palestinian government. However, she was furious over Abbas' agreement with Hamas for a unity government that the Saudis brokered.
March


Rice visits Tel Aviv/Jerusalem, 3/25-27; Ramallah, 3/25.



SECRETARY RICE on 3/23: "But what I believe is very important is that all parties in the international community, and that includes the Arab states, should recognize in order to get to an Israeli-Palestinian state, an end to the — a Palestinian state and an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, you need the energy and the help of moving forward on the Arab-Israeli side not at the end of the process but earlier in the process."



SECRETARY RICE on 3/27: "There is a growing consensus behind President Bush's vision of the State of Israel and the new State of Palestine living side by side in peace and security, as well as an urgent desire to achieve it. The violent extremism we see in the Middle East poses a grave threat to all who seek peace. President Abbas truly desires to be a partner for peace."


President Bush declares major FEMA disasters for severe storms and tornados in New Mexico from Mar. 23-24.
May


Rice visits Egypt from May 1-4.



Question of Rice: "Other than the meeting about Iraq, today there was a meeting of the Quartet with the Arab countries about the initiative, the Arab Initiative. With the Israeli problems, there is a deadlock now in this process. How do you view this in the light of visit to the area?"


SECRETARY RICE: "Well, the informal discussion that we are going to have will take place after this. And so we've not yet had that informal discussion. It's just an opportunity for the international Quartet to — we're taking advantage of the fact that we're all here for the international Quartet to hear from the Arab League committee that is going to be presenting in various quarters the Arab League Initiative, as was sent out of the Riyadh summit. So we've not yet had that discussion."


President Bush declares major FEMA disasters for severe storms, tornadoes and flooding for Kansas, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Missouri and Nebraska from May 4-19.
August


Rice Visits Tel Aviv/Jerusalem, 8/1-2; Ramallah, 8/2/07.



On Wednesday, Aug. 1, Secretary of State Rice, in a visit to Jerusalem, began laying the groundwork for a Mideast peace conference — hoping to push Israelis and Palestinians closer to renewing talks.

On Wednesday, the day the United States' Muslim Congressman announced he was making a trip to Israel, a major bridge tragically collapsed in his (Minnesota) congressional district. The bridge's construction was completed in 1967. The area it fell in is called the "west bank" because of a concentration of Muslims. Rice was in Jerusalem meeting with Ehud Olmert, Tzipi Livni, Shimon Peres and Ehud Barak.



The bridge collapse gained national and international attention.


President Bush stated from the Rose Garden: "I just finished a Cabinet meeting. One of the things we discussed was the terrible situation there in Minneapolis. We talked about the fact that the bridge collapsed, and that we in the federal government must respond and respond robustly to help the people there not only recover, but to make sure that lifeline of activity, that bridge, gets rebuilt as quickly as possible."
September


Rice visits Tel Aviv/Jerusalem, 9/19-20; Ramallah, 9/20.


SECRETARY RICE: "We have had wide-ranging discussions today about the discussions that are going on in the bilateral channel between Prime Minister Olmert and President Abbas. I was very pleased to hear that teams have been appointed to work on a document that you would hope to complete by the time of the international meeting."


As Rice was finishing her two-day trip to Israel, the Associated Press stated the weather system that began to develop on Wednesday, which forecasters said might develop into a tropical depression, caused the temporary, precautionary closure of about a quarter of the Gulf of Mexico's daily oil production on Thursday. That lent an extra boost to the oil market's already strong record-breaking run, because traders view U.S. crude inventories as tight. Last week, crude inventories declined.


There was no FEMA disaster or apparent political crisis that corresponded to this trip.
October

Rice’s five day visit to Israel was to push for her Middle East Summit at Annapolis — where there were discussions on the boundaries and timing of a Palestinian state, the forfeiture of Judea and Samaria, pressure to divide Jerusalem, and initial discussions on the sovereignty over the Temple Mount.


Rice visits Tel Aviv/Jerusalem, 10/14-18; Ramallah, 10/15-17. Rice leaves Jerusalem on 10/18.



The Dalai Lama visits President Bush on 10/16. President Bush and Congress presents Dalai Lama with the Congressional Gold Medal on 10/17.

Santa Ana winds begin on 10/19 in Southern California; they become hurricane-force winds on 10/20 through 10/22.


The Southern California wildfires burned 518,066 acres, destroyed 3,097 structures, and damaged 509 structures.


President Bush declared a major FEMA disaster from Southern California's fires on 10/21 and toured the area on Thursday, 10/25.

November


As Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was on her way to Israel and in Israel to discuss the future of their land there was a major political crisis for the Bush Administration in Pakistan, a sixth major non-FEMA weather event, and record oil-prices and the euro hit a new high against the dollar.


Rice leaves for Turkey and Israel, 11/1-2/. She arrives in Tel Aviv/Jerusalem, 11/3; Jerusalem, 11/4-5, Ramallah, 11/5. Leaves Jerusalem on 11/5.


Friday, 11/2



Rice, Hadley to be subpoenaed in pro-Israel lobby spy case
Hurricane Noel churning toward Cape Cod and New England

Saturday, 11/3



Pakistian’s Musharaf declares state of emergency
Pakistan under martial law
Bush under attack for backing Musharaf and giving Pakistan $10 billion in aide
Rice arrives in Jerusalem
Sub-tropical storm Noel plows into Cape Cod and Maine

Sunday, 11/4



Rice meets with Olmert in Jerusalem
Rice says Pakistan state of emergency `highly regrettable`
Fayad urges Israel to free 2,000 prisoners ahead of peace summit
Syria slams U.S. 'interference' in Lebanese presidential elections

Monday, 11/5



Rice meets with Abbas
Bush forced to reassess his faith in Musharraf
Musharraf put in motion a trifecta of trouble for the Bush Administration
Markets fear banks have $1 trillion in toxic debt
Rice leaves Jerusalem

Tuesday, 11/6



Suicide bomber attacks Afghan lawmakers, at least 64 killed, including five parliamentarians
Oil hits $97 on bombs, demand prediction
Euro hits new high vs. dollar in New York
White House counsel dealt threat of contempt by Congress


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Bush, Olmert, and Rice's Quartet Activities and FEMA Events in 2007

There were five major FEMA disaster events and/or clusters of events that coincided with President Bush and/or Rice preparing for a meeting with Olmert, meeting Olmert in Washington, or during Rice's Quartet meetings.


Those occurred during or shortly after …


Meetings of the Quartet at the State Department
The time the Bush Administration announced it was giving $59 million to the Palestinians
The announcement of Olmert's visit to Washington and the meeting of the Quartet in Berlin
Olmert's actual meeting at the White House
Olmert evicting Jews from their homes in Hebron and stating it was a time for a Palestinian state and a peace deal due to Bush Administration pressure.
February

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was preparing on Feb. 1 to host the Quartet at the State Department in Washington, D.C. The meetings convened on Feb. 2 to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.


SECRETARY RICE: "I would like to welcome the members of the Quartet to Washington, to the State Department. I especially want to welcome Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon to his first Quartet meeting, and our colleague Frank-Walter Steinmeier as the president of the EU to his first meeting of the Quartet." "We have had very fruitful discussions about our desire to see an acceleration of progress toward the establishment of a Palestinian state in accordance with the roadmap. These discussions have been very fruitful, and I would now turn to Secretary-General Ban who will, in fact, read the Quartet statement which will also be made available to all of you later."

As the Quartet was meeting on the future of Israel's land in Washington, D.C., the state of Florida was beginning the "same-day" clean-up from the second-deadliest series of tornadoes in state history.
President Bush declared a major FEMA disaster from the effects of severe storms and tornadoes during the period of Feb. 1-2, 2007.
April:


President Bush gave Palestinian President Abbas $59 million. That was followed by Secretary of State Rice's extensive activity in Washington, D.C., regarding the land of Israel — and resultant meetings in Jerusalem between Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

"We are clear to proceed," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said of the $59 million aid plan.

The Financial Times reported that Israeli and Palestinian leaders met on Sunday, Apr. 15 — after agreeing, under U.S. prodding, to hold biweekly meetings; but aides said key issues remained off the agenda, which focused on economic ties and security concerns in the occupied territories.


Israeli Prime Minister Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas held talks in Jerusalem and agreed to next meet in the West Bank town of Jericho. "It was a good beginning," said Saeb Erekat, Palestinian negotiator. Mr. Olmert's aides said he was prepared to talk about the economic and governmental structures of a future Palestinian state but not about defining its borders or other issues. Israel says there can be no real progress until there are reforms in the militant group Hamas, which shares power with Mr. Abbas' Fatah Party.

Condoleezza Rice urged Israel to give the Palestinians a "political horizon" outlining future statehood, and U.S. officials said that fundamental talks could start later this year.


President Bush declared major FEMA disasters for New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont and Kentucky for the Apr. 15-16 storms and flooding.
May-June


The White House announced on May 29 that Olmert was to visit the White House on June 19.

The Quartet met in Berlin on May 30. The Quartet principals agreed to meet in the region in June with the Israelis and Palestinians to review progress and discuss the way forward. The Quartet also agreed to meet in the region with members of the Arab League to follow up on the Arab Peace Initiative and efforts to advance the regional track.

Rice and the White House continued preparing for the June 18-19 meetings.

President Bush declared major FEMA disasters for Nebraska's severe storms and flooding of May 28-June 2; North Dakota's severe storms and flooding of June 2-18; and Oklahoma's severe storms, flooding and tornadoes of June 10–July 25.
June:


Olmert arrived in Washington on Sunday, June 17.

In preparation for White House talks with President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, Olmert met with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley on June 18 to develop a joint strategy aimed at strengthening Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Olmert visited President Bush at the White House on June 19.

President Bush declared major FEMA disasters for Texas' severe storms, tornadoes and flooding of June 16-18; and New York's severe storms and flooding of June 19.
August


Under White House pressure, Olmert forced Jews out of homes in Hebron and declared that now is the time for a Palestinian state (on 8/7-8).

President Bush declared a major FEMA disaster for New York due to severe storms, flooding and tornadoes on Aug. 8.