MidnightWatcher – Prophecy in Motion

The Hamas Charter declares that “Israel will rise and will remain erect until Islam eliminates it as it had eliminated its predecessors … There is no solution to the Palestinian problem except by Jihad … Muslims will fight the Jews (and kill them) …”.  The only way to renounce jihad is to first renounce Islam. And according to Hamas’ own charter, that ain’t ever happening …

Isaiah 48:22, “‘There is no peace for the wicked,’ says the LORD.”

“GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories — Senior Hamas official Mahmud Zahar said on Monday that the Palestinian Islamist movement will never give up its armed struggled against Israel.

The statement comes as Gaza Strip officials openly attacked the movement’s leader-in-exile Khaled Meshaal, who has decided not to run again this summer for the leadership of Hamas, for prioritising ‘peaceful resistance.’

‘We are fighting for our dignity and rights. Jihad is our path, our life, our pride and we will not renounce it no matter the sacrifices,’ said Zahar, quoted on the website of the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s armed wing.

Hamas will ‘never give up its armed struggle against the Zionist enemy,’ he said during a speech in Zeitun, a neighbourhood in east Gaza, in honour of the ‘martyrs’ of Israel’s December 2008-January 2009 Cast Lead operation against the enclave.” Read more.

Flashback: Hamas Leader Rejects Peace with Israel, Disavows Non-Violent Resistance – “The top Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip rejected compromise with Israel in a fiery speech Wednesday, a day after gunmen killed four Israelis. In an address to Hamas members, Gaza strongman Mahmoud Zahar said the movement would resist peace efforts and criticized the Palestinian president for joining the negotiations.” Read more.

Flashback: Turkish President Slams Israel, Hails Hamas as a ‘Supporter of Democracy’ that is ‘Willing to Live in Peace Alongside Israel’ – “Turkish president Abdullah Gul on Sunday said Israel should take advantage of the changes in the Middle East to achieve peace with the Palestinian Authority and the entire Arab world, the Turkey-based Today’s Zaman reported… ‘As the democracy in the Middle East grows, Israel will eventually have to stop the violence in ‘Palestine’’, he was quoted as having said. Gul also claimed that Khaled Mashaal, head of the Hamas terror group, is a supporter of democracy and is willing to live in peace alongside Israel.” Read more.

By Katherine Weber – “In an effort to contain Iran’s growing nuclear program, the European Union announced Monday its intent to implement an embargo on Iranian oil as well as increase trade restrictions. Meanwhile, experts say it is likely that Israel, threatened by such a nuclear program, may feel pressured to attack if the international community cannot keep the Iranian regime’s nuclear aspirations in check.

These new restrictions from the EU place an intensified amount of pressure on Iran to halt its nuclear productivity…

Israel, portrayed by the Iranian regime as an oppressor of the Palestinians and a foe to peace in the Middle East, has also faced further isolation from Egypt, with which it shares a peace treaty. Egypt’s recently organized Parliament, dominated by members of the Muslim Brotherhood, has repeatedly announced that the country will not be renewing its peace treaty with Israel, which has created a ‘cold peace’ between the two countries since 1979.

Egypt has served as an important ally to Israel in the past, as its power has enabled Israel to focus its defense on northern boundaries and cut its defense budget, thus greatly bolstering its economy, according to observers.

Critics now worry that the continued diplomatic isolation in both Iran and Israel will worsen political relations in the Middle East. Instability may make Israel feel more threatened, and therefore more likely to attack Iran.” Read more.

Benjamin Netanyahu renews speculation over military action against Iran – “… Following a telephone conversation with President Barack Obama earlier this month, Mr Netanyahu grudgingly gave his backing to new US and EU sanctions against Iran. But in a speech delivered ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which will be marked on Friday, Mr Netanyahu returned to a familiar theme by giving warning that Israel had the military means to defend itself against foreign aggression. His comments appeared clearly aimed at Iran. ‘The Jewish people and the Israeli government have the right, the obligation and the ability to prevent another destruction of the Jewish people or an attack on its state,’ he said.” Read more.

Report: Israel to Give Obama No More Than 12 Hours Notice on Attacking Iran – “Israeli officials told visiting USS Chief Joint of Staffs Martin Dempsey that it would give President Barack Obama no more than 12 hours notice if and when it attacks Iran, The London Times reported Sunday. The Netanyahu government also will not coordinate with the United States an attack on the Islamic Republic, according to the report, the latest in a number of suposed scenarios concerning cooperation or lack of it between Jerusalem and Washington. It is left to speculation whether the rumors are based on facts or are leaked by officials to mask the possibility of secret military coordination.” Read more.

Israel to UN: Tomorrow will be too late for action against Iran – “‘Iran’s efforts to develop nuclear weapons represent the greatest threat to peace and security in the world,’ Prosor said. ‘The silence of the Security Council will be very costly. You must act today. Tomorrow will be too late.’ ‘The thought of Iran equipped with nuclear weapons should take sleep from the eyes of Security Council member states,’ Prosor said. ‘The international community cannot stand by idly while the Ayatollah’s regime works to combine extremist ideology with nuclear technology.'” Read more.

Here’s an update on this story …

By Nima Elbagir – “Lagos, Nigeria (CNN) — A joint military task force in Nigeria arrested 158 suspected members of the Islamist militant group Boko Haram, security sources told CNN Tuesday, three days after a spate of bombings and shootings left more than 200 people dead in Nigeria’s second-largest city.

Some suspects resisted arrest and exchanged gunfire with the task force in the city of Kano, said security sources who asked not to be named because they are not authorized to speak to the media.

No casualties have been reported so far, they said.

The arrests come as community leaders said the number of dead from the Kano bombing and gun attacks has risen to at least 211.

Community leaders have been keeping their own count of the number of dead from Friday’s attacks, they told CNN Tuesday, including victims who never made it to hospitals. They declined to be quoted by name for security reasons.

Government officials declined to confirm the number of victims. They previously put the death toll at 157.

Police in Kano announced Tuesday that they had seized 10 cars laden with explosives and about 300 improvised explosive devices hidden in soft drink cans and bottles at a number of locations in the city.

The state police commissioner, Ibrahim Idris, said a mass search turned up the explosives after police found undetonated devices at a police barracks in Kano.” Read more.

“The United States should consider military strikes against not just Iran’s nuclear sites but the entire Iranian Revolutionary Guard infrastructure, argued former CIA director James Woolsey in a radio interview today.

Comparing the Guards to Adolph Hitler’s blackshirts, Woolsey named several ‘fair game’ Guard-related targets, including Iran’s space program, ballistic missile program, training facilities and the Guard’s substantial commercial interests.

The ex-CIA director said the U.S. should consider these military options if Iran blocks the strategic Strait of Hormuz waterway or takes other significant aggressive action.

Woolsey also recommended that President Obama immediately send four to five aircraft carriers to the Indian Ocean to demonstrate U.S. resolve in the face of Iranian threats to blockade the strait.

‘We went to war in 1812 over something just about like what Iran says it is going to do – close the straits,’ said Woolsey, referring to the British naval blockade of the Atlantic coast of the U.S.

Woolsey was speaking on Aaron Klein Investigative Radio on New York’s WABC Radio.

Listen to the interview at Klein Online.

While applauding the recent round of tougher sanctions against Tehran, Woolsey contended such economic initiatives combined with continued dialogue are not enough to deter Iran from seeking nuclear weapons or halt the country’s threats to blockade the strait.” Read more.