Middle East Report, Turks Shoot Down Russian Jet WR15-397

Chapter 38 of Ezkiel clearly reveals the Hebrew people will be living in the land of Israel before the Messiah comes.

And say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will take the people of Israel from among the nations, where they have gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land;

22. And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all; and they shall be no more two nations, nor shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all;

23. Nor shall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor with any of their transgressions; but I will save them in all their dwelling places, where they have sinned, and will cleanse them; so shall they be my people, and I will be their God.

24. And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd; they shall also follow my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them.

25. And they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob my servant, where your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell in it, they and their children, and their grandchildren forever; and my servant David shall be their prince forever.

26. And I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.

27. My tabernacle also shall be with them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

28. And the nations shall know that I, the Lord, sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.

Friends, keep in mind the attacks in Paris were a sacrifice to the god of war - Mars.

The defense ministry in Moscow confirmed one of its jets was downed by Turkish forces. Russia said it was flying sorties against rebels over Syria and was shot down by Turkish artillery. Ankara says it was shot down violating Turkish air space by Turkish F-16s The fate of the pilots is unclear. Some sources report that one of the pilots was captured by a Syrian rebel group. Turkish media broadcast video footage of the plane crashing into mountains near the border with Hatay province.

Russian President Vladimir Putin met Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday in Tehran, with Syria dominating the agenda as their countries tighten military cooperation in support of embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad.  The two leaders also discussed possibilities for joint efforts in other fields following Iran's nuclear deal with Western powers, reports said. The two leaders criticized Western and other countries for pushing for Assad's removal. “No one can or should force any form of government upon the Syrian people from the outside, or decide who should rule them,” Putin said during the talks. “This should be decided only by the Syrian people.” Khamenei said Russia is playing an important role by countering US influence in the region, adding that Tehran will only hold bilateral talks with Washington regarding the nuclear issue. Putin is making his first visit to Iran since 2007 to attend a meeting of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum. The Russian president is also scheduled to meet his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani. Tehran is one of Moscow's main allies in the Syrian conflict, with forces from the two sides already engaged in joint operations. 

In the first-ever US worldwide travel alert, the State Department warned Monday that "Current information suggests that ISIS (aka Daesh), Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram and other terrorist groups continue to plan terrorist attacks in multiple regions, "US citizens should exercise vigilance when in public places or using transportation… Be aware of immediate surroundings and avoid large crowds or crowded places. Exercise particular caution during the holiday season and at holiday festivals or events." The alert is in effect until February 24. Brussels remains at the highest alert level due to a "serious and imminent" threat.

 

Palestinians opened fire on an Israeli border police post next to Qalandia in the West Bank on Monday night, and the border police returned fire. None of the policemen were wounded. 

French warplanes from the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle carried out airstrikes against ISIS targets in the Iraqi cities of Ramadi and Mosul on Monday, marking the first such attacks since the carrier was deployed to the region last week in the aftermath of the Paris attacks. The French military said the targets were destroyed, but did not elaborate further. The nuclear-powered Charles de Gaulle is considered the centerpiece of the French navy. 

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon have been at loggerheads with Israel’s military and Shin Bet chiefs on how to grapple with the wave of Palestinian terror sweeping the country for more than two months, with knives, firebombs and vehicular attacks and rising Israeli casualties. The two ministers are convinced that the Palestinian terrorists will eventually succumb to attrition and throw in the sponge.
Personally I challenge this thought. It seems the Palestinians have found a method of attack that is hard to stem. The current wave is not only not dying down it is gaining traction. Its methods are such that purely military measures can’t get to grips with the persistent attacks, which are often just hours apart in different locations.

In the last 24 hours, the terrorists have spread their wings from Hebron, last week’s hotbed, to places further north. If they are not stopped, they may well move across the Green Line into the coastal districts around Tel Aviv and the northern Afula Plain and Jezreel Valley. At that point, the Fatah’s armed wing, the Tanzim, is more than likely to join the action with firearms, instituting a full-fledged armed uprising against the Jewish State.

To pre-empt this escalation and freeze the current wave of attacks, Israel’s military and intelligence chiefs have put forward a 7-point plan of action:

·         A general lockdown on Palestinian-populated areas of Judea, Samaria and Hebron for an indefinite period.

·         This lockdown would extend to the Palestinian districts of East Jerusalem.

·         Its borderline would run roughly along the defense barrier. Electronic tracking devices would be installed in the gaps with security personnel deployed according to need.

·         The roadblocks thrown up on the side roads leading to Palestinian villages and towns along the main highways, like Route 60 in the Gush Etzion and Hebron districts, have proved ineffective. The Palestinians find ways of circumventing them.

·         Blowing up the homes of Palestinian terrorist killers has proved disappointing as an effective deterrent to the spreading violence.

·         Military and intelligence experts are of the opinion that the desired effect of a de-escalation will only be achieved by an ultimatum: Give up terrorism or be cut off from Israel, so losing your jobs and your major sources of income.

·         Reservists will need to be mobilized on a large scale for this plan’s implememtation.

Netanyahu and Ya’alon are not in favor of the plan, each for reasons of his own, but are leaving it open for consideration. Netanyahu fears that a total lockdown on Palestinian areas will have a negative effect politically at home and internationally. He is also concerned that a shutdown of the Palestinian districts of Jerusalem will expose him to the charge of dividing the capital.

Ya’alon is apprehensive that the Palestinians will deem the lockdown an Israeli declaration of all-out war. An armed conflict would then erupt between the two peoples with full force.

The authors of the plan are convinced that, one way or another, Palestinian terrorism, if not stopped short, will in any case escalate to the point where the prime minister and defense minister are left with no option but to execute the measures they have proposed.