Israel Summons European Ambassadors to Complain

By Isabel Kershner, NY Times, Jan. 17, 2014

JERUSALEM—In the latest diplomatic confrontation over Israeli settlement building, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman of Israel took the unusual step of summoning four European ambassadors on Friday to complain about what he called their countries’ “perpetual one-sided stance against Israel and in favor of the Palestinians.”

The ambassadors of Britain, France, Italy and Spain were called in a day after Israel’s ambassadors to those countries were summoned to hear protests about settlement building in areas the Palestinians view as part of a future independent state. Israeli officials described Mr. Lieberman’s step as a counterprotest.

This was the first time that Israel had summoned European ambassadors as a group over such an issue. The Israeli protest was delivered by the Foreign Ministry’s acting director general, Nissim Ben Shetrit.

Mr. Lieberman said in a statement that the European position was “unacceptable and gives rise to the feeling that they are only looking to place blame on Israel.”

Last week, the Israeli government published plans to build 1,400 housing units in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, territories that Israel captured from Jordan in the 1967 war. It was the latest in a series of settlement announcements in recent months, intended partly to compensate right-wing members of the government for the release of groups of long-serving Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. The prisoner releases came as part of an American-brokered deal for the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks last summer.

The settlement announcements have infuriated and embarrassed the Palestinian leadership. Washington has condemned them as unhelpful to peace efforts.

Most countries consider Israel’s settlement building a violation of international law governing occupied territory. Israel argues that the territory is disputed.

The diplomatic frictions with Europe capped a week of Israeli-American tensions over the peace process after contentious comments attributed to Israel’s hard-line defense minister, Moshe Yaalon, were leaked to the Israeli news media. Mr. Yaalon reportedly called Secretary of State John Kerry’s push for a peace deal an “obsession” and derided American security proposals. Mr. Yaalon later apologized for any offense caused and Mr. Kerry said he would not let “one set of comments” undermine the peace effort.

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“Judge Not”- Just What Did Jesus Mean?

By Dennis Edwards:

          I wanted to write a little on the subject of not judging which seems to be a phrase often used today against any who have religious convictions.

          Jesus is quoted in the famous Sermon on the Mount as saying, “Judge not, that you be not judged.” (Matthew 7:1) People use this verse to justify the politically correct doctrines of the moment. We are told we need to have tolerance of behaviors that for hundreds of years were considered sins such as; homosexuality, swearing or cursing, abortion, devil and demon worship or witchcraft, euthanasia, bestiality, etc. Today we are admonished to accept the behavior of others and “judge not.”

          However, a simple reading of the rest of the paragraph (Matthew 7:2-5), we can see that Jesus was criticizing the hypocritical religious leaders for the manner in which they were passing out judgments. In John 7:24 Jesus says, “Judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”  God told his prophet Samuel when seeking a replacement for the disobedient King Saul, “Look not on his countenance or his height of statue because I have refused him, for the Lord sees not as man sees, for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” (1Samuel 16:7)

          But how do we as modern day believers judge righteously and look on the heart? Are we to put on some special glasses which will give us help to look into the heart, soul and mind of others? The answer is simply, yes, we are. God has given us His glasses for He has told us to put on the mind of Christ. Jesus when questioned what the most important commandment was said, “Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind and love thy neighbor as thyself.” (Matthew 22:37, 39) Today, when we talk about God’s commandment, we usually mean doing unto others as we would want others to do unto us. But we forget the first part of Jesus’ answer which admonished us to love God with all our heart, soul and mind. Without first loving God, we will never be capable of doing the second part, loving our neighbor as ourselves.

          Paul admonished the Corinthians, “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down strongholds; casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:4, 5) It’s interesting that in the Portuguese “casting down imaginations” is translated as “destroying arguments.” In other words we should defend the faith in a manner that we destroy the arguments lifted up against Christ. 

        Jude also expresses the importance of “earnestly defending the faith.” (Jude 3)  While Peter states, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.” (1 Peter 3:15) Here we see the same principle of loving the Lord first and spending time with Him and His word in order to be able to give an answer to the unbeliever looking for answers. Paul goes on to say, “The servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves….” (2 Timothy 2:24, 25)

          Jesus said, “The words I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life.” (John 6:63) ) The author of Hebrews says, “For the word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) Jesus told his disciples, “Now you are clean through the words which I have spoken unto you.” (John 15:3) Reading, studying, meditating, memorizing God’s word has a cleansing affect on our spirits and gives us discernment. 

        David said, “Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee.”  (Psalm 119: 11) God’s word is the standard by which we judge all things. But we need to “study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15) Because as Jesus taught and showed, the word needs to be ministered in love and mercy. The letter kills, but the spirit makes alive.

          Too often God’s word has been ministered by the letter in self-righteousness which only causes others to fall away from the faith. This is why Jesus so harshly condemned the self-righteous religious leaders which ultimately led to his death on the cross.

          Please do not neglect the reading of God’s word, the Bible. It is food for your soul and will gives you strength for the everyday battles of life. Paul admonished, “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ,” (2 Corinthians 11:3) “For we are not ignorant of his devices.” (2 Corinthians 2:11) Don’t let the enemy of your soul keep you from God’s word. You desperately need the spirit food it contains. If you need help in understanding what you are reading search out a reliable Christian friend who you trust and whom you feel comfortable with and ask him/her to help you. There are waters to swim in and wondrous things to behold through reading and studying God’s word. Come on in. The waters are great. You won’t be disappointed.

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Pressão Versus Estresse —Qual é a Diferença?

Jesus falando em profecia

A vida é cheia de desafios e pressões. Mas uma certa pressãozinha não é ruim se lidar com ela devidamente. — Às vezes, quando sei que é necessário e que você consegue administrar, até permito que encare mais do que só uma pressãozinha. Os diversos desafios e a resultante pressão que permito na sua vida servem para ajudá-lo a se expandir, crescer, e aprender lições importantes. E podem ajudá-lo a produzir mais do que normalmente.

Por outro lado, como já percebeu, certos tipos de pressão não lhe fazem bem. O Meu jugo é suave e os fardos que lhe peço para carregar são leves. A pressão pode lhe fazer bem ou mal, dependendo de sua procedência, de quem a exerce e de como você lida com ela. Se uma certa pressãozinha positiva pode lhe fazer bem, por outro lado o que você tem sentido é muito mais do que isso, é um desgaste, um estresse. E estresse não faz bem.

Sempre que se vir diante de um desafio, prova ou dificuldade, ou de algum outro tipo de pressão intensa, desejo que essas coisas o ajudem, não o prejudiquem. E elas o ajudarãose lidar com elas da maneira certa. Se essas pressões e dificuldades a mais o fizerem reconhecer melhor os seus limites e fraquezas e como resultado o deixarem mais dependente de Mim e você se empenhar em trabalhar mais junto Comigo, logo o fator Romanos 2:28 ficará evidente em cada situação. Essas provas não ocorrem com o propósito de arrasá-lo, deixá-lo estressado, muito menos fazê-lo sentir vontade de desistir ou de tentar. Ocorrem para ajudá-lo a crescer e ficar mais forte no Meu Espírito.

Se, ao enfrentar exigências na sua vida e trabalho (tanto as dificuldades rotineiras como as inesperadas), Me deixar colocá-lo sob uma pressão positiva, mas logo Me devolver a pressão, lançando sobre Mim as suas ansiedades e pedindo que Eu o unja, então poderei lhe dar o que for preciso para superar e ajudá-lo a realizar o trabalho. Sei que falar é fácil, mas fazer é que são elas, pois exige disciplina e fé. Mas, por outro lado, disciplina é algo que você pode aprender, como, por exemplo, ter a disciplina de Me deixar operar através de você mais plenamente em vez de agir na sua própria força.

Algumas pressões procedem de Mim e outras não. As que provêm de outras fontes seriam expectativas irrealistas que você assume por livre e espontânea vontade. Às vezes, mesmo que Eu permita as pressões por algum motivo, você não lida com elas da maneira certa. Não se apoia em Mim como deveria, não passa tempo Comigo nem Me deixa ajudá-lo a levar a carga que sei que você consegue carregar com a Minha ajuda. Daí surge um imprevisto ou você começa a ter alguma batalha e, em vez de agir como lhe pedi, cai automaticamente no programa de “obras próprias”. Já vai logo arregaçando as mangas e se esforçando, puxando, empurrando para conseguir colocar a carga nos ombros e ir em frente, aos trancos e barrancos, por conta própria

A sua motivação é sincera, só que o seu modo de agir é errado, porque se esforça o máximo possível para fazer as coisas e fazê-las bem. Quer ser uma bênção e sentir que está produzindo, por mais difícil que pareça. E se convence, sinceramente, que depois que terminar, depois que retirar os impedimentos e obstáculos maiores e cumprir as metas, depois que tiver cuidado de todas as coisas importantes e mais difíceis, aí vai parar e tomar um tempinho Comigo e voltar a fazer as coisas “do jeito certo.

Em vez de recorrer para Mim logo no começo para ver qual a Minha perspectiva, você se sente tão pessoalmente responsável que não tem tempo para agir em oração como sabe que deveria. E, como não para o suficiente para lançar seus cuidados sobre Mim, essas pequenas pressões vão aumentando, se ampliando e ficando exageradas na sua mente, até se tornarem uma fonte de frustração e batalhas, e então você começa a se sentir desgastado, depois desencorajado e, por fim, avassalado.

Quando trabalha assim, até mesmo um montinho de nada lhe parece uma montanha enorme, muito maior e mais difícil de ser escalado do que é na realidade. E então começa a sentir como se estivesse preso na areia movediça sem conseguir sair do lugar, só se afundando naquela lama.

É preciso existir uma certa pressão, caso contrário não se produz muito. Mas não quero que você se sinta tão mal a ponto de não conseguir seguir adiante porque se sente sobrecarregado e estressado.

Se Me consultar a respeito de cada coisa que lhe causa pressão, e Me deixar lhe mostrar como Eu vejo os desafios que surgem, aprenderá a ter mais controle sobre a sua vida — o Meu controle sobre como se sente e é afetado pelas situações. Se Me deixar falar com você e lhe ensinar, aprenderá a avaliar tanto o seu comportamento quanto as pressões que sofre, e poderá usá-las de forma edificante para ajudá-lo a realizar o que precisa.

Você não pode permitir estresse na sua vida. Você é precioso demais para esse tipo de situação. É importante para Mim e preciso que cuide de si mesmo. Aprenda a colocar nas Minhas mãos as pressões e desafios que enfrenta e Me deixar lhe mostrar como lidar com eles.

É possível administrar — e bem — quaisquer pressões com as quais se depare na vida, se forem parte do Meu plano e se colocá-las sob os Meus cuidados. Lance os seus cuidados sobre Mim, porque cuido de você, e também Me interesso em saber como você está se sentindo. Portanto, coloque tudo em Minhas mãos — cada fonte de pressão ou frustração. Coloque tudo aos Meus pés. Leve o Meu jugo e o ajudarei a desfrutar da vida e do seu trabalho, a crescer e aprender, e fazer o que precisa ser feito.

Publicado originalmente em outubro de 2003. Adaptado e republicado em janeiro 2014. Tradução Denise Oliveira. Revisão H. R. Flandoli.

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Bringing Love to Life

By Maria Fontaine

The other day I heard something that touched my heart. I heard from a young woman that she had saved up money to take a course that would help her in her mission work as well as in bringing in finances. However, the Lord then laid on her heart to give a large part of this money to one of her fellow missionaries. This person hadn’t asked for the money, but the woman knew she needed it. And even more than that, she knew the missionaries needed the encouragement.

We have all experienced deep discouragement at some point in our lives. Were you ever pulled out of that discouragement by a note from someone telling you they cared, that they were praying for you, or were going to do what they could to help? Or maybe in a time of great trial you suddenly found the light breaking through and you were inexplicably pulled out of the despair you felt, and you had faith again that the Lord was going to make everything okay?—Maybe as a result of someone’s private prayer for you?

There are people around us who are struggling and who need a boost, an uplift from a friend or fellow laborer. Is it possible that Jesus is waiting on you to give, to write, to befriend, to pray for someone that He lays on your heart? This brings to mind that little chorus, “Lord, lay some soul upon my heart and love that soul through me. And may I bravely do my part to win that soul for Thee.” Through doing what the Lord shows us to do, we can encourage, uplift, and help others. It doesn’t have to be a lot; little is much, if God and His love are in it.

Sometimes we might feel overwhelmed by the need surrounding us, and of course none of us can help everyone that we’d like to help. But one thing that I can do, that youcan do, that we all can do, is to pray.

Most of us are almost fully occupied with the challenges of everyday life. There’s so much to think and pray about, so much to do. You might be relocating or starting a new mission-related venture, or looking for work, or putting your children through school, or struggling to keep up with all the details of life, or trying to find time to spend with your spouse or family. You might feel under a great deal of pressure already, so much so that it’s hard to think of anything but the job at hand.

You might wonder how you can help someone else, when you feel so in need of help yourself. You might feel like the widow of Zarephath, with not even enough for you and yours. Being faced with someone else’s need when you barely have enough for yourself might seem very much like Elijah’s request that the widow give what little she had to him.1

I’ve often thought about that woman and how much faith it must have taken for her to put the needs of someone else above hers and her child’s, when they were in such great need themselves. Elijah’s request must have sounded absurd and completely unrealistic. And yet it inspires me to think of how great God’s goodness is toward those who take steps of faith like that. The principle of giving what you can, even when you have little yourself, and God’s rewards for doing so, stands as true as ever.

The Lord does not ask the impossible; He just wants us to do what we can to love, care for, and support others—even during those times when it takes a great measure of faith and love to do so. The Lord will bless us if we will spend a few minutes in prayer for others, offer words of encouragement, or help someone in need. He doesn’t necessarily ask us to give a huge chunk of time or a big sum of money, but He rejoices when we give what we can to others. We may not have a lot, but the heart filled with Jesus’ love always has something to give.

We are privileged to fulfill His mission, which is really all about putting love into action. Part of fulfilling the mission involves teaching people to live Jesus’ words and to show His love to others. We know that one of the most effective ways to teach others to love is by being an example of love ourselves. As the old saying goes, charity begins at home. We can prove that Jesus’ words can be lived and that His love can be alive in our hearts and lives through our personal choices to support others, to give, and to bear one another’s burdens.

If we help someone in need or someone who may be weaker in health, we have let Jesus’ love come alive in us, and others will see that love manifested through us. If we are gifted at something, we can manifest our love by teaching others something that we’re knowledgeable in. As we each are attentive to Jesus’ leading concerning others’ needs, I believe that He will pour out His blessings and in turn supply whatever you personally might need.

Imagine what can be accomplished if we each take time to be aware of others in our lives who are in need and to ask the Lord what we can do to help them. Maybe we can pray for those who need help in one way or another. Maybe we can write a note or speak encouragement to those who are discouraged. Maybe we can teach someone a skill that will help them in their mission work. Maybe someone needs a place to stay, and we have an extra room to offer. Maybe a family needs someone to help them with their children while they prepare for a move. This type of assistance goes a long way.

As we do whatever we can, our own needs will be met as well. The Lord has promised, “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”2 “For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”3

I know that God is faithful and that He cares for His own. He has given us the privilege and blessing of helping Him to do this by being His eyes, His hands, and His feet for others. Will you ask Him to show you today what you can do to care for others in need, how to be a channel of Jesus’ love and encouragement to them?

Originally published October 2010. Adapted and republished January 2014.




1 1 Kings 17:10–16.

2 Luke 6:38 NKJV.

3 Mark 9:41 NKJV.

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The Fukushima Fish Story

By William Boardman
Global Research, January 17, 2014



Reassuring the public about something dangerous is tricky

It’s true that the most intensely radioactive part of the Pacific Ocean currently is the area closest to Fukushima, Japan, where the destroyed nuclear power plant continuously adds to the radiation burden in the aquatic food chain. It’s equally true – and somewhat less scary – that Fukushima is but the most recent, best known source of radioactive pollution in a body of water that had a natural, low level of radioactivity long before any human started making it worse.

The Japanese Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) has an elaborate sea area monitoring program around Fukushima and publishes the results of its findings in detailed charts that are likely opaque to most people (and offer data that was collected months ago). Looks like the water has plenty of Cesium-134, Cesium-137, and Strontium-90, but not so much Plutonium-238, Plutonium-239, or Plutonium-240. How bad that is is hard to tell, in part because Fukushima’s operator, TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power Company), withheld 140 of their measurements of Strontium-90 and other radioactive substances for most of late 2013, TEPCO admitted in early January.

When the available information is either withheld or hard to understand, it’s little wonder there’s almost no public trust in the people in charge. When unofficial information is also unreliable, it gets harder and harder to get a handle on what’s real, other than the fact it’s not good.

“Fish with very high levels of Cesium”

Here’s an example of the problem: A story from Japan on January 11 featured a worrisome headline: “Fish with very high levels of cesium found near Fukushima.” Of course that’s also reassuring for most of us: the fish was found, and it was near Fukushima, not California. But still, radioactive fish – that’s scary isn’t it? Yes and no, actually.

No, not so scary: Turns out the headline meant only “a fish,” a black sea bream in fact, one of 37 black sea bream that scientific researchers caught in October-November 2013. Oh, but actually, the story mentions, there were two other fish with elevated radiation, while 34 “were within the safety limits, according to the Fisheries Research Agency.” The story doesn’t report the actual “safe” level, but says “the black sea bream had 12,400 becquerels per kilogram of radioactive cesium, 124 times the safety standards for foodstuffs,” which supports a calculation that 100 Bq per kg is the “safe” level. The other two unsafe fish were measured with 426 and 197 Bq per kg respectively. The fish were caught within 22 miles of Fukushima, in water where commercial fishing is restricted.

Looked at from the official American perspective, this story gets even less scary. The black sea bream with 12,400 Bq per kg of radiation is still too hot to eat safely, but the other two over the Japanese limit are well within the American safety level of 1,200 Bq per kg. Equally casually, the U.S. Dept. of Energy website for “the situation in Japan” was last updated about a year ago.

Yes, it’s a little scary, or at least cautionary: Any fish that radioactively hot certainly poses some small threat to its handlers, but the greater threat is the potential damage it could do to a diner. External exposure to even the highest of these levels of radiation for brief periods of time is pretty close to harmless under most circumstances, especially the older you are. But someone who eats a hot fish risks internal exposure for a much longer time, with a much greater risk of harm – though there might not be, for any given person, any consequential damage.

Looked at from the official South Korean perspective, this story gets even more scary. In September 2013, South Korea banned the import of all Japanese fish caught within about 200 miles of Fukushima. “The South Korean government made the move because of insufficient information from Tokyo about what steps will be taken to address the leakage of contaminated water from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, according to a statement by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries,” CBS News reported September 6.

A month later, the Japanese government appealed to the supra-national World Trade Organization (WTO) “to intervene on South Korea’s atomic fish ban” (as headlined in the South China Morning Post). Japanese officials said that South Korea was the only country with such an expansive ban on Japanese fish. They said they were hoping that discussion in the WTO would persuade South Korea to withdraw the ban voluntarily, since a WTO lawsuit would likely take years to conclude. As of January 2014, the South Korean ban apparently remains in effect.

Is it a scare story if it’s rational to be scared?

Despite its somewhat misleading headline, the story from Asahi Shimbun did not seem designed to be a scare story. It didn’t even mention the danger from consuming radioactive food, or define a Becquerel of radiation.

The World Nuclear Association, an industry group, offers this definition: “Apart from the normal measures of mass and volume, the amount of radioactive material is given in becquerel (Bq), a measure which enables us to compare the typical radioactivity of some natural and other materials. A becquerel is one atomic decay per second, and each disintegration produces some ionising radiation.”

A chart that follows this, which is apparently intended to be reassuring, compares the amount of radioactivity in a variety other substances (uranium ore, smoke detector, coal ash) with the amount of radioactivity in “1 adult human,” which is pegged at 7,000 Bq, or 100 Bq per kg. That’s also the “safe” limit for eating radioactive black sea bream in Japan – and it is enough to temporarily double a person’s radiation load, which doesn’t seem like a naturally good idea, but perhaps it’s a better than multiplying your normal radiation load by 12 as allowed by American safe fish standards. Not surprisingly, those are questions that neither the newspaper nor the nuclear folks chose to explore.

That certainly seems to be the preference of Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, 59 – not exploring nuclear questions. The prime minister, an avid nuclear booster, recently injected himself into the current race for Tokyo governor, suggesting that the candidates not focus on nuclear issues, but have a “balanced” debate.

The next day, January 14, a former prime minister and opponent of a nuclear Japan entered the race: Morihiro Hosokawa, 76, who announced that his candidacy would focus on creating a nuclear-free Japan. Hosokawa had resigned as prime minister in April 1994, after less than a year in office, amidst bribery charges that were never resolved. Hosokawa’s candidacy was encouraged by another former prime minister, Junichiro Koizumi, who has emerged as one of Japan’s leading nuclear-free advocates and who promises to campaign actively for Hosokawa.

The Tokyo prefecture includes the capital city as well as 39 other municipalities and a total population of 35 million people, all under the administration of the Tokyo governor. Tokyo’s government is also the biggest shareholder in Tokyo Electric Power, operator of the Fukushima plant. The former governor resigned in December in the midst of a political funds scandal. The election campaign officially begins on January 23, with the election scheduled for February 9.

With the candidacy of Hosokawa, the race takes on increased national significance since, as Hosokawa said, “I have a sense of crisis myself that the country’s various problems, especially nuclear power plants, are matters of survival for the country.” Hosokawa and Koizumi are trying to make the Tokyo election a referendum on nuclear power for the country.

Meanwhile, the Fukushima site continues to leak radioactive groundwater into the Pacific, it continues to leak radioactive water from damaged containment tanks, Fukushima Unit #3 continues to belch radioactive steam periodically, and the level of radioactivity at the perimeter of the plant hasrisen to 8 times the officially “safe” level. The Nuclear Regulation Authority has increased the number of monitoring stations around Fukushima from 446 to 815. And the Japanese government is saying food produced in the Fukushima region is safe to eat, but neither consumers nor food producers trust the government’s assurances.

And the Fukushima Fish Story continues to circulate on the Internet, getting a little scarier, if not more accurate, all the time.

William M. Boardman has over 40 years experience in theatre, radio, TV, print journalism, and non-fiction, including 20 years in the Vermont judiciary. He has received honors from Writers Guild of America, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Vermont Life magazine, and an Emmy Award nomination from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

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CFR Sweep at Fed: Fischer, Brainard, Powell to Join Yellen-

New American

Written by William F. Jasper January 12, 2014



The rumors have been confirmed; President Obama’s plan to name Stanley Fischer as vice chairman of the Federal Reserve was made official on January 10. At the same time he announced Fischer’s appointment, the president also named Lael Brainard and Jerome Powell to positions as governors on the seven-member Federal Reserve Board. Fed Chairman Janet Yellen and Vice Chairman Fischer also serve as governors.

Unremarked in any of the media coverage of the appointments is the significant fact that all four of these Obama nominations to one of the most powerful institutions on the planet are not only members, but high-level operatives, of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), the premier U.S. “think tank” promoting world government for the past century.

Federal Reserve Board Governor Daniel Tarullo is also a CFR member. As we reported on December 29, Stanley Fischer was named this past September to be a “distinguished fellow” in residence at Pratt House, the CFR’s New York City headquarters. In that same article, we noted that “many additional CFR members and officers have rotated in and out of top positions at the Fed, Treasury, and the big Wall Street firms, such as former Fed Chairmen Paul Volcker and Alan Greenspan, as well as current Federal Reserve Regional Bank Presidents William Dudley (New York City), Dennis P. Lockhart (Atlanta), Richard W. Fisher (Dallas), and current Federal Reserve Board of Governors members Daniel K. Tarullo, Jerome H. Powell … and Janet Yellen.”

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Starvation reported at Palestinian camp in Syria

By Liz Sly and Ahmed Ramadan, Washington Post, January 14, 2014

BEIRUT—Disturbing images of emaciated children and elderly people who appear to have died of hunger are emerging from a Palestinian refugee camp on the edge of Damascus, where thousands are at risk of starvation after months of living under siege, U.N. officials and camp residents said Tuesday.

The growing concern for the welfare of residents of the Yarmouk camp comes ahead of a major international conference in Kuwait on Wednesday aimed at raising a record $6.5 billion for U.N. efforts to aid suffering Syrians inside and outside their war-ravaged country.

But although the United Nations is feeding more than 3.8 million people in Syria, those most in need are not being reached because of the complicated dynamics of the battlefield. Fighters loyal to the government of President Bashar al-Assad surround numerous rebel-held neighborhoods, notably in the suburbs of Damascus, and refuse to allow access to food or medical aid as part of what U.S. and other Western leaders have repeatedly described as a policy of deliberate obstruction.

U.N. officials say they are especially alarmed at the reports of a growing number of deaths emanating from Yarmouk, just a few miles from the heart of Damascus, the capital.

“There is profound civilian suffering in Yarmouk, with widespread incidence of malnutrition and the absence of medical care,” said Chris Gunness of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, which is charged with helping displaced Palestinians across the region.

Most camp residents have long been eating little other than stale vegetables, powdered tomato paste and animal feed, he said.

Camp residents and activists on Tuesday reported the deaths of two more people from hunger, bringing to 48 the number who have died since November from illnesses related to the siege, according to Farouq al-Rifai, an activist in Yarmouk who uses a pseudonym to protect family members living in government-held areas.

At least five of those deaths were directly caused by malnutrition, he said, while others were attributable to a range of causes related to the lack of food and medicine, including anemia and diabetes. Some are dying of illnesses related to the poor quality of food, such as a family of five that killed and ate a cat and then succumbed to food poisoning, Rifai said. Some food is available, but at prices that few can afford; most people are subsisting on meager quantities of lentils, onions and, sometimes, boiled grass.

All of the victims have been children and the elderly, but “the hunger is inescapable for everyone,” Rifai said.

The deprivation brings more suffering for Palestinians who fled their homes after the creation of the state of Israel in 1948 and have since lived, with their descendants, as refugees in camps across the region, making them uniquely vulnerable to its many crises.

More than 160,000 Palestinians lived in Yarmouk on the eve of the uprising in Syria, which began in 2011, but most have since fled the fighting, reducing the population to about 18,000, according to the United Nations. The number may be higher, because thousands of displaced Syrians also have taken refuge at the camp.

In a video posted Monday on YouTube, a teenage boy living in the Yarmouk camp described the anguish of residents.

“We just want to eat and drink, and we have no money,” he said. “What have we done to be part of this?” he added, breaking into sobs. “It is nothing to do with us.”

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UN says pace of Israeli settler attacks up 4-fold

By Karin Laub and Mohammed Daraghmeh, AP, Jan 15, 2014

QUSRA, West Bank (AP)—The annual rate of Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians has almost quadrupled in eight years, U.N. figures show, buttressing claims that Israeli security forces have largely failed to stem the so-called “price tag” campaign in which thugs cut down trees, deface mosques and beat Palestinian farmers.

Israeli leaders have repeatedly denounced such attacks—the defense minister last week branded them “outright terrorism”—and the military says soldiers are under strict orders to stop them.

Still, critics say Israeli governments stacked with pro-settler politicians have often been reluctant to confront settlers, even those seen as a hardline fringe.

“There is not enough pressure from the prime minister, the defense minister, the interior minister to prevent this,” said Gadi Zohar, a former senior army commander in the West Bank.

A dramatic incident near this Palestinian farming village last week highlighted the potential of such attacks to escalate and jeopardize fragile U.S.-led peace efforts. “Price tag” refers to settler attacks on Palestinians in response to army actions against any of dozens of West Bank settlement outposts.

Last week’s events began when troops uprooted olive trees planted on private Palestinian land by settlers from the Esh Kodesh outpost.

Later that day, about 20 Israelis moved toward nearby villages, including Qusra. Palestinians said the settlers damaged olive trees, and were caught by villagers after a stone-throwing clash and held by them for more than two hours before being handed to the army.

Footage of the settlers surrounded by an angry crowd led the TV news in Israel that day, with commentators saying serious bloodshed was averted by Palestinians who shielded the settlers.

Seven Israelis were questioned and placed under house arrest, police said. Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon warned he would show zero tolerance, but Palestinians are skeptical.

So far, there have been at least two cases of vandalism in apparent response to the Qusra incident. On Wednesday, residents of a village in the area reported that the door of a mosque was set on fire and some of the carpet was burned. Graffiti read, “Blood for blood, Qusra.”

Settlers have damaged hundreds of trees in Qusra, killed 18 sheep, torched six cars and set fire to a mosque in dozens of attacks, said Mayor Abdel Azim Wadi. The village has lost half its lands to settlements.

The mayor said Israeli soldiers either stand by during settler attacks or fire tear gas, rubber bullets and occasionally live rounds at Palestinians if the attacks escalate into stone-throwing clashes. A Qusra man was killed by army fire and dozens were wounded by settlers and soldiers, he said.

Palestinians say “price tag” is part of Israel’s policy of cementing control over the West Bank, the largest of three war-won areas the Palestinians want for a state. They note that Israel has been providing practical support for outposts even though they were set up without formal government permission.

“Who gives them water, electricity, who gives them security, and paves their streets?” said Qusra resident Abdel Hakim Odeh, referring to the government’s policy toward the outposts. “These gangs are used by the government against the Palestinians.”

Israeli military correspondent Amos Harel said the army faces a problem of mindset among young soldiers who view their basic mission as protecting settlers. “When extreme fringes among the settlers commit violence against Palestinians, few soldiers can internalize this and change their behavior,” Harel wrote in the Haaretz daily, saying it’s up to the senior command to set a different tone.

The military has overall authority in the West Bank and soldiers are usually the first to respond to unrest, while Israeli police deal with Israeli civilians, including investigating settler violence.

Indictments were only filed in 8.5 percent of 825 completed police investigations monitored by the Israeli human rights group Yesh Din.

In Qusra and two neighboring villages, residents filed 21 police complaints between 2011 and 2013, but none led to indictments so far, said Yesh Din. Twelve cases were closed, including a February shooting in which 28-year-old Hilmi Hassan was seriously wounded in a confrontation with settlers.

Yesh Din said police were given photos of Israeli civilians who participated in the incident.

Hassan said a settler shot him in the stomach from about 20 meters (yards) away. Hassan was flown by helicopter to an Israeli hospital. There, police questioned him, but Hassan refused to sign a statement, fearing officers were trying to portray him as the instigator.

“If a settler was shot, they would have imposed curfew on the entire area, but when a Palestinian like me is shot, they accuse him of provoking the settlers,” said Hassan.

The army said Palestinian complaints about settler attacks during the annual olive harvest dropped by half, to 20, from 2012 to 2013.

Despite such efforts, U.N. figures show a steady rise in the number of settler attacks.

There have been 2,100 such attacks since 2006, the year the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) started counting. The annual totals are up from 115 in 2006 to 399 in 2013.

The “price tag” campaign first made headlines in 2008, three years after Israel dismantled its settlements in Gaza and four in the West Bank. The government portrayed the unilateral pullback at the time as a tactical move to strengthen Israel’s hold on the rest of the West Bank, but it outraged settlers.

Some settlers devised price tag to deter Israeli authorities from taking down more settlements, particularly the outposts that are home to “hilltop youth,” the most fanatic among the settlers.

Since then, settlers have routinely attacked Palestinian villages whenever the army moves against an outpost. Vandals have broadened their targets to churches, mosques and dovish groups in Israel, as well as Israeli military bases.

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New Evangelical Movement Seeks Split From Pro-Israel Line

McKay Coppins, Buzzfeed, January 14, 2014

WASHINGTON—Figures with deep roots in America’s religious right have launched a quiet effort aimed at pushing evangelical Christians away from decades of growing loyalty to Israel and toward increased solidarity with the Palestinians.

The campaign by a coalition of religious leaders, international nonprofits, and activists has taken place in recent years largely behind the scenes and away from the prying eyes of the political press—and it’s being driven by a generation of Evangelicals alienated by the way their faith was yoked to Republican foreign policy during the Bush years. Now, organizations like the Telos Group and the large Christian nonprofit World Vision have joined a small army of ministers and Christian opinion-makers working to reorient Evangelicals’ stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict—producing documentaries about the plight of Palestinian Christians, providing theological rationale for a more “balanced” view of the issue, and taking Evangelicals on trips to the Middle East.

The goal is to soften the bulletproof political alliance between American Evangelicals and Israel—forged over decades of successful courtship by Israeli governments and pro-Israel forces in the U.S.—and to make room on the religious right for Palestinian sympathies. If the movement is successful, it would represent a move toward mainline, politically liberal Christian denominations that have long been aligned with the Palestinian cause. The Presbyterian Church USA, for instance, briefly adopted a policy of divesting from some companies doing business in Israel.

The campaign has alarmed America’s most committed Christian supporters of Israel, who acknowledge their rivals’ message is gaining momentum within the church.

One of the evangelical leaders calling for a more “nuanced” view of the conflict is Todd Deatherage, who spent five years in the Bush State Department before co-founding the Telos Group to expose Evangelicals to the complexities of the issue. He said their purpose is not to persuade Christians to turn against Israel, but rather “to affirm and support the dignity of all the people of the Holy Land, to be truly pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian at the same time.”

To achieve this, his group organizes about 15 trips to Israel every year, where American participants—mostly Evangelicals determined to be open-minded and influential in their respective communities—meet with peace activists, victims of violence on both sides of the conflict, and members of the Bethlehem Bible College, which trains Arab Christian pastors. The objective, Deatherage says, is to “change the conversation” among conservative Christians in the U.S.

“We want people to go on these trips and then go back and change others’ minds by talking about their own experience, taking the things they’ve learned and using them to help others understand what it means to be global citizens,” he said.

Lynne Hybels, an evangelical writer and minister heavily engaged in what she calls the “pro-peace” movement in Israel, was even more blunt about their intentions. She said they hope to “build a political constituency that supports peace and supports policymakers with the courage and commitment to work for peace.” As Hybels sees it, that means occasionally standing up for Palestinians—and not allowing Christian critics to get away with accusing them of “abandoning God’s chosen people.”

There has always been a small vocal minority of American evangelical provocateurs who rail against modern-day Israel at progressive political rallies and in the pages of Sojourners magazine. But the current campaign is attracting attention in large part because its leaders boast the kind of conservative Christian credentials even Mike Huckabee could appreciate.

For example, a 2010 documentary questioning the wisdom of Evangelicals’ unwavering commitment to Israel was endorsed by a top official at World Vision, one of the largest Christian humanitarian organizations in the world. The film has since been screened several times at World Vision events, and it received a favorable review in America’s leading evangelical magazine, Christianity Today, which declared, “Christian Zionism is officially on notice.”

Meanwhile, Gabe Lyons—a young evangelical organizer and graduate of Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University—has put on series of Christian conferences aimed, in part, at promoting an “open, honest discussion” on the Middle East conflict. Like many of his peers, he believes the evangelical conversation on this topic has been hijacked by political activists—and he wants to reclaim it.

“The evangelical community has only heard one narrative on this issue. Part of the responsibility we have is to make sure they hear the rest of it,” said Lyons, who believes he’s witnessing a shift in opinion among “younger Evangelicals who are just getting full exposure to what’s really happening in the region.”

The foreign policy of the conservative Christian movement has long been defined by a fervent, often biblically inspired, devotion to Israel, with top Republican leaders frequently citing their faith as a driving force in their commitment to protecting the “Promised Land.” This dynamic was most visible during the presidency of George W. Bush, a political icon of Christian conservatism who often framed his agenda for the Middle East—which included an unwavering alliance with Israel—in terms of divine destiny. In the 2012 Republican primaries, Texas Gov. Rick Perry declared, “As a Christian, I have a clear directive to support Israel.”

If Evangelicals’ minds are beginning to change—as advocates on both sides of the church’s Israel divide contend—the trend has yet to be borne out in public polling. A Pew survey last year found that a staggering 82% of white Evangelicals believe God gave Israel to the Jewish people—more than twice the proportion of American Jews, and up 10 points from a similar poll in 2005.

Still, Deatherage says Evangelicals don’t need to abandon their theological beliefs about Israel in order to feel Christian sympathy for the suffering of the Palestinians. In fact, Deatherage said the most eye-opening experience for many of the people he takes on Telos trips is interacting with the Palestinian Christian community.

“The fact is that there is a church on the ground,” Deatherage said. “We imagine this conflict to be between Jews and Muslims, and so when people see that there are Christians there, and even Palestinian Evangelicals, they didn’t know that. I mean, there’s a Bible college in Bethlehem, where people talk about their faith the very same way they do, they read the same books, many of them studied in the same universities in the U.S.”

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GOD and the UNIVERSE- documentary

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