Terror Attack in Manchester… ISIS Claims Responsibility… Fear of Further Imminent Attacks
Deutsche Welle wrote on May 24:
“British police confirmed on Wednesday that the suicide bomber who killed 22 people [and wounded more than 60] at a Manchester concert was not acting alone… Police have identified 22-year-old Salman Abedi as the attacker who blew himself up at the Manchester Arena on Monday night at the end of a concert by pop singer Ariana Grande…
“Later on Wednesday, Libyan police confirmed they had arrested Abedi’s younger brother [20] in Tripoli on suspicion of links to the ‘Islamic State’ (IS) armed group… A third brother, Ismail, was arrested in Britain on Tuesday… On Wednesday morning, Manchester police arrested three men in the south of the city in connection with the bombing, taking the total number of suspects in custody in the UK to four. A fifth man was arrested in Manchester on Wednesday afternoon…
“With Abedi suspected of having had accomplices, the government late on Tuesday raised the official terror threat level to ‘critical,’ meaning that an attack was expected imminently. It marked the highest threat level in the UK in more than a decade. French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb told local broadcaster BFM that the 22-year-old is thought to have also travelled to Syria, adding that he had proven links to the so-called ‘Islamic State’ jihadist group. UK Interior Minister Amber Rudd said that Abedi had recently returned to the UK from Libya…
“Rudd also expressed her displeasure at US officials for leaking information on the perpetrator to the media as the investigation was still unfolding… The minister said that as many as 3,800 troops could be deployed to patrol streets across the UK and guard vital locations, such as Buckingham Palace and the prime minister’s residence at Downing Street. Just under 1,000 soldiers have already been deployed, initially in London, then elsewhere… The Houses of Parliament have been closed for visits…”
As more and more facts come to light, we have no question that such horrendous acts are demonically inspired, and that the perpetrators ARE demonically influenced, if not possessed. As it was stated in the press: Looking at the face of the 22-year-old murderer means looking at pure evil.
What Could Be Done?
Deutsche Welle wrote in a related article on May 23:
“Once again, terrorism targets the center of a European city. Another attack on people – people just trying to have fun, people out for a good time. It was another suicide attack. And once again, the so-called ‘Islamic State’ (IS) has claimed responsibility, even before the police made anything public.
“The choice of venue to attack – the Manchester Arena – seems particularly horrible this time: a pop concert. This means that among the victims are many children and young people… [They] fall into the hands of such [a] brutal murderer… How sick must the person be who consciously targets such victims?
“Dealing with terrorist attacks has become like a deja vu experience. All the news outlets carry the same headlines… Then there [are] the meaningless and merely voyeuristic eye-witness reports… There are numerous reactions from the music world and politicians: They want to show their anguish… Everyone’s thoughts are with the victims. And all civilized nations are showing their solidarity with Britain. Whatever that actually means…
“Europe, which has become a regular target for Islamic terrorists, has by now a well-established routine for dealing with such shock. These are rituals that serve to hide the fact that there is no easy or quick, effective answer in dealing with the struggle against terrorism. And that no such answer will be found either.
“… People will still attend concerts, go to shopping centers, soccer games or, in Germany, go to the Protestant Church Assembly… they have accepted the possibility of terrorism as normal. Right-wing extremists… continue to rant about banning all Muslims from Europe…
“But still, there is more action that could be taken by politicians, there are other options: For example, by exercising tight controls over, and if necessary banning, all places of worship in which terrorists have been radicalized. These are actually all over Europe. Or, as pragmatically demonstrated on Sunday in Saudi Arabia by Donald Trump: He had a contract signed by over 50 heads of state – above all the King of Saudi Arabia – to prevent the direct, as well as indirect, financing of IS in their countries.
“It may be that this does little to prevent terrorist attacks in European cities – that remains to be seen. But it is definitely smarter than doing nothing, or stupidly bombing cities in [the] Middle East in which, of course, civilians also live.”
Sadly, in this world ruled by Satan the Devil and his evil and deranged demons, terrible murderous acts by insane individuals like the ones in Manchester will continue. The ONLY hope for this world and for true and lasting peace is the return of Jesus Christ.
Britain Stops Sharing Intelligence Information with the USA
The Huffington Post wrote on May 25:
“Angered that U.S. intelligence officials appeared to be leaking information about the Manchester terror attack, British authorities have stopped sharing details about the case, the BBC reports. Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham later confirmed the report, telling CNN that, ‘we quite frankly can’t risk it anymore.’…
“President Donald Trump called the leaks ‘deeply troubling.’ ‘The leaks of sensitive information pose a grave threat to our national security,’ he said. ‘I am asking the Department of Justice and other relevant agencies to launch a complete review of this matter, and if appropriate, the culprit should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.’”
Subsequently, The Week reported on May 25:
“British police are once again sharing intelligence information with the United States, following a suspension announced Thursday morning in the wake of several leaks about the Manchester bombing by U.S. officials to the media… Prime Minister Theresa May said Thursday she would ‘make clear to President Trump that intelligence shared between our security agencies must remain secure,’ and on Thursday night, Assistant Commissioner for Specialist Operations in the Metropolitan Police Service Mark Rowley said that after receiving ‘fresh assurances’ from the U.S., the two countries were once against sharing material.”
America’s intentional, inadvertent or leaked sharing of sensitive and classified intelligence information has caused worldwide consternation, concern and outright anger.
Trump’s Deals with Saudi Arabia
Deutsche Welle wrote on May 20:
“The US has announced military deals worth $110 billion with Saudi Arabia… The $110 billion… deal for Saudi purchases of US defense equipment and services was one of several deals announced during Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia. The military sales deal is effective immediately, with another $350 billion set of deals to kick in over the next 10 years… US conglomerate General Electric also announced it had signed agreements and memorandums of understanding worth $15 billion with the oil-rich kingdom…
“Russia and Iran – allies with Syria against the US-Saudi Arabia axis in the region – this year signed a large arms deal. The US-Saudi deal comes amid talk of a possible reconfiguration of Middle East alliances, and possibly global, ties. For Riyadh, the visit is an opportunity to rebuild ties with a key ally, strained under Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama who Sunni Arab Gulf states suspected of a tilt towards their Shiite regional rival Iran…
“After a welcoming coffee ceremony, Trump and his entourage were brought to the royal court where the president was awarded the Collar of Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Arabia’s highest civilian honor. The streets of Riyadh were lined with US and Saudi flags and billboards featuring Trump and King Salman.
“US first lady Melania Trump did not cover her head when she arrived on Saturday along with her husband. Two years ago, then-citizen Trump criticized former first lady Michelle Obama’s decision to go bare-headed on a January 2015 visit with her husband. Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, a senior White House adviser who is accompanying her father, also left her head uncovered…”
The different arms deals between competing parties only show that peace in the Middle East is a fanciful illusion. The incredible large arms deal with Saudi Arabia totally ignores the fact that Saudi Arabia is being sued in American courts by relatives and survivors of the September 11 terrorist attack, for having allegedly permitted or even actively pursued the attack.
President Trump’s wife and daughter did the right thing in not covering their heads. After all, they cannot be held responsible for Donald Trump’s prior condemnation of Michelle Obama.
Jared and Ivanka Kushner Received Rabbinic Dispensation to fly on the Sabbath…
JTA wrote on May 19:
“President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, have received rabbinic approval to fly with him on Shabbat to the Middle East and Europe… A White House official said the couple, who are Orthodox Jews, have received a rabbinical dispensation to join the president aboard Air Force One… Orthodox Jews observe a Sabbath prohibition on work, motorized travel and the switching on or off of any appliance that uses heat, electricity or fire.
“As a matter of consensus, the prohibitions do not apply to life-or-death situations or when violating the Shabbat has the potential of saving human lives (and according to some decisors, the lives of certain animals under specific circumstances).
“Trump has tasked Kushner with brokering a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. The New York Times reported Thursday that as part of his effort to secure an arms deal worth about $110 billion with Saudi Arabia, Kushner called the CEO of defense contractor Lockheed Martin directly and asked her to reduce the cost of a missile defense system so that Saudi Arabia could buy it…”
… Or Did They?
JTA wrote on May 21:
“Rabbi Haskel Lookstein, the prominent modern Orthodox rabbi who oversaw Ivanka Trump’s conversion to Judaism, said he did not give the first daughter and her husband, Jared Kushner, a dispensation to fly on Air Force One on Shabbat.
“Lookstein told Isaac Herzog, leader of the opposition Zionist Union party, that it was ‘fake news’… Lookstein also told Herzog… that he had not been in contact with Ivanka Trump for several weeks…
“The couple also was seen traveling to meetings by car in Saudi Arabia Saturday…”
JTA added on May 24:
“Which Orthodox rabbi gave Jared and Ivanka permission to fly on Shabbat? We don’t know who it was, but we know who it wasn’t.
“It wasn’t Haskel Lookstein, who oversaw the First Daughter’s conversion to Judaism. It wasn’t Marvin Hier, who gave the invocation at President Donald Trump’s inauguration. It wasn’t Levi Shemtov, the spiritual leader at the synagogue in Washington, D.C., that Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump have attended. And it wasn’t Shmuley Boteach, the celebrity rabbi who has lavished praise on the president and taken a series of selfies with his advisers.
“Those rabbis, on the record, denied giving their stamp of approval to the Friday night flight to Saudi Arabia — though none of them criticized the decision, and all refrained from commenting on it.”
Part of the orthodox teaching of modern Judaism is in complete opposition to the Bible. These burdensome pharisaical restrictions were strongly condemned by Jesus Christ. However, it is interesting that the White House’s announcement of a rabbinic dispensation (without giving the name of the rabbi or the timing) becomes a mystery in light of the prominent Orthodox rabbi’s denial that he gave any permission to travel on the Sabbath.
The Sabbath Controversy
JTA wrote on May 25:
“Based on conversations with a few Orthodox rabbis… flying on Shabbat is prohibited because flying the plane involves igniting a combustion engine, thereby lighting a fire. Lighting a fire is one of the few actions expressly prohibited on Shabbat by the Torah. But while that might be true for the pilot, it isn’t, really, for the passenger. After all, if I’m sitting in coach, I’m not literally flying the plane, much less turning it on or off. (Although some make the case that the additional weight of each passenger causes the engine to consume more fuel.) The reason observant Jews abstain from flying on Friday night and Saturday is because Jewish law prohibits traveling too far outside a city… on Shabbat. Unlike lighting a fire, that prohibition is mandated by rabbinic sources, not the text of the Torah itself — and therefore is less severe…
“Jared and Ivanka’s national security duties might fall under the umbrella of pikuach nefesh — dealing with matters of life and death. But a few essays suggest that they might be exempt on different grounds: simply because they’re senior advisers of the president. That concept is called ‘karov l’malchut’ — roughly, ‘confidant of the king.’ It allows observant Jewish advisers of a ruler (or president) to violate rabbinic prohibitions in order to do their jobs. Because the advisers’ actions can safeguard (or endanger) Jewish welfare, they’re given more flexibility…
“Jared and Ivanka are two of the most powerful people in the country. As public officials, their actions affect hundreds of millions of people across the country and world. Nor is their Judaism private…”
The biblical command against lighting a fire on the Sabbath was given in the context of lighting a huge fire for the purpose of working for the construction of the tabernacle in the wilderness. It had and has absolutely nothing to do with igniting a combustion engine, switching on a light or an oven for cooking a meal. These are just pharisaical rules, making the Sabbath a burden, rather than a delight.
At the same time, exempting governmental officials from keeping the Sabbath is equally wrong. In this world ruled by Satan, it shows that Sabbath-keeping Christians could not be working in positions which would require them to disregard God’s Sabbath command.
Trump Speaks to the Muslim World
JTA wrote on May 21:
“US President Donald Trump called on Middle Eastern leaders to combat a ‘crisis of Islamic extremism’ emanating from the region, casting the fight against terrorism as a ‘battle between good and evil,’ not a clash between the West and Islam. Trump’s address Sunday was the centerpiece of his two-day visit to Saudi Arabia, his first stop overseas as president. During a meeting of more than 50 Arab and Muslim leaders, he sought to chart a new course for America’s role in the region, one aimed squarely on rooting out terrorism, with less focus on promoting human rights and democratic reforms….
“Trump made almost no mention of Israel, his next stop on the tour Monday, leaving it off a list of countries fighting terror…
“The president has been enthusiastically embraced in Riyadh, where the ruling royal family has welcomed his tougher stance on Iran, its regional foe… Trump also devoted much of his speech to railing against Iran, accusing it of trying to destabilize the region…
“He notably refrained from using the phrase ‘radical Islamic terror,‘ which had been a staple of campaign speeches and which he had chided predecessor Barack Obama for refusing to utter… He once mused that he thought ‘Islam hates us’… But on Sunday, Trump was full of praise for Muslim world’s history and culture. He declared Islam ‘one of the world’s great faiths.’…”
News commentators have wondered whether we are observing a modern version of “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Trump”…
What Happened to Saudi Arabia’s Abysmal Violation of Human Rights?
On May 22, The Times of Israel re-published the following article by the Associated Press:
“As President Donald Trump opened his keynote address in Saudi Arabia, he lavished praise on the ‘magnificent’ kingdom and ‘the grandeur of this remarkable place.’ Then he made clear there would be no public lecture from America on Saudi Arabia’s abysmal human rights record… Trump’s willingness to set aside human rights as a principal foreign policy has been one constant in his chaotic administration. Yet the absence of any public reference to the kingdom’s treatment of women and political opponents during his two-day visit was still jarring, particularly when contrasted with his affectionate embrace of the royal family…
“To be sure, Trump’s predecessors have also forged close ties with Saudi Arabia, an important US partner in the Middle East, and other nations with questionable human rights records. But in their own ways, former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush each vouched for American values in their dealings with those nations, including the kingdom…
“Saudi Arabia adheres to an ultraconservative interpretation of Islamic Shariah law where unrelated men and women are segregated in most public places. Women are banned from driving… Guardianship laws also require a male relative’s consent before a woman can obtain a passport, travel or marry. Often that relative is a father or husband, but in the absence of both can be the woman’s own son…
“Human rights didn’t go completely unnoticed on Trump’s trip. During a press briefing Saturday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson hammered Iran’s newly re-elected president [Hassan Rouhani] for his government’s oppressive policies. However, when reporters shouted out questions regarding Saudi Arabia’s human rights record — namely, one question about when the kingdom intends to allow women to drive — Tillerson ignored it.”
The Bible strongly condemns the ancient and modern House of Israel for entering into alliances with nations opposed to God’s Way of Life. In many cases, those allies subsequently turned against each other. The restrictions on women in Saudi Arabia are indeed appalling and totally contrary to biblical injunctions.
“Iran President Hassan Rouhani Blasts Trump’s Saudi Summit”
Deutsche Welle wrote on May 22:
“Iran’s newly re-elected president has dismissed US President Donald Trump’s calls for the region to isolate Tehran. Peace in the Middle East could only be possible with Iran at the table, Rouhani said. At a press conference on Monday, Iran’s newly re-elected president, Hassan Rouhani, dismissed US President Donald Trump’s weekend summit with Arab leaders, describing it as ‘just a show with no practical or political value of any kind.’
“In his speech on Islamic extremism on Sunday, Trump also singled out Tehran as an agent of terrorism… Despite Trump’s confrontational rhetoric, Iran had nothing to do with the terror attacks on the US in September 2001, or subsequent attacks in Europe – including Germany, France and England… Rouhani also dismissed the US and Saudi government’s $110 billion dollar arms deal…
“However, while Rouhani’s greatest political achievement to date has perhaps been the 2015 agreement with six major powers, including the US, to curbing Iran’s nuclear program, the Iranian president insisted that ballistic missile tests would continue ‘if technically necessary’… adding that he would not need permission from the US to conduct such tests.
“Rouhani won this week’s Iranian presidential election with a resounding majority, a sign that most Iranians wish to keep on the president’s course of reform and modernization…”
It is not to be expected that the relationship between the USA and Iran will improve, which means that in the long run, the relationship between Russia (Iran’s ally) and the USA will not remain peaceful, either.
In the past, some uninformed religious “experts” claimed that Iran was to fulfill the role of the “king of the South,” mentioned in Daniel 11. Of course, at other times, they proclaimed that Saddam Hussein of Iraq or Osama bin Laden were to fulfill that role. These false predictions only show the limited biblical understanding of those “experts.”
60 US Evangelical Leaders Remind Trump of His Promise to Move Embassy to Jerusalem
The Jewish Press wrote on May 18:
“A group of about 60 US Evangelical leaders last week sent President Trump a letter calling on him to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move his embassy there from Tel Aviv, The Daily Caller reported. The letter, issued by American Christian Leaders for Israel (ACLI), cites the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and ordering the US President to move the Embassy there by May 31, 1999.
“Every American president before Trump has opted to sign a waiver twice a year explaining why it has been politically unfeasible to obey this law. Should President Trump choose to avoid the move, he, too, will have to sign such a waiver soon. The Christian leaders wrote Trump:
“‘Sadly, every US President since then has taken advantage of a provision in the law allowing its requirements to be waived for six months if “necessary to protect the national security interests of the United States.” Such suspensions have been repeated semi-annually for two decades, and it is time to end America’s doublespeak.’ The Republican National Convention’s official 2016 Platform rightly stated, “We recognize Jerusalem as the eternal and indivisible capital of the Jewish state and call for the American embassy to be moved there in fulfillment of US law.” Moreover, we were honored and grateful that you pledged to specifically uphold this policy in response to a request from the American Christian Leaders for Israel (ACLI) coalition during your campaign. Many of our constituents cast their vote for you due to this commitment,’ the leaders reminded Trump…
“The letter was signed by, among others, Dr. Jerry Johnson, Dr. John Hagee, Gordon Robertson, and Dr. James Dobson.”
President Trump’s and the White House’s double-talk and flip-flops on the promise to move the embassy to Jerusalem is causing great concern among many evangelicals and Republicans, as well as conservative Israelis.
Trump Visits Western Wall as First Sitting American President
JTA reported on May 22:
“President Donald Trump visited the Western Wall in Jerusalem, becoming the first sitting U.S. president to go to the holy site. Trump arrived there under heavy security Monday afternoon with his wife, Melania, daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner. No Israeli politicians or officials accompanied the family. U.S. officials reportedly had rejected a request by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit the site with Trump…
“Trump went to the men’s side, with his daughter and wife heading to the women’s section… The Trump family walked to the wall from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, one of the holiest sites in Christianity, which they visited first…”
President Trump’s refusal to allow Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accompany him on his visit to the Western Wall has caused some misgivings in Israel.
Peace, Peace… and There Is No Peace
The Times of Israel reported on May 22:
“The first day of US President Donald Trump’s first-ever visit to Israel was full of grand gestures, but it yielded very few clues as to how the leader of the free world intends to go ahead and turn his vision of Israeli-Palestinian peace into reality…
“Trump repeatedly denounced Iran and the nuclear deal that the previous administration negotiated with the regime, but did not say whether he will try to unravel the agreement…
“‘No injustice has spread more bitter fruit than the absence of a Palestinian state,’ Jordan’s King Abdullah told Trump on Sunday at the Arab Islamic American Summit in Riyadh. … The only way forward is a ‘just and comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian cause, based on the two-state solution and the Arab Peace Initiative,’ he stressed…
“Trump and Netanyahu both avoided endorsing Palestinian statehood or the idea of ‘two states for two peoples’…”
The Times of Israel added on May 24:
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu [said] Palestinian refusal to recognize the Jewish state and its capital in any borders is the root of the conflict, and pledging that the city, including the Temple Mount and Western Wall, will forever remain under Israeli sovereignty… the prime minister vowed the city would not be divided again…”
The Bible prophecies an unparalleled time of turmoil for the state of Israel and the Jewish people. For more information, please read our free booklet, “The Fall and Rise of the Jewish People.”
Trump Meets the Pope
Deutsche Welle wrote on May 24:
“The US president and the head of the Catholic Church have clashed on a number of key issues. But both men emerged smiling from their private audience, with the president saying he ‘wouldn’t forget’ Pope Francis’ words… Pope Francis was a vocal critic of Trump’s plan to bar refugees from coming to the US and to build a wall on the border with Mexico. The pontiff called these policies ‘not Christian,’ and said the job of leaders was to build bridges, not walls. The then-presidential candidate fired back that it was ‘disgraceful’ for Francis to question his faith…
“Melania Trump, who is reportedly herself a Catholic, appeared delighted to meet the pope and presented him with a small item to bless for her…
“The president later met with Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni… During his meeting…, Trump affirmed how happy he was to have met Pope Francis, reiterating what an ‘honor’ it was and saying ‘he is something.’”
The Associated Press wrote on May 24:
“Though both Trump and Francis are known for their unpredictability, papal visits with heads of state are carefully arranged bits of political and religious theater that follow a specific program, with little room for deviation or unwanted surprises. Trump, the 13th president to visit the Vatican, was also given a tour of the Sistine Chapel…
“The president’s prior anti-Muslim rhetoric… is the antithesis of what the pope has been preaching about a need for dialogue with Muslims. Francis also differs sharply with Trump on the need to combat climate change and economic inequality. And he could react to events this week, including the release of Trump’s budget, which would dramatically cut funding to programs that help the poor, and the president’s agreement to sell military equipment to Saudi Arabia…”
Melania Trump’s Faith
The Daily Mail reported on May 25:
“Melania Trump reveals she will be the first Catholic to live in the White House since the Kennedys. Melania Trump’s spokeswoman confirms that she’s a Catholic. The first lady met with Pope Francis on Wednesday at the Vatican, where he blessed a rosary for her. Then she went to a Vatican-affiliated pediatric hospital where she met with children, prayed in a chapel and laid flowers at the feet of a statue of Mary…
“It’s unclear when Melania became a Catholic or when she was baptized. She and her sister weren’t baptized as infants and didn’t make their First Holy Communion along with other kids their age. Her father was a member of the Communist Party in Slovenia in order to work, and the party was official atheist. Melania opened a February presidential rally in Florida by surprising the president with a recitation of the Lord’s Prayer… The president is a life-long Presbyterian, and they were married in a Florida Episcopal church.”
Strange Catholic Customs
The Telegraph wrote on May 24:
“Both the First Lady, Melania Trump, and the First Daughter, Ivanka Trump… chose to honour the traditional Vatican dress codes by wearing black, long sleeved dresses and veils – the former even choosing to honour her host nation by wearing Italian label Dolce and Gabbana…
“Traditionally, under Pope Benedict XVI and all those before him, the rule was that women should wear black to meet [the Pope], covering up with full sleeves and a mantilla, the lace veil traditionally worn in the Roman Catholic Church. Only a handful of Queens and Princesses from Catholic regions are permitted to wear white… Michelle Obama wore a black dress with a mantilla when she met Pope Benedict XVI in 2009…”
It is not clear how the Catholic tradition originated that women AND MEN are to wear black when meeting the Pope in private. Could it be that the Pope who is wearing white and who is to be addressed in those meetings as “Holy Father,” is to be distinguished in that way from his guests, wearing black, to show the difference between the alleged “representative of God” and his guests living in and being part of the “darkness” of this world?
Obama vs. Trump
The Huffington Post wrote on May 25:
“Former President Barack Obama subtly knocked his successor, President Donald Trump on Thursday, while explaining the importance of taking in refugees and immigrants in need. ‘In the eyes of God, a child on the other side of the border is no less worthy of love and compassion than my own child,’ he said in Berlin during a conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel… Trump has taken on a decidedly more isolationist stance on immigration, banning Syrian refugees and visitors from other predominately Muslim countries and vowing to build a wall on the Mexican border…
“Other topics that… came up at Thursday’s event were defense spending, religion, and education―all issues that Trump and Obama tend to disagree on. Contending that poor education policies breed inequality, Obama said that, ‘no county will be successful if it leaves half of its children… uneducated and on the sidelines. We have to think of them as all of our children… The good news is that we know what to do, the bad news is that we haven’t convinced everybody of the necessity of doing it’…
“Obama is extremely popular in Germany, and his appearance was greeted with a massive crowd and repeated applause. Trump, on the [other] hand, has clashed with Merkel on many key issues and has a negative approval rating among Germans…”
Merkel’s meeting with Obama in Germany was much more friendly and much less controversial than her subsequent meeting with Trump in Brussels.
Trump at EU Headquarters in Brussels
The EUObserver wrote on May 25:
“The EU and the US should defend common Western values rather than their own interests, European Council president Donald Tusk said on Thursday (25 May) after meeting US president Donald Trump in Brussels… The meeting [with Tusk and Juncker]… did not appear to bridge the gap between the EU and a US president who has expressed support for anti-EU political forces as well as sympathy for Russia…”
According to Deutsche Welle, dated May 25, Tusk also said that differences remained “over several key issues.”
Der Spiegel wrote on May 25 that Trump’s meeting with Tusk and Juncker was not that “amazing.”
Trump at NATO Headquarters
The Washington Post wrote on May 25:
“President Trump, speaking at a ceremony here Thursday to dedicate a memorial to NATO’s resolve in the wake of the 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, publicly chastised his fellow alliance leaders for not being ‘fair to taxpayers of the United States.’
“Trump used the occasion of his maiden summit with NATO leaders, where he was invited to dedicate the September 2001 memorial, to remind its members that ‘23 of the 28 member nations are still not paying what they should be paying and what they are supposed to be paying,’ and that they owe ‘massive amounts’ from past years. European leaders who gathered from across the alliance gazed at Trump without expression and offered modest applause at the end of a speech…”
Der Spiegel commented on May 25 that Trump’s demand for payment of “owed” money would have caused consternation of NATO members, as there is “no provision to pay missing funds into a NATO money pot.”
Express wrote on May 25:
“Only the UK, Poland, Greece and Estonia and the US are currently meeting the NATO spending requirement [of 2 percent of GDP]… with Canada, Spain, Belgium, Italy and Hungary among the nations barely reaching the one per cent mark. Last year America spent 3.6 per of its GDP on defence, the highest ratio of any NATO member. The US currently funds around three-quarters of the alliance’s operations.”
“Trump Lukewarm on Nato Joint Defence”
The EUObserver wrote on May 25:
“US leader Donald Trump voiced half-hearted support for Nato… His words fell short of an explicit commitment to Article 5 of the Nato treaty, which says that allies, including the US, would defend each other if one of them was attacked… His speech had been meant to allay concern after he described Nato as ‘obsolete’ and said the US might not defend allies who did not pay their share. It was also meant to reassure Europe that he would protect it from Russia…
“Trump later belittled Montenegro’s prime minister, Dusko Markovic, by physically pushing him aside as the leaders took their places for photos…”
Trump Attacks Germany
The Huffington Post wrote on May 25:
“During a meeting with top leaders of the European Union (Juncker and Tusk), President Donald Trump said ‘the Germans are bad, very bad,’ according to participants in the room who spoke to German newspaper Der Spiegel. Trump’s specific criticism was that Germany’s auto industry exported cars. ‘See the millions of cars they are selling in the U.S. Terrible,’ Der Spiegel reports he said. ‘We will stop this.’…
“Another German newspaper, Süddeutsche Zeitung, reported that E.U. representatives felt their U.S. counterparts did not understand that the E.U. negotiates trade agreements as a single entity, rather than on a country-to-country basis. That is, the U.S. can negotiate trade deals with the E.U. as a whole, but not individually with the separate members of the E.U. Der Spiegel reported that Gary Cohn, the director of Trump’s National Economic Council, appeared to believe that the U.S. could negotiate different trade deals with Germany and Belgium.
“This is not the first time this basic misunderstanding has cropped up. When German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited the White House in March, she had to explain how E.U. trade deals were negotiated almost a dozen times, a senior German official told the Times of London. ‘Ten times Trump asked [Merkel] if he could negotiate a trade deal with Germany. Every time she replied, “You can’t do a trade deal with Germany, only the EU,”’ the official said. ‘On the eleventh refusal, Trump finally got the message, “Oh, we’ll do a deal with Europe then.”’ …
“Top political figures and Europe analysts have already labeled his trip a major failure…”
German newspapers, including Der Spiegel, Der Stern, Bild, Die Welt, and many others, sharply attacked and condemned Donald Trump for his “Rambo-style” appearance, his ignorance on trade matters, his refusal to commit to Article 5 of the NATO treaty, his demand for back pay, his attacks on Germany, his praise for the King of Saudi Arabia as a very wise man, and his comments that NATO needs to focus on “terrorism and immigration.” Questions were asked what Trump actually wants—does he want NATO to fight against immigrants? Subsequently, according to The Week, dated May 25, “Press Secretary Sean Spicer later confirmed America’s commitment to Article 5 and said Trump wasn’t ‘trying to be cute.’”
Germany’s Position
The Associated Press wrote on May 25:
“Chancellor Angela Merkel says she is confident that Germany is on the right path with its defense spending… Merkel said Thursday that NATO leaders, meeting in Brussels, will confirm a decision from 2011 to increasing spending toward 2 percent of GDP by 2024…
“Merkel also told reporters that she is pleased that NATO spending plans will also take into account what kinds of military equipment countries have and how much they are contributing to alliance operations. To meet the 2 percent guideline Germany would have to virtually double its military budget, spending more money on defense than Russia.”
Donald Trump will not accept Germany’s spending “toward” 2 percent of GDP “by 2024.” His demands of NATO members to pay immediately at least 2 percent of their GDP and “owed” money is bound to cause continued serious contention and controversy.
US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley on North Korea and Syria
Newsmax wrote on May 22:
“‘All options’ are on the table when it comes to North Korea and its growing aggression, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said in an interview airing Monday. ‘We have made it clear, we don’t want to start a fight, so don’t give us a reason to have one,’ Haley told NBC…
“On Sunday, North Korea test launched a solid-fuel Pukguksong-2 missile, which flew about 310 miles and went 350 miles high before it fell into the Pacific Ocean. North Korea says it is ready to start mass-producing a new medium-range missile that can reach Japan and hit the United States major military bases there…
“The ambassador, who has been traveling this week in the Middle East on a trip separate from the president’s, told [NBC] she has visited a refugee camp that is home to 80,000 Syrians, and while talking to families, she’s learned that they ‘just want to go home.’ ‘That’s what their prayer is every day, that one day Syria will be peaceful enough to go back,’ said Haley. But that won’t happen, she continued, unless Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is removed from office. ‘There’s no way there’s going to be a political solution and peace with Assad in charge,’ she said…
“When asked if the United States will lead the effort for regime change in Syria, Haley responded that ‘you’re going to hear me talk about how awful Assad is every chance I get.’”
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley minces no words. Her warnings regarding North Korea and Syria are very noteworthy. Note the following articles.
IS US Preparing for an Attack Against North Korea?
On May 24, Euraktiv published the following article by New York Times bestseller George Friedman:
“If it were to attack North Korea, the United States would try to destroy its nuclear facilities and eliminate the southern artillery batteries aimed at Seoul. And it would do so primarily through the air…
“It’s unclear whether the United States would deploy ground forces; doing so would almost certainly incur US causalities. If the air campaign against North Korea failed to destroy its intended targets, Washington would have to consider sending in special operations forces… Any attack would begin by striking North Korean command centres, including political command centres…
“In Washington, many will claim that if President Donald Trump orders an attack, he will have done so only for political reasons. But such accusations ignore US policy on North Korea, which has stood stalwart for more than a decade. (Barack Obama even warned Trump that North Korea would be his biggest challenge in foreign policy.) It was inevitable that Pyongyang’s strategy would bring it close to, or push it over, the red line…
“The United States is advertising its preparations for war – itself an act of deterrence – and the advertisement isn’t lost on North Korea. But it’s not a bluff; bluffing in such a way is expensive and pretty ineffective. From what we can tell, North Korea appears to assume that an attack is all but inevitable but a risk it is willing to take…”
The Huffington Post added on May 24:
“U.S. President Donald Trump told his Philippine counterpart that Washington has sent two nuclear submarines to waters off the Korean peninsula, the New York Times said, comments likely to raise questions about his handling of sensitive information. The transcript of the call was first reported by the Intercept.
“Trump has said ‘a major, major conflict’ with North Korea is possible because of its nuclear and missile programs and that all options are on the table but that he wants to resolve the crisis diplomatically. North Korea has vowed to develop a missile mounted with a nuclear warhead that can strike the mainland United States, saying the program is necessary to counter U.S. aggression.
“… In a show of force, the United States has sent the nuclear-powered USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier to waters off the Korean peninsula, where it joined the USS Michigan, a nuclear submarine that docked in South Korea in late April.”
Asian Trade Deal without the USA
Reuters wrote on May 20:
“Japan and other members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreed on Sunday to pursue their trade deal without the United States…
“China, putting itself forward as a global free trade champion in light of the U.S. shift, is pushing an agreement to encompass the vast majority of Asian economies. The Asia trade deal it favors is called the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.”
The influence of the USA even in economic matters is slowly waning.
Court of Appeals Rules Against Trump’s Revised Travel Ban
The Associated Press wrote on May 25:
“President Donald Trump’s revised travel ban ‘speaks with vague words of national security, but in context drips with religious intolerance, animus and discrimination,’ a federal appeals court said Thursday in ruling against the executive order targeting six Muslim-majority countries. Trump’s administration vowed to take the fight to the U.S. Supreme Court.
“In a 10-3 vote, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the ban likely violates the Constitution. And it upheld a lower court ruling that blocks the Republican administration from cutting off visas for people from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.
“The Richmond, Virginia-based 4th Circuit is the first appeals court to rule on the revised travel ban unveiled in March. Trump’s administration had hoped it would avoid the legal problems that the first version from January encountered. A second appeals court, the 9th U.S. Circuit based in San Francisco, is also weighing the revised travel ban after a federal judge in Hawaii blocked it.
“The Supreme Court almost certainly would step into the case if asked. The justices almost always have the final say when a lower court strikes down a federal law or presidential action.”
“EU Member States Will Pay for Joint Military ‘Projects’”
The Daily Mail wrote on May 18:
“EU member states will pay for joint military ‘projects’ in a move previously opposed by Britain… The cash would form part of Franco-German efforts to develop a more integrated European defence to respond to threats on Europe’s borders.
“Nineteen countries including France, Germany, Italy and Spain will start talks next month on the so-called Cooperative Financial Mechanism, or CFM, which could be running sometime next year…
“The steps, if agreed, would mark the biggest EU defence funding and research plan in more than a decade to reverse billions in cuts and send a message to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump that Europe wants to pay for its own security…
“Separately, the European Commission will propose in early June up to 400 million euros (£340 million) from the bloc’s joint budget until 2020 to develop new European military equipment and weapons… ‘This is the first time in the 60 years of EU history we are allocating common funds to defence,’ [an] official said.”
The push for the creation of a European Army under German-French leadership is growing stronger. Please note the next article as well.
France to Push for European Army
Express wrote on May 20:
“The new [French] Armed Forces Minister Sylvie Goulard announced her intention to get closer to Germany over new President Emmanuel Macron’s fears countries will start to look after their own interests, and not those of the bloc… Ms Goulard said in her first message to military and civilian personnel: ‘… work with Germany will be decisive.’…
“An advocate of closer EU integration, Macron backs a ‘multi-speed’ Europe, an idea that has earned growing support in Germany and other EU countries since Britain voted to leave the bloc…”
Such a multi-speed Europe or a Europe of core member states, in addition to the rest of Europe, is prophesied to occur soon.
Europe—a Political and Military Union
The Guardian wrote on May 23:
“By pursuing true political integration based on a common army and security partnership for the EU, Macron can guarantee his place in the history books. To achieve this goal, however, he will have to break from his predecessors, who always categorically ruled out a political union.
“Combining Europe’s military forces under a joint command is the only way forward. Creating a fiscal union without a political union would for ever block the road to European unification… No one who wants to build a union for peace can afford to permit, much less encourage, such an outcome.”
These are strong words. “Combining Europe’s military forces under a joint command”—another way of speaking about an European Army—is the “ONLY way forward.”
NATO Will Formally Join Anti-‘Islamic State’ Coalition
Deutsche Welle wrote on May 24:
“Members of the military alliance [NATO] have agreed to formally join the coalition against the ‘Islamic State’ extremist group. France and Germany were said to have greenlighted the ‘purely symbolic’ plan… Diplomats said the decision is mainly political because all 28 NATO members already contribute to the coalition fighting to retake areas of Iraq and Syria from the extremist group. Some, like Germany, only taking part in support roles such as reconaissance and logistics…
“The decision follows pressure from Trump, who has previously accused NATO of being ‘obsolete’ and called for European countries to step up their funding of the military group. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Wednesday that it would be an important step for the alliance to join the 68-nation anti-IS coalition. ‘I think they’re going to support NATO joining and becoming a formal member,’ he said, referring to Germany and France.
“… Although IS is on the verge of defeat in its Iraqi stronghold of Mosul and bracing for an assault against its de facto capital in Raqqa, Syria, there’s is rising concern that fleeing militants may move to other Middle East countries. US officials are also wary of leaving power vacuums in Iraq and Syria that could prompt Arab tribal fighters to turn on each other to gain control.”
This arrangement would obviously not only be “purely symbolic,” and the US would not be willing to treat it as such.
Italy Makes Vaccination Mandatory for Children
Deutsche Welle wrote on May 19:
“The Italian government has approved a law ordering parents to vaccinate children or face fines. The authorities have noted a rise in measles cases, which the cabinet blames on ‘the spread of anti-scientific theories.’
“The new legislation makes vaccines mandatory for 12 preventable diseases, including measles, chicken pox, polio, hepatitis B, and tetanus. Only children with immunizations would be eligible for nursery school, according to the Friday law. Parents would face large fines for sending non-vaccinated children to state childcare facilities or schools…
“Italy has noted a sudden spread of measles in recent years, with the number of infections rising from 250 in 2015 to 840 last year. Medical authorities have already detected over 2,395 cases since the beginning of 2017, and the US warned visitors to Italy to guard against the disease. Experts believe that the epidemic is due to people refusing to vaccinate their children. The world-wide anti-vaccination movement has been gaining traction in recent years, despite its theories being discredited by the scientific community. The public in Italy has been highly receptive to the debunked link about vaccines causing autism.”
This is, sadly, the policy adopted by many countries, which are following unproven “medical scientific” postulations that these vaccines are necessary to prevent the spread of epidemics. Thereby, they completely ignore the real danger of long-term complications which are dismissed as “fake news,” while it is claimed that those dangers have been “discredited” and “debunked” by scientists. THIS IS SIMPLY NOT TRUE! See the next article.
Unvaccinated Youth Have Much Lower Rates of Chronic Illnesses
The European Union Times wrote on May 19:
“The first peer-reviewed study comparing health outcomes of vaccinated children versus unvaccinated was recently published in the Journal of Translational Science by epidemiologists from the School of Public Health at Jackson State University. The study’s conclusions are likely to inflame the fierce debate over whether vaccines and a mercury-containing vaccine preservative may be culprits in the dramatic rise in certain neurodevelopmental disorders in our children, including autism.
“The ‘Pilot comparative study on the health of vaccinated and unvaccinated 6- to 12-year-old U.S. children’ implicates vaccines in a host of chronic illnesses now epidemic in our nation’s children. The team of scientists, led by the renowned epidemiologist Dr. Anthony Mawson, the author of more than fifty published studies, concluded that ‘In a final adjusted model designed to test for this possibility, controlling for the interaction of preterm birth and vaccination, the following factors remained significantly associated with NDD [neurodevelopmental disorders]: vaccination (OR 2.5, 95% CI: 1.1, 5.6), nonwhite race (OR 2.4, 95% CI: 1.1, 5.4), and male gender (OR 2.3, 95% CI: 1.2, 4.4). Preterm birth itself, however, was not significantly associated with NDD, whereas the combination (interaction) of preterm birth and vaccination was associated with 6.6-fold increased odds of NDD (95% CI: 2.8, 15.5) (Table 8).’ Jackson State is a leading university research center.
“The study suggests that fully vaccinated children may be trading the prevention of certain acute illnesses (chicken pox, pertussis) for more chronic illnesses and neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) like ADHD and Autism. In order to find a large population of children who hadn’t received any vaccines, the Jackson State scientists utilized Homeschool organizations in four states and compared the incidence of a broad range of health outcomes in 666 children, 39% of whom were unvaccinated.
“Among the more concerning findings, vaccinated children had increased risks of autism (4.2 times), ADHD (4.2 times), learning disabilities (5.2 times) eczema (2.9 times), and an astounding 30 times the risk of allergic rhinitis compared to unvaccinated children.
“As would be expected, vaccinated children did have lower likelihood of two vaccine-preventable illnesses compared to unvaccinated children: chicken pox (7.9% vs. 25.3%), and pertussis (2.5% vs. 8.4%), but the scientists found no significant differences in rates of other vaccine-preventable illnesses like hepatitis A or B, measles, mumps, rubella, influenza, meningitis or rotavirus…”
The problem with the “scientific world” denying the real dangers of vaccinations is that they are paid by or dependent on the pharmaceutical industry. The negative reaction by the mass media was to be expected, including horrific allegations that a middle-aged woman died of measles because she had not been vaccinated. And of course, any connection between vaccinations and autism was again completely denied by scientific “experts.”
Evolutionary Silliness
Express wrote on May 25:
“[A] seven yearlong study, which examined all known trace fossils across a 200 million year period, found that sea creatures made their way from the ocean, the shallow waters and eventually to spread across the world. The research revealed that once the critters reached land, there was a rapid evolutionary process followed by long periods of calm.
“Lead author Dr Nicholas Minter, from the University of Portsmouth’s School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, said: ‘When the first animals emerged from the oceans they had a blank canvas, there were no other animals there and so they diversified rapidly both in how they behaved and in the ecological roles, or the part they played, in the theatre of life.’ The population of the critters which went land-bound is small, but spiders emerged from crabs while slugs and snails came from the same families as squid and cuttlefish…
“Dr Minter explained: ‘Not many from any one group, or Phylum, made the transition from sea to land or fresh water… Each [evolutionary] burst was an evolutionary experiment…’”
Have you ever read such incredible nonsense? What a waste of time and resources to come up with complete utter silliness! If you want to know the TRUTH, please read our free booklets, “The Theory of Evolution” and “Heavens and Earth… Before and After the First Man.”
Acknowledgement and Disclaimer
These Current Events are compiled and commented on by Norbert Link. We gratefully acknowledge the many contributions of news articles from our readership. The publication of articles in this section is not to be viewed as an endorsement or approval as to contents or accuracy of the selected articles, but they are published for the purpose of pointing at worldwide developments in the light of biblical end-time prophecy and godly instruction. Our own comments are provided in italics.
