blog.Tribulationperiod.com

Where Lebanon is located was once part of 750 AD Umayyad Caliphate

And in 1906 it was still labeled part of the Old Ottoman Caliphate

Eventually it Will be a Part of the Future Islamic Caliphate

And Finally a part of the World Kingdom of Messiah

November 13, 2010

http://www.tribulationperiod.com/

Daniel 2:32-35 – This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, [33] His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.

[34] Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them

to pieces. [35] Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a gre at m

ountain, and filled the whole earth.

Daniel 2:42-45 – And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. [43] And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.

[44] And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. [45] Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and

the interpretation thereof sure.

Revelation 11:15 – And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever

and ever.

Daniel 7:13,14 – I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. [14] And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

Begin Three Paragraph Excerpt from the UK Independent

Robert Fisk: Canberra, Ankara and other ‘fake’ capitals

By Robert Fist

Saturday, 13 November 2010

Just up behind my Beirut home is a narrow, shady laneway called Makhoul Street. And in Makhoul Street, there is a small shop with a rusting door behind which an Armenian sells ancient postcards of Beirut.

There is a picture of the port, the rear of a steam loco protruding from a small station. There is a tree-lined street with horses pulling a covered cart, Lebanese men wearing the old Ottoman tarbush, the distant roof of the St George Maronite cathedral. But it’s the postmark that catches my attention, dated 11 October 1906. “Beirut, Syria,” it says.

For of course, in the dying days of the Ottomans, Beirut was in a land whose regional capital was Damascus. True, the French were there in force under the political ruins of what were called the “capitulations” – French authorities ran the “Levant” post office – but the “Lebanese” regarded Damascus as their principal city. So what makes a city? Does it, in the words of a friend, “have to have a river” (or so, by extension, a seaboard)? Or is it an invention? A city must have a cathedral – or, I suppose, a grand mosque – but how do you define a capital

?

Begin Excerpt 2 from RealClearWorld

Syria, Iran Threaten West’s Allies in Lebanon

By Riad Kahwahi

October 6, 2010

Lebanon is once again going through a highly-tense period of uncertainty as a result of what appears to be a well-coordinated Syrian-Iranian offensive to torpedo the international tribunal investigating the assassination of former Lebanese premier Rafik Hariri, regarded by many observers as the strongest diplomatic leverage Washington has against Damascus and its strategic ally, Tehran. Senior members of the U.S.-backed Lebanese political bloc known as March 14 Forces, feel strong frustration and vulnerability as they see their regional allies, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, stand helpless in front of a multi-front onslaught by Syria and Iran and their allies in Lebanon led by Hizbullah. Efforts by Riyadh to make up with Damascus and improve relations between Prime Minister Saad Hariri and the Syrian regime seem to have fell short of target and subsequently weakened Hariri and his political bloc.

Tension started to rise in Beirut a few weeks ago when press reports spoke about the intentions of the international tribunal to issue indictments against members of Hizbullah charging them with the killing of Hariri. Although the chief of the international investigators and the tribunal have denied making any such statements to the media, Hizbullah leaders took the media hints very seriously and regarded them as part of U.S. and Israeli led moves to undermine the group and destroy it as a national resistance movement in Lebanon. Hizbullah has given Hariri and the Lebanese government an ultimatum to severe all official ties between the

Lebanese State and the international tribunal (including suspension of funds) and to discredit the tribunal by calling it a “politicized entity.” Otherwise, Hizbullah and its allies in the so-called March 8 Forces would take a series of undisclosed measures that would lead to the toppling of the Hariri government. Many analysts and officials have warned that moves by Hizbullah and its allies to topple the government could either lead to open-ended political turmoil or even spark a civil war, especially between Hariri’s predominantly Sunni Muslim supportersand the powerful Shiite armed group, Hizbullah.

Hizbullah and Syria’s allies in Lebanon also want Hariri and his cabinet to apprehend and put on trial the so-called “false witnesses,” a reference to witnesses who had allegedly accused Syria and some of its allies in the 2005 assassination of Hariri which led to the arrest and imprisonment of four senior Lebanese security officials closely allied with Damascus. The four officers were released earlier this year after the tribunal ruled the prosecution did not have sufficient evidence to justify keeping them in custody.

Earlier reports from the international investigators in 2005-2008 blamed the Syrian regime for the assassination of Hariri. Late last month and in a move that surprised his closest allies, Prime Minister Hariri admitted that some individuals had submitted false testimony that implicated Syria in the assassination of his father and said

Damascus was not politically responsible for his father’s murder. Some well- informed sources

inside March 14 Forces said Hariri made this statement at the advice of Saudi Arabia in the hope of solidifying relations that were beginning to improve between Hariri and Syrian leadership. However the results through the reaction of Damascus and its allies “were very disappointing to Saudi Arabia as well as its allies in Lebanon, regionally and internationally,” a senior Lebanese official said.

Leaders and supporters of the March 14 Forces find themselves today in a very tough position and worried about the future. They feel their international allies have failed them. For one, the international tribunal’s image and reputation is in doubt today. For four years the Syrian regime was presented as the prime suspect in Hariri’s assassination. However, after French-led efforts to end Syria’s isolation imposed (between 2004-2008) by the U.S. Administration of George W. Bush, talk about Damascus’ responsibility of the murder halted, Syria’s isolation ended and accusations shifted towards Hizbullah, which is Iran’s strongest ally in the Arab world. Many analysts believe the West was trying to drive a wedge between Syria and Iran through such moves. However, the visit by Syrian President Bashar Assad to Tehran on October 1, 2010, and what emerged during and after his meetings there revealed that Damascus-Tehran ties were stronger than what many had expected and both were still on the same course against the U.S. and its allies in the region.

Both seem to be coordinating their moves very well on many fronts: Lebanon, Iraq, the occupied Palestinian territories and other places and issues.

The March 14 Forces leadership wants the international tribunal to announce indictments and charges as soon as possible and regard the repeated delays and postponement to such an action to be harmful for Lebanon and to its standing and future as a political bloc. Some of these leaders even wonder whether the international investigators do have any tangible evidence against anybody at all. They fear that the international tribunal was set up to be used not to just achieve justice, but also to serve political ends to the super powers like the United States and the West, in their ongoing diplomatic showdown with Iran and its allies, including Syria. Some of these leaders believe the growing conflict between Hizbullah and the Hariri government over the tribunal was aggravating the growing Sunni-Shiite divide in the region, and subsequently turning Arab public opinion against Tehran, which would make it easier for Israel and U.S. to pursue the military option against Iran and its allies if need be.

The worst nightmare for the March 14 Forces is to eventually see weak or inconclusive evidence against any suspect in the long-anticipated charges of the tribunal’s prosecutor, because finding the truth as to who killed Hariri and other politicians since 2005 and bringing about justice have been the main pillars for the political movement that had forced Syria to withdraw its troops from Lebanon five years ago after a 29-year presence.

Failure of the international tribunal would very likely politically kill and bury the “Cedar Revolution” and those behind it. As for now the political dynamic in Lebanon, especially with some March 14 Forces members abandoning the bloc to join the opposition, could eventually force Hariri to suspend funding the tribunal, but without denouncing the court that was set up by the United Nations Security Council under Chapter 7. Other countries could cover Lebanon’s share in financing the tribunal, and hence keep it going. The ball would then be on the side of the international community, especially the United States and the West, in determining the fate of the tribunal and most likely the future of Lebanon and the region. So far, Syria and Iran have been one step or several steps ahead of the U.S. and its allies. Will this status change anytime soon? So far, the facts indicate that a new order is emerging in the region and it is not in favor of the U.S. and its allies. As for Lebanon, the countdown is underway and not much time is left.

Riad Kahwahi is CEO of the Institute for Near East & Gulf Military Analysis.

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A Strong Delusion Is now Believed by 1.5 Billion!

Are You ONE Of Those Confused Weste

rners,

Who has an unlimited freedom of Thought?

You Can Encounter The Truths of Islam!

They CAN Enter Your Mind Unawares,

To Make You Aware of Islam Truth,

So You can believe ungodly Lies.

According TO DR. Aidh Al-Qarni,

All beside Islamic are Ungodly!

November 13, 2010

http://www.tribulationperiod.com/

QUOTE OF PARAGRAPH FROM MEMRI EXCERPT

“[Westerners are confused people who have unlimited freedom of thought.

When people of this kind – who are confused on the one hand and have unlimited freedom of thought on the other – encounter the truths of Islam, which addresses their natural inclinations, [these truths] enter their minds [almost] without their being aware of it. Hence, it is possible to take advantage of those events in order to introduce Islam to people and make them aware of it.]”

II Thessalonians 1:7-10 – And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, [8] In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: [9] Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; [10] When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.

II Thessalonians 2:8-12 – And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: [9] Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, [10] And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. [11] And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: [12] That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Begin Excerpt from MEMRI

Middle East Media Research Institute

Prominent Saudi Preacher: Europe Will Become an Islamic Continent

Special Dispatch No. 3364

November 10, 2010

In a recent interview posted on www.onislam.net, prominent Saudi preacher Dr.

Aidh Al-Qarni said that 9/11, though a horrific event, was no more horrific than scores of other massacres that take place around the world every year, for instance

in Africa, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

The only difference, he explained, is that 9/11 has been exploited to promote “the so-called War on Terror.” He therefore recommended using incidents of what he termed Islamophobia – such as the Swiss minaret ban and the French ban on the veil – to promote Islam in the West.

He also assessed that Europe is on its way to becoming an Islamic continent.

Following are excerpts from the article:

“Looking at the Events [of 9/11] Objectively, [We Realize that] Humanity Witnesses Scores of Such Grim Events Every Year”

“Looking at the events [of 9/11] objectively, [we realize that] humanity witnesses scores of such grim events every year, for instance in the African Great Lakes region, where millions have been killed in the last decade; in Iraq, where millions have been killed [as well]; and in Afghanistan, where similar things occurred during the Soviet invasion and now under the American occupation, to name but a few examples…

“But 9/11 took place in America, and when America is stung, it is considered a disaster for mankind at large.

We do not mean to make light of this matter, with all its ramifications and effects, or to accept or justify it. Not at all! We are saying that this event was exploited to serve an agenda that was waiting for a pretext and a justification. Thus, the whole world was driven into crises and difficulties under [the slogan of] the so-called ‘War on Terror’…

“These movements of political Islam have played a major role in defeating colonialism and in liberating many Islamic countries that were occupied… Even now we find that [while] many Arab governments and secular movements have abandoned the Palestinian cause and sold it cheaply, it is the Islamists [in Gaza] that defend [this cause] and protect its sanctities despite the international siege…

“In this context, we must make a distinction between jihadi liberation movements that are judicious and follow the right path, such as Hamas in Palestine, and violent movements that are based on takfir [accusing other Muslims of heresy]. The latter [movements] use their weapons against Muslims and against countries that, though not Muslim, should not be attacked…”

“Handled Correctly, Examples of Islamophobia… [Can] Have the Opposite Results of What Their Pro-Zionist Perpetrators Intended”

“Handled correctly, examples of Islamophobia – such as the [Swiss] ban on minarets, the banning of the veil [in France], and the burning of the Koran – [can] have the opposite results of what their pro-Zionist perpetrators intended.

Today, Westerners are confused people who have unlimited freedom of thought. When people of this kind – who are confused on the one hand and have unlimited freedom of thought on the other – encounter the truths of Islam, which addresses their natural inclinations, [these truths] enter their minds [almost] without their being aware of it. Hence, it is possible to take advantage of those events in order to introduce Islam to people and make them aware of it.”

Dr. Aidh Al-Qarni concluded his interview with the following: “I expect, like many perceptive people living in Europe, that, Allah willing, the European continent will become an Islamic continent.”

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http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml.

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NASRALLAH’S BRAVE IN HIDING,

COWARDLY LION’S BOLD SHOUT!

NASRALLAH’S READY FOR A FIGHT.

HIZBULLAH MAY THINK IT IS READY,

BUT A LAST CONFLICT WON’T BEGIN,

TILL THE IRANIAN REPUBLIC’S READY!

IT WON’T BE READY TILL IT’S NUCLEAR

ARSENAL DETERRENT WARHEADS STAND

POSITIONED TO LAUNCH AGAINST ISRAEL.

THEY WON’T BE FIRED UNLESS ISRAEL FIRES.

FINAL WAR OF GENTILE AGE IS CONVENTIONAL

November 12, 2010

http://www.tribulationperiod.com/

ARCHIVE SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 129C

Atomic War in Israel – Yes or No?

July 23, 2003

One of the main reasons I wrote three books on prophecy in the late seventies and early eighties was to establish a case advocated by teachers of the pre-World War II era. It was, simply stated, that man would not destroy the earth with his weaponry, but rather that God would destroy the earth by the use of this own power.

I am certain that the horrifying changes in the topography of Israel, as well as the terrifying destruction of the antichrist’s forces at Armageddon, are by the awesome power of God, not atomic, chemical, or biological weapons of man. The lifting of the land from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem, the breaking up of Jerusalem into three sections, the splitting of the Mount of Olives, and the consuming of the flesh, tongues, and eyes of the antichrist’s men are natural phenomena unleashed by God, not by man. All the Scriptures dealing with these phenomena unleashed by God are covered in the Birth Pang Archives.

There are many advocates of a great atomic, chemical, and biological war in Israel when the antichrist attacks 1260 days before Armageddon.

It might happen at the time of Armageddon, but the initial attack will start what amounts to a non-nuclear, non-chemical, and non-biological war. So why am I so confident and outspoken about this being the case?

Israel has more than 200 extremely well concealed missile launching sites in the Negev between Beersheba and the Gulf of Aqabah.

It has more than 300 nuclear, chemical, and biological warheads to mount on Jericho missiles.

The Jericho is a very accurate missile, and can hit a target in any Islamic country from Morocco to Pakistan and from Turkey to Yemen.

Israel has an excellent anti-missile defense to protect its array of silos, warheads, and missiles. It is able to pick up an incoming enemy missile launched from Syria in some cases before it reaches maximum altitude.

So why do I believe this array of WMD will not be unleashed by Israel when it is attacked? Because the Israeli War Contingency Plan of

Israel directs that WMD will never be launched against a foreign nation unless they are first launched against Israel.

So how do I know the Islamic countries will not launch WMD in

their initial attack? All of them are well aware of what is listed in (1) through (5)! The Soviet Union, which it existed, shared Israeli intelligence information with Syria, which it collected over a long period of time from its hundreds of spy satellites it launched from pads between Moscow and the White Sea, and on the eastern side of the Aral Sea. Syria, in turn, has shared it with most of the other Islamic countries around Israel. Only a leader possessed of rank insanity would ever launch WMD first against Israel, which is why I was so relieved when Saddam Hussein was taken out of the way.

Many believe the United States will quickly rush to the aid of Israel, and, as the world’s greatest power, will immediately deliver her from any kind of attack she can’t handle. There are two problems with this idea:

The United States believes Israel can defeat any Islamic attack on its own without any help from us. After all, Israel has easily done so in three previous wars.

This will be a lightning Jihad, and better coordinated than any of the previous wars, and this time Israel will have a Palestinian state attacking it from within, while the other Islamic nations come in from outside its borders.

It will probably last less than a couple of weeks, and Jerusalem is likely to fall within four days. By the time we decide they must have our help it will be too late because they will have occupied most of the land from Dan to Beersheba.

By this time it would take months, as it did in Operation Desert Storm and Operation Freedom Iraq, to get sufficient American troops on the ground to do any good.

What was the character of the past three wars? They were all very short in duration, and they all ended abruptly in a truce. That will be the case in this war. The United States knows that the Negev is the place where Israel will flee. When we believe they are safely in the Negev, we will be more than willing to accept a truce to give us time to think about what to do, and Israel will remain trapped in the Negev for some three and one-half years.

Begin Excerpt 1 from JPOST.COM STAFF WITH AP CONTRIBUTION

Hizbullah: We are ready for another war with Israel

By JPOST.COM STAFF

11/11/2010 22:30

Nasrallah says group will “cut the hand” of anyone who tries to arrest any member of the party in connection with Hariri assass

ination.

Hizbullah is ready for another war with Israel, said the group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah in a televised speech on Thursday evening.

Referring to what he termed Israel’s habit of becoming involved where it is not welcome, he emphasized that his Lebanese terrorist group is not at all afraid of future conflicts.

With progress in the UN Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), charged with investigating the 2005 Rafik Hariri assassination, and the Hizbullah indictments expected, Nasrallah also said that Hizbullah will “cut the hand” of anyone who tries to arrest any member of the party.

“Those who imagine that we will allow the arrest or detention of any of our fighters are mistaken,” he told thousands of supporters in south Beirut through video link. “We will cut the hand that reaches out for any one of them.”

The Netherlands-based tribunal investigating the killing is expected to issue indictments in the coming months.

Denying outright any involvement in the assassination, he said that the group would not accept any accusation against any of its fighters or leaders.

“Those who think that the resistance will not defend itself and its dignity against any accusation are mistaken,” he added.

On Wednesday, Press TV reported that Hizbullah had urged the Lebanese government to deal with the issue of false witnesses in the investigation tribunal.

The appeal came as the Lebanese government failed to reach an agreement about the issue after a four-hour meeting on Wednesday.

Hizbullah said the tribunal is marred by witnesses who gave false information.

AP contributed to this report.

Begin Excerpt 2 from DEBKAfile Exclusive Report

All top Hizballah commanders face indictment in Hariri murder

DEBKAfile Exclusive Report

November 10, 2010, 2:12 PM (GMT+2:00)

Hizballah’s four top commanders face indictment by the UN Special Tribunal for Lebanon-STL for the 2005 murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri in West Beirut, DEBKAfile’s exclusive intelligence and counterterrorism sources reveal. The STL expects to issue the indictments next month or early January 2011.

Monday, Nov. 8,The Wall Street Journal disclosed the name of Mustafa Badr al-Din, Hizballah’s No. 2 after Hassan Nasrallah as deputy for special security affairs. DEBKAfile’s sources name at least three more leading lights of the Lebanese Shiite militia who face summonses to stand trial before the international tribunal for planning and executing the Hariri assassination.

They are:

Wafiq Safa: Head of Hizballah’s special security and intelligence apparatus, one of Nasrallah’s closest cronies.

His powers are broader than his title would indicate: Safa acts as deputy of the Iranian Al Qods officer, Gen. Hossein Mahadavi, who has taken command of the Hizballah militia as chief of staff. In this capacity, Safa would be assigned to spearhead the grab for power Hizballah is planning for the moment the STL issues indictments. Safa is also charged with coordinating military cooperation between Hizballah and its two Lebanese allies, Michel Aoun’s Christian militia and Walid Jumblatt’s Druze forces. Given the tactical talents he displayed by engineering the cross-border abduction of Israeli soldiers in 2006 and other Hizballah border encroachments, Wafa may be wily enough to wriggle out of being extradited to The Hague for trial.

Talal Hamiya: Head of the Special Duties branch of Hizballah’s Jihad Council. A former operations deputy under Hizballah’s late military commander Imad Mughniyeh (who died in a bomb explosion in Damascus in 2008), his current duties include command of the special details securing Hizballah’s various branches and the conduct of “special” (terror) operations around the world. Hamiya is also responsible for Hizballah’s intelligence service.

Ibrahim Muhammad Akil, incumbent military commander of southern Lebanon, i.e., the front against Israel.

DEBKAfile’s sources say that the tribunal’s special prosecutor, Daniel Bellemare, has obtained proof that on the day of the Hariri assassination, the four Hizballah officials named here had set up a makeshift command center for running the operation – a huge explosion which killed another 22 people. From there, they used Hizballah’s internal military telephone network to post their orders and coordinate the tasks of the field teams.

Bellemare’s investigators have been going around Beirut looking for evidence of this telephone network – often in unlikely places.

Last month, their search at a military clinic ran into violent resistance from Hizballah, drawing a complaint from UN secretary Ban Ki-moon.

If Hizballah makes good on its threat to overthrow the Lebanese government and so preempt the STL’s indictments and its officers’ extradition, DEBKAfile’s sources fear Lebanon could find itself governed by terrorists who, moreover, have been inculpated for political assassination by an international tribunal.

In these circumstances, the UN Security Council would have little choice but to lead an international boycott of Lebanon, impose stiff sanctions aimed at toppling the Hizballah regime or even mandate an invasion to restore legitimate government in Beirut.

Hizballah’s first act on attaining power would almost certainly be a demand for the UN Secretary General remove the 20,000 UNIFIL peacekeepers policing South Lebanon.

FAIR USE NOTICE: This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more detailed information go to:

http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml.

You may use material originated by this site.

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Low Level Jet Practice Mission Runs in a vast Negev Wilderness

Tragic Crash In Low level Bomb Run Zone of Negev Ramon Crater

Dodging Imaginary enemy Jets staying on Target is Part of Mission

November 12, 2010

http://www.tribulationperiod.com/

I briefed hundreds of jet aircraft on practice low level bomb runs before departure on designated fixed bomb runs during the cold war.

The bomb runs were laid out in areas chosen due to a match of their topography with that of targets in the Soviet Union. I have watched many jets piloted by Israelis go on practice bomb runs in the Ramon Crater zone from the Ramon Observation Point in the Negev. The Negev of Israel has a lot of topography similar to that of Iran, Syria, and Eastern Lebanon. I always go to the Ramon Crater on my visits to Israel, hoping to see another practice run using live ammunition, and usually am not disappointed. Their drop target is to the south side of the crater because it is more remote and void of humans.

I first went to the Ramon Crater to geologically survey the ancient volcanic activity, but on my first trip I saw them making their bomb runs just south of the southern rim of the crater, and I have made many trips since that time.

Makhtesh Ramon (Ramon Crater/Makhtesh) is a geological feature of Israel’s Negev desert. Located at the peak of Mount Negev, some 85 km south of the city of Beersheba, the landform is not actually an impact crater from a meteor, but rather is the world’s largest makhtesh. The crater is 40 km long and 2-10 km wide, and is shaped like an elongated heart.

The only settlement in the area is the small town of Mitzpe Ramon (“Ramon Observation Point”) located on the northern edge of the crater. Today the crater and surrounding area forms Israel’s largest national park, the Ramon Nature Reserve.

The Negev desert was covered by an ocean. Slowly, this started to recede northwards leaving behind a hump-shaped hill. The hump was slowly flattened by water and climatic forces. Then the Arava Rift Valley was formed, with rivers changing their courses, carving out the inside of the crater which was a softer rock than that overlying.

The crater bottom continued to deepen at a much faster rate than the surrounding walls, which gradually increased in height. As the crater deepened, more layers of ancient rock were exposed with rocks at the bottom of the crater being much older. Today, the crater is 500m deep with the deepest point being Ein Saharonim (Saharonim Spring) which also contains the makhtesh’s only natural water source which sustain much of the wildlife in the makhtesh including onagers and ibex.

Makhtesh Ramon contains a diversity of rocks including clay hills known for their fantastic red and yellow colors and forms. Impressive mountains rise at the borders of the crater – Har Ramon (Mt. Ramon) at the southern end, Har Ardon (Mt. Ardon) at the north-eastern end, and two table mountains – Har Marpek (Mt. Marpek – “Elbow”), and Har Katum (Mt. Katum – “Chopped”) along the southern wall. The hills to the north-eastern edge of the makhtesh were once entirely covered by spiral ammonite fossils, ranging from the size of snails to that of tractor wheels although these have mainly been extracted so only smaller fossils can be found here today.

Giv’at Ga’ash, a black hill in the north of the makhtesh was once an active volcano which erupted thousands of years ago and caused it to be covered in lava which quickly cooled in the open air, converting it into basalt. Limestone covered by basalt can also be found in smaller black hills in the southern part of the makhtesh, including Karnei Ramon.

Shen Ramon (Ramon’s Tooth) is a rock made of magma which hardened whilst underground.

It later rose up through cracks in the Earth’s surface, and today stands in striking contrast with the nearby creamy coloured southern wall of the crater, as a black sharp-edged rock.

In the centre of the makhtesh is Ha-Minsara (The Carpentry Shop), a low hill made up of black prismatic rocks, and interestingly, the rectangular pipes on the side of the hill are made of the same sort of sand found on beaches. As such, this is the only place in the world where prisms made of heated sand turned into liquid which, in cooling naturally formed rectangular and hexagonal prisms, can be seen. These prisms lost no space in the middle during formation.

Begin Excerpt from THE JERUSALEM POST

Miscalculation in altitude may have caused F-16I jet crash

By YAAKOV KATZ

11/11/2010 21:54

Preliminary findings of IAF investigation point to human error; Ashkenazi says everything possible will be done to prevent future accidents.

A human error – possibly a miscalculation in altitude – was what caused an F-16I fighter jet to crash late Wednesday night in southern Israel killing two airmen, according to preliminary findings of an Israeli Air Force investigation.

The remains of IAF pilot Maj. Amihai Itkis, 28, and navigator Maj. Emanuel Levi, 30, were found Thursday

afternoon after almost 24 hours of searches throughout the Ramon Crater. IAF commander Maj.-Gen. Ido Nehushtan notified the pilot and navigator’s families of the news.

IAF officers said that the F-16I – Israel’s newest and most-advanced fighter jet – would remain grounded until the air force could rule out that a mechanical malfunction caused the crash. One possibility under investigation is that the plane’s entire electrical system shut down, preventing the crew from issuing a distress call.

Other possibilities under investigation are that a bird hit the plane and caused the crash or that the pilot simply miscalculated his altitude during the night flight. While the plane has systems to warn of low altitude, a pilot is able to set the altitude at which the alarm should go off. It is unclear, at this stage, at what altitude Itkis set the system.

IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi said Thursday that an investigation into the incident had been opened immediately, and that everything possible would be done to prevent future accidents of the same kind.

“Most urgent for us is to uncover the cause of the crash and find out if something hit the plane or if the crash was caused by human error or a mechanical malfunction,” a senior IAF officer said Thursday.

During the day, search teams uncovered the plane’s black box which, if not overly damaged, might be able to provide insight into the cause of the crash and possibly enable investigators to reconstruct the dialogue between Itkis and Levi.

“The crew did not issue a distress call,” the officer said.

“It simply disappeared from the radar screen and other pilots saw a huge explosion on the ground below.”

Itkis and Levi’s plane was at the head of a formation that was drilling dogfights with enemy aircraft. It was their third flight of the day and their second at night. The plane’s last maneuver was intercepting an “enemy” aircraft at around 11,000 feet, following which it lower its altitude until it suddenly hit the ground.

Called the Sufa by the IAF, the F-16I is the IAF’s newest plane and alongside the F-15I, it’s most advanced. Fitted to Israel’s specifications, these aircraft are different from any other F-16, even those in the service of the US Air Force.

The Sufa was the first F-16 in the IAF armed with the AMRAAM air-to-air missile, giving it superior survivability and the ability to shoot down other jets up to 50 kilometers away.

It also is equipped with a Northrop Grumman APG- 68 radar, which is generations more advanced than the radars now in service

in the IAF fleet.

The Synthetic Aperture Radar system and Litening navigation pod gives the F-16I all-weather, day and night attack capabilities.

The plane has proven its air superiority in Israel’s recent conflicts during the Second Lebanon War in 2006 and Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip in 2009 but has also encountered some problems since arriving in Israel.

While Israel purchased 102 airplanes, one crashed during a landing in the 2006 Second Lebanon War due to a malfunction.

Last September, another F-16I had to make an emergency landing after experiencing engine failure during a routine training flight.

The pilot decided to shut down the engine and made an emergency landing at the nearby Ramon Air Force Base in the Negev. After that incident, Nehushtan grounded the planes so they could all be inspected.

A year earlier, Nehushtan also grounded the plane after formaldehyde was found in the cockpit of one of the aircraft.

The decision to suspend training flights was made after a number of pilots complained of a bad smell coming from the cockpit of one of the planes. The IDF Medical Branch conducted tests and discovered that the smell was caused by a type of formaldehyde known to be carcinogenic in high concentration.

While air accidents are mostly down in the IAF, there have been a number of tragic crashes in recent years, most recently during a search-and-rescue exercise in Romania when an IAF Sikorsky CH-53 – known as the Yasour – crashed in the Carpathian Mountains, killing six IAF airmen and a Romanian military officer.

Last month, Nehushtan decided to temporarily suspend a nationwide IAF exercise after a Black Hawk helicopter flew into an electrical cable

in northern Israel. No one was injured. In July however, a female air force cadet was lightly injured after ejecting from the cockpit of her Efroni single-engine turboprop training aircraft during a landing.

In September, 2009, Assaf Ramon, son of Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon, was killed in a training accident. Ramon was flying an older model F-16 that exploded.

In 2008, two pilots were killed when their Zukit training plane crashed in the Negev and another two veteran reserve pilots were killed when their Cobra attack helicopter crashed in the North.

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THIS IS A VERY SIGNIGICANT DEVELOPMENT!

IF FIRST TWO EXCERPTS COME TO FRUITION,

WE WON’T HAVE A MAJOR MIDDLE EAST WAR

TILL US FORCES LEAVE AFGHANISTAN – IRAQ!

November 11, 2010

http://www.tribulationperikod.com/

I am hoping Excerpts 1 and 2 of November 9th will be negated by the formation of an acceptable Iraqi government in Excerpt 3 on November 11th. I would like for all of our troops to be out of the Middle East by 2013. Iran, Syria, Hizbullah, Hamas, and those aligned with them do not want American ground forces fighting against them in the next major Middle East War with Israel.

Begin Excerpt 1 from CNSNEWS.COM

U.S. Commander: U.S. Will Be Fighting in Afghanistan in 2014

Tuesday, November 09, 2010

(CNSNews.com) – U.S. Lt. Gen. William Caldwell, the commander of the NATO training mission in Afghanistan,

indicated Tuesday that U.S. forces will still be fighting in Afghanistan in 2014.

He said current plans aim to have “Afghan security forces in the lead” and U.S. forces in supporting roles by Dec. 31, 2014–more than four years from now.

President Obama has said that U.S. forces will begin withdrawing from Afghanistan in July 2011. But Lt. Gen. Caldwell’s statement today indicates that the drawdown will still be in progress three-and-a-half years after it begins.

In July, Afghan President Hamid Karzai declared: “I am determined that our Afghan security forces will be responsible for all military and law enforcement operations throughout the country by 2014.”
On Monday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen indicated that they supported Karzai’s transition timeline.

But during a telephone discussion with bloggers on Tuesday, Lt. Gen. Caldwell explained that this meant that by the last day of December in 2014 Afghan security forces will be in the lead role in that country with U.S. forces in support.

CNSNews.com asked the general, “Will the Afghan forces be able to operate independently and handle their own security by 2014?”

Caldwell said: “I think [the] key here is they’re talking about December 31st, 2014. It’s the end of December in 2014 when they’re talking about that, President Karzai has said they want Afghan security forces in the lead. It doesn’t mean that there will still not be coalition forces here in support of them. But the primary lead for security in this country must have been established with the Afghan security forces in the lead by the end of 2014.”

Caldwell continued: “The answer to that question is yes, we fully support and endorse and, in fact, by all accounts believe that we can in fact achieve that and have the Afghan security forces in the lead by the end of 2014.”

Caldwell went on to say that based on “current growth projections and what we have seen over the past year, there’s no reason to believe that that’s not an attainable goal. By all accounts that is something that should be able to be achieved.”

During the roundtable briefing, Caldwell mentioned that the literacy rate among Afghan security forces recruits, which currently stands at only “15-18 percent,” poses a major hurdle for the U.S.-led training mission in Afghanistan.

“Without the basic ability to read a map, write down a weapon’s serial number, or read a bank statement, Afghan National Security Force recruits are greatly at risk on the battlefield and become highly susceptible to corruption,” said Caldwell.

Nevertheless, Caldwell told CNSNews.com that based on troop growth and level of training projections, the ANSF should be operating at an acceptable literacy level by the end of 2014.

At that time, Caldwell said, the ANSF will be at literacy “levels that are acceptable to enable it to be an enduring, self-sustaining force that will continue to professionalize and move forward.” Caldwell did not specify what level of literacy would be considered “acceptable.”

However, NATO’s Training Mission literacy program is focused on bringing Afghan soldiers up to a third-grade reading, writing, and number recognition level, which is enough to read a simple manual or pamphlet, understand how much they are getting paid, and account for their people and equipment on paper.

According to Caldwell, although the literacy rate among recruits remains low, prospective officer-position holders are literate, which he defined as being able to read, write, and recognize numbers at a third-to-sixth-grade level.

Caldwell mentioned that the NATO training mission has put in place “mandatory literacy training” that “did not exist last year.”

He went on to highlight that there is a “94 percent pass rate” of the Afghan Ministry of Education first grade test among the Afghan recruits who undergo the initial 64 hours of literacy training provided to them, after they are tested for literacy upon coming into the ANSF.

“What the education gives them now is the ability to read and write and allow them to really start the professionalization,” he added. “Any given day of the week right now we’ve got about 27,000 [individuals] in literacy training programs and, thus far, we have trained and already have tested over 25,000–so that’s generally where we are today.”

“We continue to expand this program,” said Caldwell. “Our goal is by about the end of December [2010] that any given day we’ll have 40 to 50,000 in literacy training programs and, hopefully by next summer — because we’re going to continue to expand this to the operational units — we’ll perhaps have as many as 100,000 doing some form of literacy training either towards the first grade level, the third grade level, or the sixth grade level.”

Caldwell pointed out that Afghan security forces, in “very isolated cases,” have already taken the lead in small regions of Afghanistan.

Begin Excerpt 2 from THE ASSOCIATED PRESS via YAHOO NEWS

Gates: US open to request from Iraq to stay

(AP)

November 9, 2010

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — The United States is open to the idea of keeping troops in Iraq past a deadline to leave next year if Iraq asks for it, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday.

“We’ll stand by,” Gates said. “We’re ready to have that discussion if and when they want to raise it with us.”

Gates urged Iraq’s squabbling political groups to reconcile after eight months of deadlock.

Any request to extend the U.S. military presence in Iraq would have to come from a functioning Iraqi government. It would amend the current agreement under which U.S. troops must leave by the end of 2011.

“That initiative clearly needs to come from the Iraqis; we are open to discussing it,” Gates said.

U.S. and Iraqi officials have said for months that they expect Iraqi leaders to eventually ask for an extension of the military agreement with the U.S., but the political impasse has put the idea on hold.

A spike in violence in Iraq over the past two weeks has underscored the continued potency of al-Qaida and other Sunni extremists.

“We have been pretty clear to the Iraqis that what we seek, and hope they will come together on, is an inclusive government that represents all of the major elements of Iraqi society and in a nonsectarian way,” Gates said. “It is our hope that that is the direction they are moving in.”

He spoke following a meeting with Malaysian Defense Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Leaders of Iraq’s major political blocs met Monday for the first time since parliamentary elections in March. The 90-minute televised session, the start of three days of talks, did not lead to a breakthrough.

The battle is largely a contest between the Iranian-favored coalition of Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al- Maliki

and followers of anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr against a Sunni-backed secular coalition led by former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi.

At stake is whether Iraq has an inclusive government of both the majority Shiites and the minority Sunnis, or a Shiite-dominated government with the Sunnis largely in opposition — a recipe that many worry will turn the country back to the sectarian violence of a few years ago.

Al-Maliki’s bloc won 89 seats in the March 7 election, compared with 91 for Allawi’s coalition; neither side won the majority of seats needed to govern.

Gates said he has not spoken directly to any of the political leaders, but other U.S. officials, including Vice President Joe Biden, have been heavily engaged.

Gates predicted that a new government would need some time before asking the U.S. to extend the troop plan.

Although the 2011 deadline was a point of pride for Iraq after years of U.S. military occupation, it does not leave much time for the U.S. to train Iraq’s fledgling air force. Iraq also wants more U.S. help to protect its borders.

Begin Excerpt 3 from BBC News

Iraq parties reach deal on Maliki-led government

November 11, 2010

Iraq’s main parties have agreed to form a government, ending eight months of deadlock since elections in March, officials from the various parties say.

Kurdish regional president Masoud Barzani called the deal a “national partnership”.

He said Nouri Maliki, a Shia, would remain as prime minister, while the main Sunni faction get the Speaker’s post. Its leader, Iyad Allawi, will head a council for national strategy.

The Kurds will get the presidency.

Iraq’s parliament is meeting on Thursday afternoon to take the first formal steps towards forming a government.

“Thank God, last night we made a big achievement, which is considered a victory for all Iraqis,” Mr Barzani said at a news conference.

The White House welcomed the progress, calling it a “big step forward”.

Checks and balances

On Wednesday, the parties reached a deal to keep Mr Maliki as prime minister after he gained the support of the Sunni coalition led by former PM Allawi.

Analysis

Jim Muir BBC News, Baghdad

The focus is very much on this new body, called the National Council for Strategic Policy.

It is being offered to Iyad Allawi, the challenger who has lost ground to Mr Maliki over the past few months.

Whether he will personally accept it is still unclear at the moment, but his coalition should be allocated the council under this division of power.

The question is, will that body turn out to be an effective power-sharing instrument whereby they can influence policy, especially in the realms of security.

That issue is Mr Allawi’s main concern and of some other people who believe Mr Maliki went a bit out on his own on security issues in the past four years.

Before the session, MPs said they would begin by electing a speaker and two deputies.

Next, they would vote for a president, expected to be the incumbent, Kurdish politician Jalal Talabani.

The president would hand the task of forming the government to the leader of the largest coalition – Mr Maliki.

He would then have a month to put together a cabinet.

If all goes according to plan now, says the BBC’s Jim Muir in Baghdad, Iraq will end the day not actually with a new government but with agreement on the basis for it.

The reality should just be a matter of time, not more than a month, our correspondent says.

A government spokesman expressed confidence that the deal would give Iraq’s Sunnis and the man they voted for, Iyad Allawi, enough to keep them on board the political process.

In addition to the council for national strategy, Mr Allawi’s bloc will also get the foreign ministry.

White House spokesman Anthony Blinken, national security advisor to US Vice-President Joe Biden, said the agreement was “a big step forward for Iraq”.

“All along we’ve said the best result would be a government that reflects the results of the elections, includes all the major blocs representing Iraq’s ethnic and sectarian groups, and that does not exclude or marginalise anyone,” AFP quoted him as saying.

“This looks like a good outcome for those working for a stable, peaceful Iraq and a bad result for those whose agenda is more sectarianism and violence.”

Negotiations to form a new government reached a stalemate after election results were announced.

Mr Allawi’s Al-Iraqiyya bloc won two more seats than Mr Maliki’s State of Law party, but neither had enough seats to form a government.

The tide turned for Mr Maliki in early October when the militant young Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr announced that the 40 or so seats he controls in the new parliament would back the incumbent for a second term, our correspondent says.

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