Thursday, February 25, 2010

EU High Court Rules that Judea and Samaria are not a Part of Israel

Curt Here...

Today the EU High Court ruled that Judea and Samaria are not part of Israel so therefore Israeli goods manufactured in Judea and Samaria will now be subject to EU import duties. Under current EU agreements with both Israel and the Palestinians, products manufactured in each location are not subject to custom duties. To be clear the court stated that EU's agreement with Israel, "applies to the territory of the State of Israel" while the one with the PA applies to "the territories of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip."

The implications of this ruling are clear and another stepping stone down the prophetic path. The EU High Court has ruled loud and clear that Israel has no legal standing in Judea and Samaria and these areas are not part of the nation of Israel. It can be certain that this ruling will be used against Israel and for the Palestinians at the UN, where the push for the Palestinians to unilaterally declare statehood grows by the day. You see, Judea and Samaria (West Bank) are areas that the Palestinians want for their future State and the world agrees.

I believe that this needs to be watched very closely as scripture seems to indicate that at the midpoint of the 70Th week when the Abomination of Desolation occurs that those in Judea and Samaria must then flee to the mountains. Here is the scripture for you to review.

Mathew 24:15-16
15. "Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),
16. then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.

Is it a coincidence that this area that is discussed in Mathew 24 seems to continuously be in the news? Could this event occur soon? I have to be honest, I don't know and sometimes I really doubt whether we are that close, but the daily headlines have me paying attention.

Stay Tuned

Curt

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EU Court Opens Door to Customs on Judea and Samaria Products

(IsraelNN.com) The European Union High Court ruled Thursday that Judea and Samaria are not a part of Israel, and Israeli goods made there are therefore subject to EU import duties.

The ruling determined that Israel has no standing in the Biblical heartland and opens the door to EU import duties on Israeli goods from Judea and Samaria, which would make those products less competitive. The EU has signed accords with both Israel and the Palestinian Authority and presently does not levy customs duties from either.

The court said the EU's agreement with Israel "applies to the territory of the State of Israel" while the one with the PA applies to "the territories of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip," according to Associated Press.

Thursday's ruling stems from a German case filed by Brita, a German company that imports soft-drink-making machines from Soda-Club Ltd., an Israeli company based in Mishor Adumim, in the Binyamin region. Brita had asked German customs authorities not to charge it import duties, but the authorities rejected the request. On appeal, a Hamburg appeal court asked the Court of Justice of the European Union for its opinion.

'Political decision'
Industrialists' Federation President Shraga Brosh said that the EU decision to levy customs on goods made in Judea and Samaria is more political than economic in nature. He added that it would be better if the EU focused on advancing economic cooperation between Israel and the PA, instead of being dragged into “disputed legal-diplomatic interpretations,” as he put it.

The court decision “surprised nobody,” IDF Radio quoted a Foreign Ministry source as saying Thursday. “Israel regrets that the ruling legitimizes the campaign against Israeli products made in Judea and Samaria, and is a continuation of the political European campaign against the settlements,” the source added.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/136207

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Greece Loses EU Voting Power in Blow to Sovereignty

Curt Here...

Today the European Union suspended Greece of its voting rights for a crucial meeting that will occur next month. The council of EU finance ministers took it a step further by stating that if Greece did not comply with their demand of cutting government spending and getting their unsustainable debt under control then Greece could lose control over its own tax and spend policies altogether.

As the article states below, by losing the right to vote at the next meeting it is a huge loss of sovereignty for the nation of Greece and a huge sign pointing towards where things are headed in the EU. This clearly points in the near future towards more centralized economic power in Brussels over the entire EU neighborhood and I believe it pushes us farther down the prophetic path.

Greece is also an important country to watch as they are one of the ten WEU nations. If the ten WEU nations are the ten horns of the final beast as described in Daniel 7, then we know at some point the little horn (anti-christ) that rises up after the ten will uproot three horns. I have often thought or speculated that these three horns would be uprooted through military means, could it be economic?

Stay Tuned

Curt


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Greece loses EU voting power in blow to sovereignty

The European Union has shown its righteous wrath by stripping Greece of its vote at a crucial meeting next month, the worst humiliation ever suffered by an EU member state.

The council of EU finance ministers said Athens must comply with austerity demands by March 16 or lose control over its own tax and spend policies altogether. It if fails to do so, the EU will itself impose cuts under the draconian Article 126.9 of the Lisbon Treaty in what would amount to economic suzerainty.

While the symbolic move to suspend Greece of its voting rights at one meeting makes no practical difference, it marks a constitutional watershed and represents a crushing loss of sovereignty.

"We certainly won't let them off the hook," said Austria's finance minister, Josef Proll, echoing views shared by colleagues in Northern Europe. Some German officials have called for Greece to be denied a vote in all EU matter until it emerges from "receivership".

The EU has still refused to reveal details of how it might help Greece raise €30bn (£26bn) from global debt markets by the end of June. Investors are unsure whether this is part of Kabuki play of "constructive ambiguity" to pressure Greece and keep markets guessing, or reflects the deep reluctance by Germany to be drawn deeper in an EU fiscal union. Greek bonds sold off as ten-year yields jumped to 6.42pc, but the euro rallied to $1.3765 against the dollar as broader issues resurfaced in currency markets.

Jean-Claude Juncker, head of the Eurogroup, hinted that ministers have already agreed on a support mechanism, should it be necessary. It will most likely involve by bilateral aid by eurozone states. He said proposals for an IMF bailout - backed by Britain - were "absurd" and would shatter the credibility of monetary union.

Many Germans disagree, including Otmar Issing, once the backbone of the European Central Bank. He said an EU rescue for Greece would be fatal, arguing that unflinching rigour is the only way to hold monetary union together without political union.

Tuesday's EU verdict amounted to a thumbs down on Greece's earlier austerity efforts, viewed as too reliant on one-off measures and too light on spending cuts. Greece must reduce its deficit from 12.7pc of GDP to 3pc in three years. Greek customs officials expressed their anger by kicking off a three-day strike, the first of many stoppages set to culminate in a general strike next week.

However, premier George Papandreou has won support from key political parties and a majority of the people. Greece may yet surprise critics by mustering its Spartan Spirit.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financetopics/financialcrisis/7252288/Greece-loses-EU-voting-power-in-blow-to-sovereignty.html

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Europe's Choice: Dismantle The Euro, Or Cede All National Sovereignty To Brussels

Curt Here...

The recent economic crisis in the EU and especially in the country of Greece has shed some serious light on some of the fundamental problems of the current setup of the EU post Lisbon Treaty. The Euro, currently is the single monetary authority across the EU, but in each country within the EU the political systems are different and the individual government economic objectives vary.

Because of the single monetary authority the value of the Euro is the same for all EU countries, which means that no matter how good or bad the individual countries economic policy's are, all are forced to live with the problems. This would include the very high government debt that Greece, Portugal, Spain and several other countries have accumulated.

As the article below details, this leaves the EU with just a few options and if we are close to the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy, then in my opinion only one solution will be available to avoid a full economic collapse within the EU. This solution is to cede all national sovereignty to Brussels under a seat of real centralized authority and harmoniz all of individual economic policy's for all of Europe into one policy. This is the perfect setup and breeding ground for the rise of the anti-christ and the mark of the beast. Look for this idea to gain ground as the economic crisis in Europe continues to spiral out of control.

Stay Tuned

Curt

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Europe's Choice: Dismantle The Euro, Or Cede All National Sovereignty To Brussels

Joe Weisenthal Feb. 9, 2010, 6:12 AM


We said in early December that the Euro breakup would be the story of 2010, and just over a month in that prediction has shown to be right on. It's even overshadowing (by far) concerns over a China bubble, or at least a China slowdown.

A piece in Der Spiegel highlights the real problem that Europe faces. It's not just debt. It's politics.

As the early euro-skeptics warned, coordinating a single monetary authority across nations with their own political systems and economic objectives wouldn't work. The founders of the euro actually knew this, but they they thought they could cheat by imposing deficit limits on each country, which were stipulated in the Maastricht Treaty.

The (wishful) thinking was that as long as countries weren't allowed to run up ginormous deficits on their own, then it didn't much matter what policies they took on their own. Everything else would be fine.

That's obviously not proven to be the case. There are other kinds of bad decisions a country can go in besides merely running up big debts.

So that leaves Europe with two real solutions:

1. Breakup.

2. Turn Brussels into a seat of real centralized authority that mandates uniformity of economic policy across Euroland.

Neither, obviously, is politically appealing.

But for big-time Euro-skeptics, like UK journalist Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, who warned about dire consequences for British sovereignty if it joined the union, now is the time for big-time vindication.

http://www.businessinsider.com/europes-choice-dismantle-the-euro-or-cede-all-national-sovereignty-to-brussels-2010-2