Another warning earthquake in Israel

Yet another earthquake shakes Israel. Fourth tremor to hit the region in less than two weeks registers at 4.1 on Richter scale; epicenter is again the Dead Sea.

Third earthquake in less than a week hits Israel

Received by email:

Another earthquake hits Israel. (Warnings?) Third earthquake in less than a week shakes central Israel; no injuries or damage reported, but analysts warn nation unprepared for expected major quake.

Follow-up to same email:

The reason I mentioned "warning", is that this comes BEFORE Olmert
makes official commitments - three in one week?? When have you remembered three in one week? Three LITTLE ones - just a warning.

Unlike Katrina, where there was no warning, which first formed on the earth as a tropical depression exactly 2 1/2 hours after the last communities in Shomron were officially emptied of Jews and delineated as closed military zones, then it hovered around not higher than a category 3 storm, until Israel began to dig up its dead and Katrina SUDDENLY became category 5, hit land and did all that damage during the days that it took for Israel to FINISH digging up its dead.

I still have the email with the National Hurricane Center website describing Katrina's exact history, as well as the IDF announcements of its own progress ...

Ancient Documents Portend Major Earthquake

From Ancient Documents Portend Major Earthquake:

Tel Aviv University geologist Shmulik Marco said earthquake patterns along the Dead Sea fault recorded in historical documents indicate the region's next significant quake might be imminent. Major earthquakes were recorded along the Jordan Valley in 31 BCE, and in 363, 749 and 1033 CE. "So roughly we are talking about an interval of every 400 years," said Marco. "If we follow the patterns of nature, a major quake should be expected any time because almost a whole millennium has passed since the last strong earthquake of 1033." "When it strikes - and it will - this quake will affect Amman, Jordan, as well as Ramallah, Bethlehem and Jerusalem," he said.

Israel's second earthquake in 8 days + history of major earthquakes in Israel

From Israel Shaken by Second Quake in 8 days By Ezra HaLevi, Arutz Sheva News Service - http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com :

The second minor earthquake in just over a week shook central Israel Sunday morning, causing no injury or damage. The Home Front Command has issued instructions in the event of a larger quake.

The earthquake, which was felt at 11:25 AM, measured 4 on the Richter scale - slightly less powerful than the 4.5 quake felt last Saturday morning.

Jerusalemites reported the tremors to local municipal hotlines in the minutes following the quake - the epicenter of which was in the Dead Sea region.

Ramat Gan residents told Army Radio that they felt a definite movement of the earth.

The epicenter of last week' quake was Maaleh Ephraim, in the Jordan Valley. Earlier this year, a 3.2 quake - also centered in the Jordan Valley - was felt and last year on the eve of Rosh HaShana, the Jewish New Year, another 4.0 quake shook Israel.

One of the worldís greatest fault lines, the Syrian-African rift, runs along Israelís eastern border, beneath the Dead Sea, through the Jordan Valley along the Jordan River and below Lake Kinneret. Each year, some 500 earthquakes are measured in Israel, although most of them are felt only by seismographic equipment.

Experts speculate that smaller earthquakes can delay the occurrence of a larger quake, Israel has been struck by large earthquakes on an average of once every hundred years. The last major quakes are recorded as follows:

* September 30, 1759 - Tzfat, 6.0 - 165 casualties in Tzfat, walls of Tiberias collapse, flooding in Acco

* January 1, 1837 - Tzfat, 7.0 - Thousands of casualties in Tzfat, 20% of Tiberiasís residents killed, damage in Nazareth, Acco and Shechem

* May 1845 - Dead Sea, 6.0 - Damage in Jerusalem, casualties in Bethlehem

* July 11, 1927 - Jordan Valley, 6.2 - 249 dead, 400 wounded, damage in Shechem Tiberias and Ramle

* March 16, 1956 - Southern Lebanon, 5.6 - Dozens killed, wide scale destruction

* November 22, 1995 - Eilat Bay, 7.1 - Damage to Eilat hotels

The IDF's Home Front command has established a web site to advise Israelis on behavior in the event of a large-scale seismic incident.

Earthquakes in reality and as a metaphor

An earthquake registering 6.2 on the Richter scale rocked Greece today and was felt in many parts of Israel and Egypt as well. Director General of the Geophysical Institute of Israel Dr. Uri Frieslander said the earthquake hit the Greek island of Crete at 1:36 p.m. Israel has seen a number of earthquakes this past year, the strongest of which occurred in February and registered 5.1 on the Richter scale.

Folks, as Rav Kook wrote,

"The horror of an earthquake - which may uproot nations, wreak vast destruction, and bury thousands of people - raises deep questions for people throughout the world. Events like these challenge us to fathom G-d's wisdom and providence in general, and the function of such terrible destruction in particular.

Earthquakes are a vivid example of great upheaval. Gershon Salomon, a man of deep faith and founder and leader of the Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement wrote here that scientists stated that a very strong earthquake will occur in the coming future and the epicenter of the earthquake will be on the Temple Mount and the Old City. Gershon also wrote about the prophetic promises of G–d that, in the end-times, He would remove the foreign pagan mosques and the foreigners from His holy mountain, the Temple Mount, through an earthquake.

The prophet Zechariah prophesied about an earthquake which would take place in the end-times:

"And his feet shall stand on that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in its midst toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall be moved toward the north, and half of it toward the south. And you shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal; yes, you shall flee, like you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah; and the L-rd my G-d shall come, and all the holy ones with you. And it shall come to pass on that day, that there shall not be bright light nor thick darkness; But it shall be one day which shall be known to the L-rd, not day, nor night; but it shall come to pass, that at evening time there shall be light." (Zechariah 14:4-7)

According to Salomon, on Tisha B’Av 2001 a huge bulge formed on the southern wall of the Temple Mount. The bulge measured 25 meters [82 feet] high and tens of meters wide running westward from the south-eastern corner (the Pinnacle of the Temple) to an area below the El Aqsa mosque, which is built on the southern wall of the Temple Mount. The ancient Herodian wall bulged as much as 90 centimeters [3 feet]. The archaeologists and engineers who checked the bulge said that there is a great danger that the wall will completely collapse and, together with it, the El Aqsa mosque which stands on it. This could happen when the Moslems are praying in the mosque. They also stated that even if the bulge is repaired it will not hold for long and the wall will collapse in any case. However, Jordanian engineers were finally brought in to repair the southern wall.

The collapse of walls on the Temple Mount, and all the other signs that were mentioned above, according to Gershon Salomon, are very clear signs that the foreign pagan presence on the Temple Mount is about to be removed.

Rabbi Daniel Lapin writes a very good article here, about earthquakes and asks "why are so many more people killed by comparable natural disasters in non-Christian countries? Natural disasters occur randomly around the world regardless of the particular faith that has shaped each nation. What dramatically changes the consequences of natural events such as earthquakes or storms is how a particular society is organized. And this is where the religious culture of the people seems to make a huge difference."

And I must include a quote from David Weinberg's article, When Prophecy Fails, originally published in the Jerusalem Post on Sunday, July 23, 2000:

For many religious Zionists, a diplomatic process which abandons much of Judea and Samaria, not to mention parts of Jerusalem, is theological cataclysm. An earthquake with far-reaching ideological ramifications. After all, it wasn't supposed to be this way. God's own redemptive hand had returned us to our biblical birthright! Not surprisingly, religious Zionist thinkers are scrambling to reinterpret the times..."the abandonment by Israeli society of core Jewish and classical Zionist values, including the grave deterioration in appreciation for the Land of Israel" is part of a theologically-mandated dark period, a purgatory and cleansing interval, on the road to better times.

Perhaps this dark period is what is happening in Israel right now because clearly there is a growing conflict between religious, or perhaps I should be more specific and say faithful Zionists and secular Zionists as evidenced this week in the blogosphere regarding Ariel Sharon and Pat Robertson's comments about him.

PA Sermon: Katrina Was Allah's Punishment

Palestinian Authority religious leader Yusuf Abu Sneina, Imam of Al-Aqsa Mosque, preached on PA radio that the death and destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina was Allah's punishment to the U.S. for fighting Muslims in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the PA, and for threatening Iran and Syria.

He also repeated a common theme that America will fall like such earlier powers as "Persia and the Byzantine."

Folks, if that is Allah's punishment, I want to know where Allah was when Iran was devastated by earthquakes and hundreds of thousands of Muslims were killed. Heh-heh.

Angry at HaShem: My Chutzpah

by Emanuel A. Winston:

After I watched Prime Minister Ariel (Arik) Sharon’s plans to deport Jews in order to make way for the Arab Muslim Palestinians in Gaza, I became furious with HaShem (G-d).

For a long time in anticipation of this catastrophe, I and others I know who respected the Land HaShem had gifted eternally to the Jewish people over 3300 years ago, prayed for a miracle. Perhaps we didn’t deserve a miracle, but that was our prayer.

I offered my string of suggested miracles, as follows:

*Raise a cloud of fire to impede Sharon’s soldiers as You did to keep Pharaoh’s army from attacking the Jews leaving Egypt.

*Open up the ground, as You did with Korach to swallow up Sharon, Weisglass, Peres, Beilin, Mofaz, Mazuz....

*Create a small earthquake that would encircle and swallow the Arab Muslim Crescent nations, including Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Iran and Saudi Arabia - among others who have been so hateful to the Jewish people.

*Shake the Temple Mount so that the pagan trash of the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aksa Mosque would fall into the pit of Solomon’s Stables which have been dug into by the Arab Wakf with scarcely a word of objection from the remotely Jewish Sharon.

*I reminded HaShem of what the Jew killing nations of Europe had done to His people and their present support of the Arab Muslim Terrorists.

*I suggested some earthquakes, a few plagues of Biblical proportions. That may, indeed, be on its way as HIV/Aids takes its toll and series of things like Avian Bird Flu - which jumps to humans is brewing in Asia and Russia with the WHO (World Health Organization) frantically scrambling to find a flu vaccine before the expected pandemic fully matures.

I hoped that America would be spared the catastrophes of drought, famines, wild-fires, super storms that seemed unlikely until the Bush Family continued to bond with the Saudis while forcing Israel to abandon her Land and weaken her defenses and defense industries. But, I fear that America will (is) suffering as is Europe.

I was angry with HaShem for not showing himself in some spectacular miracle which would impress our enemies and bring our Jews back to their senses

Regrettably, that was not to happen.

Only a remnant of the Jews understood what the loss would be. I observed those who call themselves Leftists thrill to the savagery visited upon the pioneering settlers. While the Arab Muslims danced in the streets for the victory handed them by Sharon-Peres, the Leftist Jews danced on what was Left of their souls.

So now, they too must pay a heavy price - much the same as the Erev Rav who danced in front of the Golden Calf and were subsequently killed by HaShem.

The Arab Muslims promise that the Katyusha and Kassem Rockets will begin to fall in Tel Aviv, Haifa and other cities with the homes of Jews who do not care about those Jews who have been deported from their homes. Then, be assured that those Jews will suddenly find HaShem but, it will be too late. They hated and cursed the Jews who
observed the Torah laws. They pejoratively called them "settlers" and now they must pay a price.

So, I cooled down. I went back to shul (synagogue) and made my peace with HaShem. Clearly, he did not force many Jews to believe that giving up their G-d given Land would bring that word "Peace" from a dedicated, irredentist enemy.

If the Arab Muslims want and honor the Land more than the Jews then, they shall have it.

As for the remnant who honor this gift of the Land, hopefully they will be shielded from what I suspect is coming.

As for our enemies who delight in killing us, I remind HaShem that drought, famine, disease, floods, fires, earthquakes, tsunamis - are some of the tools available to Him - some of which are already in motion.

Into whose hands are YOUR relief dollars going?

Folks, the following two linked articles illustrate what fueled my personal decision as to which organization I would donate tsunami relief money. Please keep in mind that I do believe that in this imperfect world, where there are volcanoes, earthquakes and floods, as Jews and Christians, we are obligated to respond to these crises by offering our help in any way that we can. That is what G-d has commanded us to do and that is what we should do. But we must be intelligent in how we respond. I'll keep the name of the organizations to which I donated private but I assure you that they did not have "UN" in their names. Knowing the history of the region that the tsunami hit, it was quite apparent to me that if I did not give thought to the organizations, the risk would be high that Islamic fundamentalists and radical barbarians would be the beneficiaries and choose to use the funds intended for tsunami relief to purchase and strap on a TNT belt and walk into a US Army barracks in Mosul instead.

Here's the deal:

In the nine days since the tsunami hammered the coast of the Sumatran province, hundreds of men from other parts of Indonesia have poured into Aceh under the banners of organizations accused of having ties to international terrorism. So far, there are around 5000 troops from the Jakarta-based Islamic Defenders Front, known by its Indonesian initials, FPI. The FPI is co-ordinating its efforts with the hard-line Hizbut Tahrir, an international organization with strident anti-Western views, and the Indonesia Mujahedeen Council (MMI), which is chaired by Abu Bakar Bashir, the alleged "spiritual" leader of the al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah group.

The hard-liners espouse an uncompromising Wahhabi brand of Islam that is not widely practised in Southeast Asia, and the Acehnese fear it could further destabilize their precarious situation. The FPI is better known in Jakarta for its thuggish behaviour and shakedown practices, and Hizbut Tahrir, a spinoff of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, has made headlines for organizing demonstrations against U.S. foreign policy and urging the seizure of all foreign assets in Indonesia.

Another group, Laskar Mujahidin, posted an English-language sign at the camp that reads, "Islamic Law Enforcement." Its members said Thursday they have been collecting corpses, distributing food and spreading Islamic teachings among refugees. The presence of the group, known for killing Christians during a long-running sectarian conflict in another part of Indonesia, generated fears that U.S. military personnel and others involved in relief work could become a terror target.

Read these two articles carefully. You have every right to know what is occurring:

Into whose hands are YOUR relief dollars going?

Radical Islamic Group Aiding Relief Cause

Eastern Wall of Temple Mount in trouble

The troubles on the Temple Mount are far from over. Archaeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar now says that the eastern wall of the Mount, that which faces Mt. of Olives, is in danger of collapse.

The Knesset held a session on the topic this week, at the behest of MK Uri Ariel (National Union). Dr. Mazar explained to Arutz-7 afterwards that the construction works carried out by the Waqf - the Muslim religious body that supervises the Temple Mount - are a contributory factor to the weakening of the ancient structure. "There are cumulative factors," Dr. Mazar added, "such as earthquakes, winter, and the lack of maintenance on the ancient structure - all of which together indicate a grave and immediate danger of collapse." An earthquake hit Israel just 100 days ago.

Dr. Mazar noted that construction on the Temple Mount is governed by the Antiquities Law, and that the person responsible for its enforcement is Prime Minister Sharon: "He shunts aside these matters, however, and therefore the responsible authorities can't take the necessary actions. This is the most important site in Israel, and yet we don't see the authorities there. We have to wake up and realize that if we don't take care of it, the vandalism and illegal construction will continue."

http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com

Eastern Temple Mount Wall May Collapse by Etgar Lefkovits

Note: G-d makes earthquakes.

The eastern wall of Jerusalem's Temple Mount is in danger of immediate collapse because of damage caused by the February 11 earthquake, a classified government report issued this week concludes. The report, written by the Israel Antiquities Authority, has been distributed to senior ministers by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's military attache, Brig.-Gen. Yoav Galant, officials said Thursday.

The classified report, details of which were first published in Yediot Aharonot, says that the earthquake damaged the eastern wall of the Temple Mount to such an extent that sections of the wall are liable to cave in on the underground architectural support of the mount, known as Solomon's Stables.

The Antiquities Authority refused to comment on the report.

But officials confirmed Thursday that the report has been sent to a number of government ministers including Internal Security Minister Tzahi Hanegbi, Industry, Trade, and Labor Minister Ehud Olmert, Education Minister Limor Livnat, and Minister for Jerusalem and Diaspora Affairs Natan Sharansky.

The report has also been forwarded to the heads of the Shin Bet, Mossad, and to Israel Police Insp.-Gen. Shlomo Aharonishky, and Attorney-General Menahem Mazuz.

All of the recipients have been asked to forward their recommendations on the matter to the prime minister ahead of a planned meeting on the issue, expected shortly.

The report includes several documents prepared by officials in the Antiquities Authority, who suggest that the area in question be declared off-limits until repairs are carried out at the site.

New cracks and movements in the already fragile 2,000-year-old wall were discerned by archeologists following the February earthquake, the report states.

The earthquake, which measured 5 on the Richter scale, did not cause any serious injuries or damage.

Wakf (Islamic Trust) director Adnan Husseini on Thursday said that the report over damage to the wall caused by the earthquake was "incorrect." "We do not understand how such a report could be issued since there is no problem due to the earthquake," he said.

The report comes as a team of Jordanian engineers continues to carry out repair work on a separate bulge on the southern wall of the Temple Mount, adjacent to Solomon's Stables.

It was not clear Thursday if the Jordanians would be asked by Israel to repair the eastern wall as well.

In February, the head of the Jordanian team, Dr. Raief Najim, said that additional restoration work was needed in other areas, including the eastern wall.

Israeli archeologists say that the bulge on the southern wall was caused by the Wakf construction work at Solomon's Stables over the last decade, while a Jordanian report states that it was the result of the natural flow of rainwater over the centuries.

Israel maintains overall security of the site, while the Wakf is charged with day-to-day maintenance at the compound.

In the late 1990s, the Wakf turned Solomon's Stables into the largest mosque in the country, that can accommodate 30,000 worshipers. Its excavation caused extensive damage to antiquities at Judaism's holiest site, which were unearthed and then heaped onto a garbage dump.

Israeli archeologists from the Antiquities Authority have not been carrying out routine supervision at the site for more than three years, despite the reopening of the ancient compound to non-Muslims last year, due to concern over renewed Palestinian violence at the site.