Monthly Archives: March 2015

April 1, 2015 SnyderTalk: Passover or Easter? One is from Yahweh, the Other Isn’t–See Iran Deal Update in the “Perspectives” Section

1--Intro Covering Israel and ME

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: may they prosper who love you.”

Psalm 122: 6

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2--SnyderTalk Editorial 4

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Passover or Easter? One is from Yahweh, the Other Isn’t

What is the difference between Passover and Easter and does the difference matter to Yahweh?

Passover:

  1. The Hebrew word that’s translated as Passover is Pesach.
  2. Passover commemorates the Children of Israel’s deliverance from bondage in Egypt.
  3. Passover (Pesach) is one of the three pilgrimage festivals (Shalosh Regalim) during which the Jewish people historically made a pilgrimage to the the Temple of Yahweh in Jerusalem.  The other two pilgrimage festivals are Shavuot (Pentecost) and Sukkot (Tabernacles).

Passover Instituted—Exodus 12: 1-13:

Now Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year to you. Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, ‘On the tenth of this month they are each one to take a lamb for themselves, according to their fathers’ households, a lamb for each household. Now if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his neighbor nearest to his house are to take one according to the number of persons in them; according to what each man should eat, you are to divide the lamb. Your lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats.  You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month, then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to kill it at twilight.  Moreover, they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they eat it.  They shall eat the flesh that same night, roasted with fire, and they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.  Do not eat any of it raw or boiled at all with water, but rather roasted with fire, both its head and its legs along with its entrails.  And you shall not leave any of it over until morning, but whatever is left of it until morning, you shall burn with fire.  Now you shall eat it in this manner: with your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste—it is Yahweh’s Passover.  For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments—I am Yahweh.  The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.'”

Feast of Unleavened Bread—Exodus 12: 14-22:

“‘Now this day will be a memorial to you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to Yahweh; throughout your generations you are to celebrate it as a permanent ordinance.  Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, but on the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses; for whoever eats anything leavened from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel.  On the first day you shall have a holy assembly, and another holy assembly on the seventh day; no work at all shall be done on them, except what must be eaten by every person, that alone may be prepared by you.  You shall also observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt; therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as a permanent ordinance.  In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month at evening.  Seven days there shall be no leaven found in your houses; for whoever eats what is leavened, that person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is an alien or a native of the land.  You shall not eat anything leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.’”  Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and take for yourselves lambs according to your families, and slay the Passover lamb. You shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and apply some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts; and none of you shall go outside the door of his house until morning.”

A Memorial of Redemption—Exodus 12: 23-32:

“For Yahweh will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, Yahweh will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to come in to your houses to smite you. And you shall observe this event as an ordinance for you and your children forever.  When you enter the land which Yahweh will give you, as He has promised, you shall observe this rite.  And when your children say to you, ‘What does this rite mean to you?’ you shall say, ‘It is a Passover sacrifice to Yahweh who passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, but spared our homes.’” And the people bowed low and worshiped.  Then the sons of Israel went and did so; just as Yahweh had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.  Now it came about at midnight that Yahweh struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of cattle.  Pharaoh arose in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians, and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was no home where there was not someone dead.  Then he called for Moses and Aaron at night and said, “Rise up, get out from among my people, both you and the sons of Israel; and go, worship Yahweh, as you have said.  “Take both your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and go, and bless me also.”

The Last Supper was a Passover Celebration:

The Last Supper is the last meal Yeshua had with His disciples prior to His arrest and crucifixion.  It is described in three of the four New Testament Gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke.  From Luke’s gospel:

  1. Yeshua explains that He will suffer and that this meal will be His last until he finishes His work—Luke 22:15-16.
  2. Symbolism—“When the hour had come, He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him.  And He said to them, ‘I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.’  And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, ‘Take this and share it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes.’  And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’  And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.  But behold, the hand of the one betraying Me is with Mine on the table.  For indeed, the Son of Man is going as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!’  And they began to discuss among themselves which one of them it might be who was going to do this thing.” (Luke 22: 14-23).
  3. Who is the greatest?—“And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest.  And He said to them, ‘The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who have authority over them are called ‘Benefactors’.  But it is not this way with you, but the one who is the greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like the servant.  For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves?  Is it not the one who reclines at the table? But I am among you as the one who serves.’” (Luke 22: 24-27)
  4. The Kingdom of Heaven—“You are those who have stood by Me in My trials; and just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, I grant you that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (Luke 22: 28-30).

The Date for Passover According to Yahweh—Numbers 9: 1-14:

Thus Yahweh spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, “Now, let the sons of Israel observe the Passover at its appointed time.  On the fourteenth day of this month, at twilight, you shall observe it at its appointed time; you shall observe it according to all its statutes and according to all its ordinances.”  So Moses told the sons of Israel to observe the Passover.  They observed the Passover in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at twilight, in the wilderness of Sinai; according to all that Yahweh had commanded Moses, so the sons of Israel did.  But there were some men who were unclean because of the dead person, so that they could not observe Passover on that day; so they came before Moses and Aaron on that day.  Those men said to him, “Though we are unclean because of the dead person, why are we restrained from presenting the offering of Yahweh at its appointed time among the sons of Israel?”  Moses therefore said to them, “Wait, and I will listen to what Yahweh will command concerning you.” Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘If any one of you or of your generations becomes unclean because of a dead person, or is on a distant journey, he may, however, observe the Passover to Yahweh.  In the second month on the fourteenth day at twilight, they shall observe it; they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.  They shall leave none of it until morning, nor break a bone of it; according to all the statute of the Passover they shall observe it.  But the man who is clean and is not on a journey, and yet neglects to observe the Passover, that person shall then be cut off from his people, for he did not present the offering of Yahweh at its appointed time.  That man will bear his sin.  If an alien sojourns among you and observes the Passover to Yahweh, according to the statute of the Passover and according to its ordinance, so he shall do; you shall have one statute, both for the alien and for the native of the land.’” (Numbers 9: 1-14)

Constantine’s Letter to the Council of Nicaea (325 A.D.); His Antipathy for the Jewish People; and His decision to change the date of Passover and to call it Easter:

Constantine Augustus, to the churches.

(1) The great grace of God’s power has constantly been increasing, as is evident in the general prosperity of the empire. I therefore decided to make it my aim above all else that one faith, sincere love, and unvarying devotion to Almighty God be maintained among the most blessed assemblies of the catholic church.

(2) But I perceived that this could only be established firmly and permanently when all of the bishops, or at least the greatest part, were convened in the same place for a council where they could discuss every point of our most holy religion. So we assembled as many as possible, and I myself was also present as one of you; for I will not deny what I especially rejoice in, that I am your fellow-servant. All points were then minutely investigated, until a decision was brought to light which was found acceptable to him who is the inspector of all things, and brought a unified agreement, leaving nothing which could cause dissension or controversy in matters of faith.

(3) At the council we also considered the issue of our holiest day, Easter, and it was determined by common consent that everyone, everywhere should celebrate it on one and the same day. For what can be more appropriate, or what more solemn, than that this feast from which we have received the hope of immortality, should be kept by all without variation, using the same order and a clear arrangement? And in the first place, it seemed very unworthy for us to keep this most sacred feast following the custom of the Jews, a people who have soiled their hands in a most terrible outrage, and have thus polluted their souls, and are now deservedly blind. Since we have cast aside their way of calculating the date of the festival, we can ensure that future generations can celebrate this observance at the more accurate time which we have kept from the first day of the passion until the present time.

(4) Therefore have nothing in common with that most hostile people, the Jews. We have received another way from the Savior. In our holy religion we have set before us a course which is both valid and accurate. Let us unanimously pursue this. Let us, most honored brothers, withdraw ourselves from that detestable association.

(5) It is truly most absurd for them to boast that we are incapable of rightly observing these things without their instruction. On what subject are they competent to form a correct judgment, who, after that murder of their Lord lost their senses, and are led not by any rational motive, but by an uncontrollable impulsiveness to wherever their innate fury may drive them? This is why even in this matter they do not perceive the truth, so that they constantly err in the utmost degree, and will celebrate the Feast of Passover a second time in the same year instead of making a suitable correction.

(6) Why then should we follow the example of those who are acknowledged to be infected with serious error? Surely we should never allow Easter to be kept twice in one and the same year! But even if these considerations were not laid before you, you should still be careful, both by diligence and prayer, that your pure souls should have nothing in common, or even seem to do so, with the customs of men so utterly depraved.

(7) This should also be considered: In a matter so important and of such religious significance, the slightest disagreement is most irreverent.

(8) For our Savior left us only one day to be observed in remembrance of our deliverance, that is the day of his most holy passion. He also wished his catholic church to be one; the members of which are still cared for by one Spirit, that is by the will of God, however much they may be scattered in various places.

(9) Let the good sense consistent with your sacred character consider how grievous and inappropriate it is, that on the same days some should be observing fasts, while others are celebrating feasts; and after the days of Easter some should celebrate festivities and enjoyments, while others submit to appointed fastings. For this reason Divine Providence directed that we put into effect an appropriate correction and establish uniformity of practice, as I suppose you are all aware.

(10) So first, it was desirable to change the situation so that we have nothing in common with that nation of father-killers who slew their Lord. Second, the order which is observed by all the churches of the western, southern, and northern parts, and by some also in the eastern is quite suitable. Therefore, at the current time, we all thought it was proper that you, intelligent as you are, would also cheerfully accept what is observed with such general unanimity of sentiment in the city of Rome, throughout Italy, Africa, all Egypt, Spain, France, Britain, Libya, the whole of Greece, and the dioceses of Asia, Pontus, and Cilicia. I pledged myself that this solution would satisfy you after you carefully examined it, especially as I considered that not only are the majority of congregations located in the places just mentioned, but also that we all have a most sacred obligation, to unite in desiring whatever common sense seems to demand, and what has no association with the perjury of the Jews.

(11) But to sum up matters briefly, it was determined by common consent that the most holy festival of Easter should be solemnized on one and the same day; for it is not at all decent that there should be in such a sacred serious matter any difference. It is quite commendable to adopt this option which has nothing to do with any strange errors, nor deviates from what is right.

(12) Since these things are consistent, gladly receive this heavenly and truly divine command. For whatever is done in the sacred assemblies of the bishops can be traced to Divine will. Therefore, once you have demonstrated the things which have been prescribed to all our beloved brothers, it would be good for you to make public the above written statements and to accept the reasoning which has proved itself to be sound, and to establish this observance of the most holy day. In this way, when I arrive to check on your condition, which I have desired earnestly for some time, I will be able to celebrate the sacred festival with you on one and the same day, and will rejoice with you for all things, as I see that through our efforts divine power is frustrating Satan’s cruelty, and that your faith, peace, and unity are flourishing everywhere.

May God preserve you, beloved brothers.

Source: NPNF vol. 2, p. 14-16, adapted by AJW.  Other translations in Eusebius (NPNF vol. 1, p. 524-5) and Theodoret (NPNF vol. 3, p. 47-8).

Easter and Ishtar—the Babylonian and Assyrian Fertility Goddess:

The name “Easter” comes from the name of the Babylonian and Assyrian fertility goddess Ishtar. This is what the Encyclopedia Britannica says about Ishtar, “…the chief goddess of Babylonia and Assyria, the counterpart of the Phoenician Astarte (q.v.) The earliest written form of the name is Ash-dar, an Accadian rendering of the older Sumerian Innîni, ‘Lady of Heaven.’ Ishtar was the Semitic deity identified with the Sumerian Venus. For this reason Asdar, Ishtar, is undoubtedly the same deity as the south Arabian Athtar, god of the planet Venus. At all events it is now generally recognized that the name is Semitic in its origin. Where the name originated is likewise uncertain, but the indications point to Erech, where we find the worship of a great Sumerian mother-goddess having no association with a male counterpart flourishing in the oldest period of Babylonian history. She appears under various names, among which are Nanâ, Innanna, Ninâ and annuit. As early as the days of Khammurabi we find these various names which represented originally different goddesses, though all manifest as the chief trait the life-giving power united in Ishtar. Even when the older names are employed it is always the great mother-goddess who is meant. Ishtar is the one goddess in the pantheon who retains her independent position despite and throughout all changes that the Babylonian-Assyrian religion undergoes.” (14th edition, vol. 12, p. 707)

Since Astarte is the same principal goddess, let’s see what is said about her under this name, “A Semitic goddess whose name appears in the Bible as Ashtoreth. She is everywhere the great female principle answering to the Baal of the Canaanites and Phoenicians and to the Dagon of the Philistines. She had temples at Sidon and at Tyre (whence her worship was transplanted to Carthage), and the Philistines probably venerated her at Ascalon (1 Sam. Xxxi. 10). Solomon built a high-place for her at Jerusalem which lasted until the days of King Josiah (I. Kings xi. 5; II. Kings xxiii. 13), and the extent of her cult among the Israelites is proved as much by the numerous biblical references as by the frequent representations of the deity turned up on Palestinian soil. The Moabites formed a compound deity, Ashtar-Chemosh and the absence of the feminine termination occurs similarly in the Babylonian and Assyrian prototype Ishtar. The old South Arabian phonetic equivalent ‘Athtar’ is, however, a male deity. Another compound, properly of mixed sex, appears in the Aramaean Atargatis (‘At[t]ar-‘athe), worn down to Derketo, who is specifically associated with sacred pools and fish (Ascalon, Hierapolis-Mabog).

“As the great nature-goddess, the attributes of fertility and reproduction are characteristically hers, as also the accompanying immorality which originally, perhaps, was often nothing more than primitive magic. As patroness of the hunt, later identification with Artemis was inevitable. Hence the consequent fusion with Aphrodite, Artemis, Diana, Juno and Venus, and the action and reaction of one upon the other in myth and legend. Her star was the planet Venus, and classical writers give her the epithet Caelestis and Urania. Robertson Smith argues that Astarte was originally a sheep-goddess, and the points to the interesting use of ‘Astartes of the flocks’ (Deut. Vii. 13) to denote the offspring. To nomads, Astarte may well have been a sheep-goddess, but this, if her earliest, was not her only type, as it clear from the sacred fish of Atargatis, the doves of Ascalon (and of the Phoenician sanctuary of Eryx), and the gazelle or antelope of the goddess of love (associated with the Arabian Athtar). (Encyclopedia Britannica, 14th Edition, Vol. 2, pp. 570-571)

Ishtar was also known as the pagan “Lady or Queen of Heaven.” Yahweh told Jeremiah, “Do you not see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?  The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead dough to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and they pour out drink offerings to other gods in order to spite Me.  Do they spite Me?” declares Yahweh. “Is it not themselves they spite, to their own shame?” Jeremiah 7: 17-19.

Alexander Hislop has this to say, “The hot cross buns of Good Friday, and the dyed eggs of Pasch or Easter Sunday, figured in the Chaldean rites just as they do now. The ‘buns,’ known too by that identical name, were used in the worship of the queen of heaven, the goddess Easter, as early as the days of Cecrops, the founder of Athens—that is, 1500 years before the Christian era. ‘One species of sacred bred,’ says Bryant, ‘which used to be offered to the gods, was of great antiquity, and called Boun.’ Diogenes Laertius, speaking of this offering being made by Empedocles, describes the chief ingredients of which it was composed, saying, ‘He offered one of the sacred cakes called Boun, which was made of fine flour and honey’.” (The Two Babylons, pp. 107-108)

Source: http://www.amightywind.com/passover/lambvsham.htm

You Decide: Passover or Easter?  Which of the two do you think is from Yahweh and does it matter?

Here’s a hint: “I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.  You shall have no other gods before Me.  You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.  You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” (Exodus 20: 2-6)

You may want to examine these websites for more information:

There is One Elohim. His Name is Yahweh.  We are not Him.

Question: If believers know that Easter is a fertility celebration for the goddess Ishtar, why do they celebrate it rather than Passover?

Question: If believers don’t know the facts about Easter, why?

Bottom line: The difference between Passover and Easter is enormous and it matters to Yahweh.  He ordained Passover, but Easter is a pagan celebration.  Those are the facts.

Yahweh commanded us to distinguish between the holy and the profane in Ezekiel 22: 26.  Like oil and water, they do not mix.

Keep these facts in mind as you decide who you will follow.

SnyderTalk Comment:

In the scheme of things, we are tiny, but we matter a great deal to Yahweh.  He is the Creator, and He created us for a purpose.

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13--Perspectives 2

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CNN—Parameters of the tentative Iran nuclear deal:

(CNN)—Parameters for a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Nuclear Program

Below are the key parameters of a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran’s nuclear program that were decided in Lausanne, Switzerland. These elements form the foundation upon which the final text of the JCPOA will be written between now and June 30, and reflect the significant progress that has been made in discussions between the P5+1, the European Union, and Iran. Important implementation details are still subject to negotiation, and nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. We will work to conclude the JCPOA based on these parameters over the coming months.

Enrichment

  • Iran has agreed to reduce by approximately two-thirds its installed centrifuges. Iran will go from having about 19,000 installed today to 6,104 installed under the deal, with only 5,060 of these enriching uranium for 10 years. All 6,104 centrifuges will be IR-1s, Iran’s first-generation centrifuge.
  • Iran has agreed to not enrich uranium over 3.67 percent for at least 15 years.
  • Iran has agreed to reduce its current stockpile of about 10,000 kg of low-enriched uranium (LEU) to 300 kg of 3.67 percent LEU for 15 years.
  • All excess centrifuges and enrichment infrastructure will be placed in IAEA monitored storage and will be used only as replacements for operating centrifuges and equipment.
  • Iran has agreed to not build any new facilities for the purpose of enriching uranium for 15 years.
  • Iran’s breakout timeline — the time that it would take for Iran to acquire enough fissile material for one weapon — is currently assessed to be 2 to 3 months. That timeline will be extended to at least one year, for a duration of at least ten years, under this framework.

Iran will convert its facility at Fordow so that it is no longer used to enrich uranium

  • Iran has agreed to not enrich uranium at its Fordow facility for at least 15 years.
  • Iran has agreed to convert its Fordow facility so that it is used for peaceful purposes only — into a nuclear, physics, technology, research center.
  • Iran has agreed to not conduct research and development associated with uranium enrichment at Fordow for 15 years.
  • Iran will not have any fissile material at Fordow for 15 years.
  • Almost two-thirds of Fordow’s centrifuges and infrastructure will be removed. The remaining centrifuges will not enrich uranium. All centrifuges and related infrastructure will be placed under IAEA monitoring.

Iran will only enrich uranium at the Natanz facility, with only 5,060 IR-1 first-generation centrifuges for ten years.

  • Iran has agreed to only enrich uranium using its first generation (IR-1 models) centrifuges at Natanz for ten years, removing its more advanced centrifuges.
  • Iran will remove the 1,000 IR-2M centrifuges currently installed at Natanz and place them in IAEA monitored storage for ten years.
  • Iran will not use its IR-2, IR-4, IR-5, IR-6, or IR-8 models to produce enriched uranium for at least ten years. Iran will engage in limited research and development with its advanced centrifuges, according to a schedule and parameters which have been agreed to by the P5+1.
  • For ten years, enrichment and enrichment research and development will be limited to ensure a breakout timeline of at least 1 year. Beyond 10 years, Iran will abide by its enrichment and enrichment R&D plan submitted to the IAEA, and pursuant to the JCPOA, under the Additional Protocol resulting in certain limitations on enrichment capacity.

Inspections and Transparency

  • The IAEA will have regular access to all of Iran’s nuclear facilities, including to Iran’s enrichment facility at Natanz and its former enrichment facility at Fordow, and including the use of the most up-to-date, modern monitoring technologies.
  • Inspectors will have access to the supply chain that supports Iran’s nuclear program. The new transparency and inspections mechanisms will closely monitor materials and/or components to prevent diversion to a secret program.
  • Inspectors will have access to uranium mines and continuous surveillance at uranium mills, where Iran produces yellowcake, for 25 years.
  • Inspectors will have continuous surveillance of Iran’s centrifuge rotors and bellows production and storage facilities for 20 years. Iran’s centrifuge manufacturing base will be frozen and under continuous surveillance.
  • All centrifuges and enrichment infrastructure removed from Fordow and Natanz will be placed under continuous monitoring by the IAEA.
  • A dedicated procurement channel for Iran’s nuclear program will be established to monitor and approve, on a case by case basis, the supply, sale, or transfer to Iran of certain nuclear-related and dual use materials and technology — an additional transparency measure.
  • Iran has agreed to implement the Additional Protocol of the IAEA, providing the IAEA much greater access and information regarding Iran’s nuclear program, including both declared and undeclared facilities.
  • Iran will be required to grant access to the IAEA to investigate suspicious sites or allegations of a covert enrichment facility, conversion facility, centrifuge production facility, or yellowcake production facility anywhere in the country.
  • Iran has agreed to implement Modified Code 3.1 requiring early notification of construction of new facilities.
  • Iran will implement an agreed set of measures to address the IAEA’s concerns regarding the Possible Military Dimensions (PMD) of its program.

Reactors and Reprocessing

  • Iran has agreed to redesign and rebuild a heavy water research reactor in Arak, based on a design that is agreed to by the P5+1, which will not produce weapons grade plutonium, and which will support peaceful nuclear research and radioisotope production.
  • The original core of the reactor, which would have enabled the production of significant quantities of weapons-grade plutonium, will be destroyed or removed from the country.
  • Iran will ship all of its spent fuel from the reactor out of the country for the reactor’s lifetime.
  • Iran has committed indefinitely to not conduct reprocessing or reprocessing research and development on spent nuclear fuel.
  • Iran will not accumulate heavy water in excess of the needs of the modified Arak reactor, and will sell any remaining heavy water on the international market for 15 years.
  • Iran will not build any additional heavy water reactors for 15 years.

Sanctions

  • Iran will receive sanctions relief, if it verifiably abides by its commitments.
  • U.S. and E.U. nuclear-related sanctions will be suspended after the IAEA has verified that Iran has taken all of its key nuclear-related steps. If at any time Iran fails to fulfill its commitments, these sanctions will snap back into place.
  • The architecture of U.S. nuclear-related sanctions on Iran will be retained for much of the duration of the deal and allow for snap-back of sanctions in the event of significant non-performance.
  • All past UN Security Council resolutions on the Iran nuclear issue will be lifted simultaneous with the completion, by Iran, of nuclear-related actions addressing all key concerns (enrichment, Fordow, Arak, PMD, and transparency).
  • However, core provisions in the UN Security Council resolutions — those that deal with transfers of sensitive technologies and activities — will be re-established by a new UN Security Council resolution that will endorse the JCPOA and urge its full implementation. It will also create the procurement channel mentioned above, which will serve as a key transparency measure. Important restrictions on conventional arms and ballistic missiles, as well as provisions that allow for related cargo inspections and asset freezes, will also be incorporated by this new resolution.
  • A dispute resolution process will be specified, which enables any JCPOA participant, to seek to resolve disagreements about the performance of JCPOA commitments.
  • If an issue of significant non-performance cannot be resolved through that process, then all previous UN sanctions could be re-imposed.
  • U.S. sanctions on Iran for terrorism, human rights abuses, and ballistic missiles will remain in place under the deal.

Phasing

  • For ten years, Iran will limit domestic enrichment capacity and research and development — ensuring a breakout timeline of at least one year. Beyond that, Iran will be bound by its longer-term enrichment and enrichment research and development plan it shared with the P5+1.
  • For fifteen years, Iran will limit additional elements of its program. For instance, Iran will not build new enrichment facilities or heavy water reactors and will limit its stockpile of enriched uranium and accept enhanced transparency procedures.
  • Important inspections and transparency measures will continue well beyond 15 years. Iran’s adherence to the Additional Protocol of the IAEA is permanent, including its significant access and transparency obligations. The robust inspections of Iran’s uranium supply chain will last for 25 years.
  • Even after the period of the most stringent limitations on Iran’s nuclear program, Iran will remain a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which prohibits Iran’s development or acquisition of nuclear weapons and requires IAEA safeguards on its nuclear program.

SnyderTalk Comment: A deal with the devil never works out the way you hope.

Scott Horsley: Obama’s Diplomatic Gamble On Iran Adding Instability In Middle East—Even before he became president, Barack Obama was imagining the possibilities of a diplomatic breakthrough with Iran. His willingness to reverse decades of official U.S. hostility was one of the things that set Obama apart on the campaign trail. “We have to have a clear break with the Bush-Cheney style of diplomacy that has caused so many problems,” Obama told NBC’s Meet the Press in November 2007. Polls suggest most Americans have come around to supporting a deal that would relax economic sanctions against Iran in exchange for limits on that country’s nuclear program. But analysts say in carrying out his diplomatic gamble, Obama has added to instability in the Middle East. “In this region — broken, angry, and dysfunctional — this president doesn’t have a whole lot to point to,” said Aaron David Miller of the Wilson Center. “In fact, you could argue that this region is profoundly worse than it was in 2008.” Longtime diplomat Hillary Mann Leverett applauds Obama’s original vision of renewing ties that were severed after the Iranian Revolution in 1979. “It doesn’t mean giving up one ally for another,” said Mann Levertt, co-author of Going to Tehran. “It does mean having more of a balance, where a natural, large power like Iran serves as a balance to some of the even reckless impulses of our allies.”

SnyderTalk Comment: Obama ignited the instability in the Middle East with his Cairo speech in 2009.  Let’s assume that he knew what he was doing.  That means he’s getting exactly what he wanted.

Ahmed Vahdat and Richard Spencer: Press Aide to Iranian President Defects— A close media aide to Hassan Rouhani, the Iranian president, has sought political asylum in Switzerland after travelling to Lausanne to cover the nuclear talks between Tehran and the West. Amir Hossein Motaghi, who managed public relations for Mr Rouhani during his 2013 election campaign, was said by Iranian news agencies to have quit his job at the Iran Student Correspondents Association (ISCA). He then appeared on an opposition television channel based in London to say he no longer saw any “sense” in his profession as a journalist as he could only write what he was told. “There are a number of people attending on the Iranian side at the negotiations who are said to be journalists reporting on the negotiations,” he told Irane Farda television. “But they are not journalists and their main job is to make sure that all the news fed back to Iran goes through their channels. “My conscience would not allow me to carry out my profession in this manner any more.” Mr Mottaghi was a journalist and commentator who went on to use social media successfully to promote Mr Rouhani to a youthful audience that overwhelmingly elected him to power.

SnyderTalk Comment: I wish Obama was paying attention, but that seems to be asking for the impossible.

The other alternative is that he is paying attention and he’s getting just what he wants.  Now that’s a scary thought.

Reuters: Iran seeks nuclear deal, but not normal ties with ‘Great Satan’—Iran is not expected to normalise relations with the United States even if Tehran reaches agreement with world powers on its nuclear programme, officials and analysts said. The United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China are trying to reach a deal with Iran aimed at stopping Tehran being able to develop a nuclear bomb in exchange for an easing of sanctions that are crippling its economy. Loyalists of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, drawn from among Islamists and Revolutionary Guards who fear continued economic hardship might cause the collapse of the establishment, have agreed to back President Hassan Rouhani’s pragmatic readiness to negotiate a nuclear deal, Iranian officials said. “But it will not go beyond that and he (Khamenei) will not agree with normalizing ties with America,” said an official, who spoke in condition of anonymity.

SnyderTalk Comment: See “Obama is charging toward an Iran deal, no matter what”.

Herb Keinon: Ya’alon: You Don’t Have to Be in Intelligence to Know that Iran Is Lying—Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said that “one does not have to be an intelligence agency member to know that Iran is lying without blinking.” The “Iranian appetite to export the revolution through terrorism will only get bigger; and with the seal of approval it receives as a legitimate state that is a touching distance away from being nuclear, the danger to the West and its allies in the Middle East will be enormous.” Former director-general of the Strategic Affairs Ministry Yossi Kuperwasser noted: “We have said many times that we retain the option of doing whatever we see as necessary in order to slow down the way the Iranians move forward toward a nuclear weapon.” “There are ways to keep Iran from nuclear capability,” he said, without elaborating. Kuperwasser said that once an accord is signed, “There will be a reluctance on behalf of many of those signed on the agreement to expose the violations of the Iranians.” Israel’s job will be to be a “watchdog” to tell the world what is happening inside Iran.

SnyderTalk Comment: You don’t have to be “in intelligence” or even intelligent to know that Iran is lying.  That says a lot about Obama, Kerry, and the U.S. national security apparatus.

See “Report Says Iran May Be Keeping Elements of Nuclear Program in Syria, North Korea”.

Fox News: Netanyahu accuses Iran of trying to ‘conquer the entire Middle East’ amid looming nuclear deal—Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Sunday that Iran is trying to “conquer the entire Middle East” as the West appears close to signing a pending nuclear deal with Israel’s arch-enemy. “This deal, as it appears to be emerging, bears out all of our fears, and even more than that,” Netanyahu told his cabinet in Jerusalem, according to Reuters. The United States, Iran, and five other world powers are working toward a March 31 deadline to reach a nuclear deal. The nations are meeting in Lusanne, Switzerland, and Netanyahu said he has “deep concern” over the pending deal. Netanyahu added that he conveyed those fears to visiting American lawmakers, warning that the looming deal appears to “corroborate all our concerns and then some.”

SnyderTalk Comment: See “‘Dangerous accord’ with Iran worse than Israel feared: PM”.  Don’t discount Netanyahu’s concerns and the concerns of Arab Muslim countries in the Middle East.  They are real; they are serious; and they are critical.  Something must be done no matter what Obama does.

Also see “Nuclear deal would reward Iran for Yemen ‘aggression’” and “Iran says US drone killed 2 advisers in Iraq”.

Obama has placed the United States in the most untenable position that I have seen in my lifetime.  It’s shocking, and it keeps getting worse by the day.

Only one Person can sort out this mess.  His Name is Yahweh.

Smadar Perry: Yemen Is Part of Iran’s Mideast Master Plan—During a tour Wednesday of the Saudi-Yemen border, Saudi defense minister Crown Prince Salman warned the Houthi rebels: “We are committed to the security of the Yemeni people. If you continue to undermine the stability and threaten Saudi Arabia, you will get hit hard.” A spokesman for the Houthi rebels responded: “Your army is weak. Today we are more skilled. When we decide to invade, we won’t stop in the city of Mecca, but will continue on to Riyadh to topple the government institutions.” Yemen President Hadi appealed to the UN Security Council to declare Yemen a no-fly zone and thus put an end to Iran’s supply by air of weapons, military equipment and thousands of instructors and fighters to the rebel forces. Without the help of Yemen’s neighbors in the Gulf, Iran will continue to make progress towards its ultimate goal – regime change in Saudi Arabia. “The ayatollahs of Iran seek to take control of the Strait of Bab el-Mandeb so they can determine who can cross the Red Sea to the Suez Canal,” says Dr. Yasser bin Hilal, a political science lecturer at the University of Sana’a. “If they are successful, it will also affect the movement of ships sailing with goods from the Far East to the port of Ashdod in Israel. Try to picture the nightmare scenario – fighters in the uniforms of the Revolutionary Guards directing maritime traffic, boarding cargo ships, checking the cargoes and crew, and blocking passage to anything that doesn’t serve their interests.”

Margaret Brennan: What happens if nuclear talks with Iran fail?— As the U.S. helps an Arab coalition carry out bombing runs against Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen, it is trying hard to avoid taking its own military action to destroy Tehran’s nuclear program. That threat of force is the leverage underpinning these negotiations in Lausanne to peacefully persuade Iran to freeze its nuclear development for a decade or more. Yet few diplomats believe that armed confrontation with Iran is imminent should diplomats fail to reach an agreement by the self-imposed end-of-March deadline. “If you look at something like military action, you know the president has said all options are on the table, but who wants at this point to undertake another military action in a region that is already on fire in so many places, who wants to sign the U.S. up for that?” State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf told CBS News. “I don’t hear a lot of people saying that.” The more likely consequence is another round of punishing financial sanctions on Iran. The trump card Tehran holds is that it could decide to use that pressure as an excuse to charge ahead with the nuclear development that the U.S. believes it had put on hold for the duration of these talks.

Chris Driver-Williams, Joseph Raskas, and Richard Kemp: The US must confront Tehran: Achieving cooperation through coercion—Legislators weighing a vote on whether to curtail or continue sanctions against Iran should view the nuclear talks in the context of the regime’s continued confrontation with the West – like Iranian leaders do. Since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Iran has consistently responded to American overtures of peace with brutal force. When Ayatollah Khomenei sensed weakness in president Jimmy Carter, he increased hostile actions toward the US. Now, when Washington is downsizing the production of aircraft carriers, Tehran is conducting exercises to blow them up. Iran’s militant Islamic creed promotes confrontation with the West. Immediately after 9/11, some in the policy community suggested the US and Iran shared a mutual interest in stabilizing the region. Only later, when it was irrefutably discovered that Iran was facilitating both sides of the conflict and funneling weapons to insurgent groups that killed US and allied troops, did the idea fall into disfavor. It should not be forgotten that Iranian-sponsored attacks killed an estimated 1,100 US soldiers in Iraq between 2003 and 2010. Currently, the US is conducting air strikes in Iraq and Syria in effective cooperation with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard to dislodge marauding Sunni militias. Yet, depending on further US action in Iraq and Syria, Iran will likely resume proxy attacks against American troops. Because Iranian foreign policy is driven by bellicosity toward the US, it is by definition impossible for Iranian leaders to abandon hostility against the West without undermining the raison d’etre of the Islamic regime.

Walter Russell Mead: Free Fall in the Middle East—The mainstream media will still do all it can to avoid connecting the dots or drawing attention to the stark isolation in which the White House now finds itself as ally after ally drops away. It still doesn’t want to admit that the “smart diplomacy” crowd has been about as effective at making a foreign policy as the famous emperor’s smooth-talking tailors were at making a new suit of clothes. The shocked silence of the foreign policy establishment, the absence of any statements of support from European or Asian allies about our Middle East course, the evidence that the President and the “senior officials” whom he trusts continue to be blindsided by major developments they didn’t expect and haven’t provided for: all of this tells us that our Middle East policy is in free fall.

Jeff Guo: Should we give fetuses painkillers before we abort them?— If you poke a fetus of a certain gestational age, it might recoil. Its body might release stress hormones. Its neural pathways might sputter. But is it in pain? Antiabortion advocates say yes. For years, they’ve used the pain claim to justify bans on abortions beyond 20 weeks after conception. Twelve states have such “pain-capable unborn protection” laws, according to the National Right to Life Committee. West Virginia became the latest state to join after the legislature overrode a governor’s veto in March, the first such veto in decades. Yesterday, a more unusual fetal-pain bill passed the Montana house. HB 479 would not outlaw abortions, but after 20 weeks, it would require doctors to give fetuses painkillers before aborting them, or performing any kind of “invasive” medical procedure.

SnyderTalk Comment: This is sick.  The thought of asking such a ridiculous question would have been preposterous a few years ago.

The “fetus” isn’t tissue.  It’s a live human being.  It’s as alive as you are and I am.  It’s just in the womb.

Now we are beginning to wonder if giving the baby a pain killer before we murder it is the civilized thing to do.

The civilized thing to do is not to murder it.

Do you see how depraved our country has become?  It’s no wonder that Obama can get away with murder without having to face the wrath of the electorate.  We have lost any sense or morality.

Voters may not care, but Yahweh does.  One day voters will get that message loud and clear from Yahweh Himself.

Gill Hoffman: Analysis: Olmert as a warning to new Knesset members—When the 39 new Knesset members arrive at the parliament for their swearing-in ceremony Tuesday afternoon, they will see several symbolic reminders. The Menorah opposite the Knesset that they will see when they drive up to their new workplace is intended to remind them of the need to remain united, like its counterpart in the Holy Temple that was made from one undivided piece of gold. They will enter the parliament through the Holocaust themed gate designed by sculptor David Palombo, which will remind the new MKs of the dark days of the Jewish people and the importance of a Jewish state. When they sit down in the plenum, they will watch the speaker standing before what purposely looks like the Western Wall to remember the prayers of generations for the return of the Jewish people to Jerusalem.

Edward-Isaac Dovere: White House to Netanyahu: Your move—A dozen Jewish House Democrats laid it out for deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes during a meeting in the Longworth House Office Building last week: Enough. They’re just as upset about what Benjamin Netanyahu said ruling out a two-state solution, but President Barack Obama didn’t need to keep reminding them and everyone else. Obama and his aides, they said, had to stop acting as if the Israeli prime minister’s comments are the only thing holding up a peace process that’s been abandoned for a year while not expressing a word of disappointment about Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas — and openly toying with allowing the Palestinians their provocative recognition bid at the United Nations. The swipes at Netanyahu felt vindictive, and gratuitous.

Josh Hicks: Former intelligence official: Obama’s Middle East policy is ‘willful ignorance’—The former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency on Sunday described President Obama’s Middle East policy as one of “willful ignorance,” saying the administration needs a clearer strategy for dealing with conflicts emerging across the region. Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn said during an interview on “Fox News Sunday” that recent developments in the Middle East are moving in a bad direction for the United States, with Iran “clearly on the march” to influence events in a “regional sectarian war.”

Ali Alfoneh and Reuel Marc Gerecht: What Else Is Iran Hiding?—As Olli Heinonen, a former No. 2 at the International Atomic Energy Agency, has warned, outsiders really can have no idea where and how fast the mullahs could build a nuclear weapon unless they know what Iranian engineers have done in the past. Without “go anywhere, anytime” access for IAEA inspectors and a thorough accounting of Tehran’s weaponization research, we will be blind to Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

Geoff Dyer: US counters Iran as Middle East conundrum confronts Obama—As the US closes in on a possible nuclear deal with Tehran that could end decades of estrangement with the west, the Obama administration has simultaneously found itself scrambling to curb Iran’s influence in the Middle East. The conflicting moves are a result of the chaos that has spread across the region in recent months, leaving the Obama administration facing a jaw-droppingly complex set of crises that are placing the US on different sides of the region’s Sunni-Shia divide in different countries. Over the last week, American support for the Saudi-led military operation in Yemen and its own intervention in the battle for Tikrit in Iraq have both acted as checks on Iranian interests even as diplomats in Switzerland haggle over the last points of a potential nuclear agreement. Whether the new pressure on Iran is part of a broader strategy or is just a response to rapidly-shifting crises remains unclear. However, it does reflect one of the hidden dynamics of the nuclear talks: if the US strikes a deal with Iran, it will find itself under intense pressure to stand up to Tehran from Middle East allies who fear the nuclear diplomacy will usher in Iranian domination of the region.

SnyderTalk Comment: See “President Obama’s golf weekend getaway”—“President Obama took to the golf course for his 223rd round of golf since taking office. His golf weekend getaway started on Saturday and played through Sunday.”

Obama reminds me of MAD Magazine’s Alfred E. Neuman: “What—me Worry?”

Nothing worries our Commander-in-Chief, not even the multitude of crises that he has ignited around the world.  I’ll bet he’s as good at golf as he is at running a country.

Hint: Don’t believe anything you hear about his golf scores or his handicap because he cheats.

Harry Moskoff: Superpowers colliding: American and Israel—Here are the questions the pundits are now asking: Who dominates the relationship in the alliance of America and Israel? Where will all this end up? Let’s approach the subject in terms of the parallel universe of the (ever-resurrected) “peace process.” Some things just never end, so we might as well take this example as a lever. I mean, really. Even after the Palestinian Authority went to the International Criminal Court to register claims against the Israeli Army for alleged war crimes, and Israel called it quits in pursuance of the two-state solution, we still see that the US insists upon making the peace process an issue between the two countries. After years of flying back and forth negotiating between the Americans and Israelis, Kerry failed to persuade the Palestinian leadership to come down from their tree and accept a Jewish State in order to procure a final status agreement. Afterwards, when PM Netanyahu was re-elected, the EU, UN and the US together sounded a chorus for getting the peace talks started again.  Why the insistence, against all rationality, on resuming this process?

Michael Curtis: No International Amnesty for the Palestinians— A senior White House official, who had perhaps recently seen the film The Godfather, was heard to remark “It’s not personal; it’s strictly business” when commenting on the attitude of the U.S. administration toward the Israeli prime minister. One might accept the administration position if President Barack Obama had taken “yes” for an answer when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu retracted his statement that a Palestinian state would not be established during his tenure.  Using imperial language, Obama said in an interview with the Huffington Post on March 25, 2015, “We believe that Netanyahu meant it[.] … Instead, ‘we’ need to reconsider the options available to us to ensure that we do not see further deterioration in the region.” Those options might involve United States approval of the Palestinian Authority’s intention to bring charges of war crimes against Israel to the International Criminal Court.  This is indeed a moment to review the situation, with all its trials and tribulations.

Jackson Diehl: The “Obama Framework” for Israel and the Palestinians—For nearly half a century, the U.S. has taken the position that the terms for a peace settlement between Israelis and Palestinians must come about as the result of negotiations and not as an imposition by outside parties. Now Obama is contemplating going forward with a UN resolution that was drafted last year by Secretary of State John Kerry and his Mideast negotiations team at the State Department. The administration’s language would probably stipulate that Palestine’s territory would be based on Israel’s pre-1967 borders with the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with territorial swaps to allow Israel’s annexation of some Jewish settlements. Most likely it would declare that Jerusalem would be the capital of both nations. Israeli officials, who are aware of the U.S. draft, say that while these terms, much sought by the Palestinians, would be very specific, some of Israel’s biggest priorities would be covered by much vaguer language. A description of security arrangements would glide over the question of exactly how the West Bank and Gaza would be prevented from becoming a launching pad for attacks on Israel, while the question of Palestinian refugees would be dispatched with a call for an “agreed solution.” The U.S. draft probably would stipulate that Israel would remain the homeland of the Jewish people. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas’ categorical rejection of that principle helped to cause the breakdown of Kerry’s diplomacy, and it would almost certainly mean that the Palestinians would join Israelis in rejecting the resolution. Obama’s hope would be that his initiative could win unanimous support from the Security Council and thus set the terms of reference for a future settlement. At a minimum, diplomats who now talk of the “Clinton parameters” from 2000 would henceforth speak of the “Obama framework.”

Burak Bekdil: Turkey: Is the AKP’s “Spell” Reversing?— When Turkey’s Islamists came together under the roof of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in 2001 and reflagged themselves as conservative democrats, they did not know they would have to get quickly organized for early parliamentary elections in slightly over a year. They did so, and successfully. But they probably could not imagine that in 14 years time they would have won seven elections — three parliamentary, three local and one presidential — in addition to two referendum victories, and are heading for a 10th win on June 7, in less than three months’ time. At the moment, the AKP remains challenged only by a relatively weak opposition, made up from social democrats, nationalists and Kurds. A recent opinion poll, released in March by Gezici Research Company, put AKP’s popularity at (a lowest among all polls so far) 39.3%, with the social democrats at 29.6%, nationalists at 17.7% and Kurds at 11%.

SnyderTalk Comment: I hope the spell is reversing.  The people of Turkey are too smart to allow a nincompoop like Erdogan and his band of Islamist rabble-rousers to undermine their basic freedoms and change the character of their country.  I am praying for my friends in Turkey.

Remember that the Christian church grew up in Turkey.  I’m not talking about the institutional church.  I’m referring to believers who were welcomed in the country that we call Turkey today.

The institutional church grew up in Rome, and we know where that led us.  This week is a perfect example.  The institutional church 1) rejected the Fourth Commandment [the Sabbath—a sign between Yahweh and His people], 2) changed the date of Passover and called it Ishtar [today we call it Easter], and 3) instituted a new celebration for the sun god [today we call it Christmas].

Far too few believers have any idea how important these changes were.  One day they will.

Ben Cohen: Obama, Not Netanyahu, is Killing the Two-State Solution— President Barack Obama is correct. There is, as he said on Tuesday, no realistic prospect of a Palestinian state being created through a diplomatic process for the foreseeable future. “What we can’t do is pretend that there’s a possibility for something that’s not there,” Obama said. “And we can’t continue to premise our public diplomacy based on something that everybody knows is not going to happen at least in the next several years.” So that, it would seem, is that. In 2012, Obama confidently told the UN General Assembly, “The road is hard, but the destination is clear: a secure Jewish state of Israel and an independent, prosperous Palestine.” Now, he has conceded that his own journey is over and the destination remains virtually invisible upon the horizon. The elixir that is a final settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has eluded Obama, just as it did his predecessors.

SnyderTalk Comment: I agree that Obama’s actions have made the two-state solution increasingly unlikely, but he’s doing it inadvertently.  One of Obama’s many problems is that he can’t connect the dots.  Sometimes it works in our favor, but most of the time it doesn’t.

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SnyderTalk Comment: And Iran wants nuclear weapons for peaceful purposes?  If you believe that, I have some oceanfront property in Arizona that I will sell you.

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9--Jerusalem Post

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Can the Americans walk away from talks with Iran?

Sources: US may push renewed discussion of the Saudi peace initiative

Analysis: Emerging Iran deal is not a ‘sword at Israel’s throat’

U.S. Votes Against Anti-Israel Resolutions at UN Human Rights Council 

‘Biden told US Jews that Israel – not America – guaranteed their security’

Russia’s foreign minister to rejoin Iran talks, sees chance of success

As Palestinians go to ICC, NGO files war crimes complaint against Hamas

PLO member accuses Israel of war crimes over Har Homa

Jewish Democrats call on Obama to cool rhetoric against Netanyahu

‘The Resistance’ against Pope Francis

Shin Bet arrests Jerusalem man for joining ISIS in Syria, warns trend is a threat to Israel

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SnyderTalk Comment: If this were a movie, we would think that the leader was a fool.  Guess what.  It’s real, and he is.

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10--Arutz Sheva

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Biden: American Jews Can Only Rely on Israel, Not US

SnyderTalk Comment: That is an absolutely true statement.  Biden’s slips actually help sometimes.

This is the pertinent question: will American Jews understand that that means they should not vote for Democrats?

We’ll see.

Unconfirmed Report of Failure in Iran Talks

SnyderTalk Comment: I don’t know if this is true, but if it is, we can thank Prime Minister Netanyahu.

I’m not suggesting that failing to reach a deal with Iran will solve the Iran problem, but an agreement with Iran is much worse.

We need to be preparing for war with Iran.  It’s coming, and we can’t stop it.

Burying our heads in the sand won’t make the Iran problem go away.  Middle Eastern leaders know it, and they are preparing for war right now.

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Hamas to Face War Crimes Suit in US Department of Justice

Amplified Partisanship Splitting US Jewish Community

 20th Knesset Sworn In; Bibi’s Most Hawkish Gov’t?

Suspect Arrested in Assault on Yehonatan Geffen

IPS Begins Preparations for Olmert Prison Sentence

Likud: We Will Take 12 Portfolios in Next Gov’t

‘Anonymous’ Threatens ‘Electronic Holocaust’ 

Arab Rioting for ‘Land Day’ Hurts IDF Commander

Arab Leaders Warn ‘Explosion’ is Coming

PM: World Closing its Eyes to Iranian Aggression 

Expert: Yemen Conflict Could be Good for Israel

White House Denies Iran Backed Out of Agreement

PA Asks FIFA to Suspend Israel

Iran Confirms Defection of Journalist

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SnyderTalk Comment: And Iran wants nuclear weapons for peaceful purposes.

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11--THE TIMES OF ISRAEL

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Iran militia chief: Destroying Israel is ‘nonnegotiable’

SnyderTalk Comment: Is there anything about this statement that is confusing or unclear?  Israel is their first target.  Next comes Sunni Muslims, and next comes Europe and the U.S. 

Bottom Line: We are at war, but we are pretending that we are not.  The Iranians aren’t pretending.

Obama to dial back Israel critique after Jewish Dems push back — report

Boehner accuses Obama of ‘reprehensible animosity’ toward Netanyahu

Iran deal worse than Israel feared, Netanyahu says

Arab League unveils joint military force amid Yemen crisis

Netanyahu: 11th-hour Iran talks reward ‘aggression’

The problem from hell in an Iran deal: Verification

Russian FM leaving Iran talks, will return to clinch deal

Iran rejects shipping out nuclear material, as disputes persist

US Senate passes budget amendment to impose Iran sanctions

Peace for our time

SnyderTalk Comment: So says Obama.  Well-informed people say, “Nonsense.  It’s prelude to another world war.”

Former PM Olmert convicted of fraud, breach of trust in retrial

EU not reassessing relationship to Israel… yet, envoy says

Chaim Topol, best known as Fiddler’s Tevye, wins Israel Prize

Ancient Egyptian brewery found in downtown Tel Aviv

Congress’s Black Caucus firmly against Netanyahu, Newsweek says

SnyderTalk Comment: Actually, the CBC is firmly against Yahweh, but they don’t know it.  Netanyahu isn’t Yahweh, but at this moment, he is standing firm on an issue of immense importance to Him.

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SnyderTalk Comment: This isn’t complicated.  Why the fuss?

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12a--Other News

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Medieval remedy to treat eye infections found to kill MRSA superbug

SnyderTalk Comment: I’ll bet there are many more ancient remedies that work, too.  I’m glad they gave this one a try.

Special forces set to swarm Southwest and operate undetected among civilians in massive military exercise

French local elections: Conservatives triumph over left

Chilling images show new generation of black balaclava-wearing ISIS fanatics graduating from school of terror in Syria

SnyderTalk Comment: This article is important.  You should read it.

It includes pictures that will inform and alarm you.

If you have friends or family members who doubt the seriousness of the ISIS threat, you may want to pass it on to them.

Virginia State Bar cancels Israel trip, citing ‘discriminatory’ border policies

SnyderTalk Comment: I’ll bet that this is Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe’s doing.  I may be wrong, but it’s consistent with his political persuasion and his total disregard for anything holy.

Take a Sneak Peak at Israel’s Secret Submarine Fleet

The Middle East’s Growing Oil Demand Problem

US ends Boston Marathon bomb case with grisly photos and testimony

Obama-Netanyahu Rift Threatens US-Israel Bond

Hacker Group Anonymous Threatens Israel With ‘Electronic Holocaust’

UK: Whatever Happened to that Muslim Brotherhood Review?

Attempts to Undermine Democracies by Present Day Fifth Columnists

Christian Icons of Propaganda – Sabeel and Desmond Tutu

Abbas Wants Arabs to Bomb Gaza Strip

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SnyderTalk Comment: And Iran wants nuclear weapons for peaceful purposes.

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12b--TRIC

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Iran’s Nuclear Breakout Time: 7 to 8 Months 

Turkish President Warns Iran About Trying to Dominate Middle East

Iranian MP: Yemeni Missiles Can Hit Targets 500 Km. Inside Saudi Arabia

Hizbullah “Operating in Yemen” with Houthis

U.S.: Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Training, Equipping Yemen’s Houthi Rebels

Why Yemen Matters 

Arabs agree to form joint force as coalition strikes continue in Yemen

Saudi-led airstrikes shake Sanaa for fifth day as rebels push toward Aden

Republicans see Barack Obama as more imminent threat than Vladimir Putin

SnyderTalk Comment: It’s regrettable, but I think they are right.

Saudi Arabia just sharply attacked Putin for hypocrisy in the Middle East

Vladimir Putin says Russia will fight for the right of Palestinians to their own state

Iran Nuclear Talks: As Deadline Nears, Sticking Points Fester

Iran nuclear talks: ‘Tricky issues’ remain, Kerry says

US officials continue to press Iran to accept nuclear deal near deadline

Iran and Saudi Arabia’s cold war is making the Middle East even more dangerous

Iran Backs Away from Key Detail in Nuclear Deal

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Email Distribution List:

I have created an email distribution list that I use to notify people when I post a new SnyderTalk.  If you would like to be on that list, send your email address to nhsny@yahoo.com, and put “add me to your distribution list” in the subject line.  If you know others who are interested in SnyderTalk content, tell them to send me their email address, and I’ll put them on the list.

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SnyderTalk Comment:  I believe that Jim’s worst fears are correct.  The U.S. is in trouble with Yahweh thanks to Barack Obama.  If Yahweh singles out Obama, I will be very happy, but I know for a fact that this country elected him 2 times.  Knowing what we know about him, we still elected him.  I think the whole country is guilty.

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4--Scripture of the Day Yahweh

Exodus 4: 14-17

14 Then the anger of Yahweh burned against Moses, and He said, “Is there not your brother Aaron the Levite? I know that he speaks fluently. And moreover, behold, he is coming out to meet you; when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. 15 You are to speak to him and put the words in his mouth; and I, even I, will be with your mouth and his mouth, and I will teach you what you are to do. 16 Moreover, he shall speak for you to the people; and he will be as a mouth for you and you will be as God to him. 17 You shall take in your hand this staff, with which you shall perform the signs.”

SnyderTalk Comment: Read His Name is Yahweh.

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5--HNIY Print form 3

His Name is Yahweh explains why the Name of God, Yahweh, is so important.  It’s available in eBook format and in paperback.  It’s also available for free in PDF format.

  • God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘Yahweh, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This [Yahweh] is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.” (Exodus 3: 15)
  • “Therefore behold, I am going to make them know—this time I will make them know My power and My might; and they shall know that My name is Yahweh.” (Jeremiah 16: 21)
  • “Behold, the days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land. In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely; and this is His name by which He will be called, ‘Yahweh our righteousness.’” (Jeremiah 23: 5-6)
  • Yeshua said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” (John 8: 58)

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6--His Name is Yahweh Audio Presentation 5

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Yahweh is the Name of God Forever

Click here to download the entire audio presentation for free and with no strings attached.  Share it as often as you want.

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14--Blessings from Revelation 2

Blessings in the Book of Revelation is a book that you need to read, especially now.  There are blessings throughout the Scriptures but Revelation is the only book in the Bible actually containing a specific blessing for reading it. It’s repeated twice, once at the beginning and again at the end. This is the reason that I believe Revelation should be the first step toward studying biblical prophecy. Though not easy to do, Revelation can be broken down and understood by anyone, not just the academic elite. So, Revelation’s blessings are for everyone.  Click here to order the eBook.  Click here to order the paperback.

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Other Books by Neil Snyder

  • Stand! is a suspense novel that exposes the lies, corruption, and greed underlying the theory that man-made CO2 emissions are responsible for global warming. Professor Wes Carlyle and Karen Sterling, his research collaborator, carefully scan the audience for their would-be attacker—a member of the enviro-gestapo who has been following them for days.  Wes spots his man in the back of the room leaning against the wall.  Suddenly, another man in the audience steps forward and moves toward Karen at a menacing pace.  With a vicious stroke, he swings a billy club at her head.  Click here to order the eBook.  Click here to order the paperback.
  • What Will You Do with the Rest of Your Life? deals with a question that every Christian has to consider: what should I do with my life? Click here to order the eBook.  Click here to order the paperback.
  • Falsely Accused is a true story about a young woman who was accused of committing a double homicide. It’s about a travesty of justice, and it reveals Yahweh intervening in the life of a believer to rescue her from danger in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.  Everyone will enjoy the book, but young people in particular need to read it because the mistakes made that led to the problem could have been avoided.  They were the kinds of mistakes that young people are prone to make.  As they say, forewarned is forearmed.  Click here to order the eBook.  Click here to order the paperback.

15--Concentric Circles 5

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