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Temple Mount groups publish new data showing at least 12,125 Jews visited holy site in first half of current Jewish year, compared to 8,229 in comparable period last year—a 47% increase; actual number most likely higher, since report excludes Jews who visited independently. Kobi Nachshoni|Published:  03.20.18 , 09:41 Jewish Temple Mount organizations published new data showing that more than 12,000 people made a pilgrimage to the holy site in the first half of the current Hebrew year—an increase of almost 50 percent compared to the same period last year. In light of security tensions in Jerusalem and the fear of …

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ISIS has lost almost all its territory in Syria. 03/20/2018 – ISIS fighters holding a small district in Damascus have gained some ground after driving out Syrian army units that moved into a neighboring area that rebels abandoned last week, a war monitor said. In fighting that lasted 24 hours, the ultra-hardline militant group killed 36 Syrian soldiers, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The Syrian army could not immediately be reached for comment. The district of al-Qadam lies in the Syrian capital’s southern suburbs and has not been part of the month-long offensive waged by the army …

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03/20/2018 One year ago, two young princes began to forge a friendship at a lunch meeting in the White House’s regal State Dining Room. A snowstorm had kept away President Donald Trump’s scheduled guest that day, German Chancellor Angela Merkel – giving the president and his advisers, including son-in-law Jared Kushner, more time to spend with the visiting son of Saudi King Salman. Kushner and Prince Mohammed bin Salman, both in their 30s, had met before, but this would be their first formal sit-down since Trump’s inauguration, and a bond developed between the two men, according to people familiar with …

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03/20/2018 Russia is becoming “more aggressive,” a NATO leader warned Sunday Russia is becoming more “unpredictable and more aggressive” but to avoid war Western European allies must show force while continuing to neutralize the threat by other means, the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said. The concern is that Russia will continue to build up its nuclear weapons and invest in its military capabilities, he added.   Russia is becoming more “unpredictable and more aggressive” but to avoid war Western European allies must show force while continuing to neutralize the threat by other means, the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg …

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Ankara’s army and Syrian rebels celebrated taking over the once peaceful town, where armed Kurdish fighters say they are lying in wait and poised to strike  Monday, 19 March, 2018,  Turkish forces pillage Syrian city after expelling Kurdish fighters 18 Mar 2018 MIDDLE EAST Assad visits army troops near front in eastern Ghouta, Syria 18 Mar 2018 MIDDLE EAST Thousands more Syrians flee their homes as battles rage on Kurdish militants have vowed to wage a guerilla war against the Turkish military and their Syrian rebel proxies after the latter swept into the northern Syrian city of Afrin, seizing control …

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(Ft. Myers, Florida) — The following are excerpts from my new column for Fox News: 03/19/2018 Vladimir Putin didn’t simply secure re-election on Sunday, winning 77 percent of the vote in a rigged election. He has consolidated all power in his hands and emerged as a modern-day Czar. He has also set his country on a collision course with the West, one that could prove catastrophic. A close look at Putin’s record and rhetoric reveals a man consumed with re-creating a totalitarian state, expanding the country’s borders and rebuilding the glory of Mother Russia…. In the face of such a grave and …

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03/19/2018 The Syrian regime is preparing countermeasures against a possible American military offensive, the London-based Arabic-language Asharq al-Awsat daily reported this morning citing Western diplomats.   As part of these measures, Russian military forces were deployed in “sensitive targets” of the regime in order to deter the United States from striking there.   One of the diplomats said that Syrian President Bashar Assad met last Saturday with the heads of the army and defense establishment, and decided to take a series of precautions, including calling on Russia and Iran to provide Syria with protection. Ynet

Ankara may move refugee populations back over border after taking control of Kurdish area, enlarging its territory By AFP/03/18/2018  — The capture of Afrin from the Kurds by Turkish-led fighters on Sunday could have major repercussions for Syria’s protracted war. Here we look at what it means for Turkey, the Syrian regime, and the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) militia who were in control of the city. Get The Times of Israel’s Daily Edition by email and never miss our top storiesFREE SIGN UP What has Erdogan won? Forces led by Turkey launched an offensive on January 20 to retake the …

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President Morales promises 18,000 pro-Israel advocates he’ll relocate his embassy to holy city two days after the US does, for Israel’s 70th birthday By ERIC CORTELLESSA/03/04/2018 WASHINGTON — Guatemala’s president told the AIPAC Policy Conference on Sunday night that he will move his country’s embassy to Jerusalem in May, and that the relocation will take place two days after the United States moves its embassy to the holy city, to coincide with the 70th anniversary of Israel’s founding. “In May of this year, we will celebrate Israel’s 70th anniversary, and under my instructions two days after the US will move its embassy, …

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Billy Graham’s role as an influential adviser who made an enormous impact on Israel is reminiscent of the story we will read on Purim. BY TULY WEISZ  FEBRUARY 27, 2018 issie Graham-Lynch heard about the passing of her grandfather Billy Graham while she was visiting Israel last week. At a meeting in Jerusalem last Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally extended his condolences to Cissie and expressed his admiration and appreciation for the 99-year-old “pastor to the presidents” who had died just hours earlier. Graham’s role as an influential adviser who made an enormous impact on Israel is reminiscent of the story …

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02/26/2018 Speaking on February 1, 2018 in Mashhad, at the Conference for Support of the Palestinian Intifada, Ali Akbar Velayati, senior advisor to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, responded to Iranian critics of the regime who, during last month’s uprising, protested against Iran’s involvement in various battlefronts in the Middle East. Addressing an audience of students, he stated that Iran would maintain its involvement and presence in the region, in order to thwart the plots of Israel and the U.S., among other goals. The following are his main points, as reported by the Iranian news agencies ISNA and Fars. According …

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European Union and Arab League countries call for Jerusalem to be the joint capital of Israel and a future Palestinian state. Elad Benari, 27/02/18  European Union (EU) and Arab League countries on Monday called for Jerusalem to be the joint capital of Israel and a future Palestinian state, The Associated Press reported. Speaking after talks between EU and Arab League foreign ministers, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said that the “special status and character of the city must be preserved.” She added the two blocs “see eye to eye” that there can only be a two-state solution to the conflict, with Israel …

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PM wants to support Trump, thinks Palestinians should pay for boycotting peace effort, but said to fear a ‘disaster’ in Gaza Concerned that a threatened cut in US funding for the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA could lead to a humanitarian disaster in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is privately urging the Trump Administration not to implement the threat, a TV report claimed Thursday. “Behind the scenes, the prime minister is now in contact with the Americans in order to prevent the massive cut [in US funding for UNRWA] — to prevent it, you heard right,” the Hadashot news report …

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