OBAMA WATCH: 9.16.16 - Obama hands Syria over to Putin

Obama hands Syria over to Putin - http://www.debka.com/article/25656/Obama-hands-Syria-over-to-Putin-

 

The Syrian cease-fire agreement that US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced Friday night, September 9, in Geneva hands Syrian affairs over to Russia's President Vladimir Putin and the country's military.

 

The accord marked a sharp reversal for Washington. In his meeting with Putin in China last week, US President Barack Obama did not agree to those steps for the simple reason that such an agreement would be in line with the policy and stance of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, not those of the Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

 

Trump suggested several months ago that the US should let Putin finish the war in Syria, asserting that the Russian leader would be able to do it better.

 

Under the current situation it is no wonder that Kerry and Lavrov agreed not to release the details of the agreement. Publication of the details would reveal that the rebels in the Aleppo area, and perhaps in all of Syria, have been abandoned.

 

The Syrian rebels now find themselves trapped by both the Russian-Turkish agreement and the Russian-US agreement, with a noose seemingly closing around them.

 

Meanwhile, on Friday, debkafile released the following report:

 

The fledgling "initiatives" reverberating this week in Washington, Moscow, Ankara, Jerusalem and the G20 summit were nothing but distractions from the quiet deals struck by two lead players, Russia and Turkey to seize control of the region's affairs. Recep Tayyip Erdogan knew nothing would come of his offer on the G20 sidelines to US President Barack Obama to team up for a joint operation to evict ISIS from Raqqa. And, although Moscow was keen on hosting the first handshake in almost a decade between Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and the Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), neither were known to be ready for the last step toward a meeting.

 

But the game-changing events to watch out for took place in Hangzhou without fanfare - namely, the Obama-Putin talks and the far more fruitful encounter between Putin and Erdogan.

 

According to debkafile's intelligence and Mid East sources, Putin virtually shut the door on further cooperation with the United States in Syria. He highhandedly informed Obama that he now holds all the high cards for controlling the Syrian conflict, whereas Washington was just about out of the game.

 

Putin picked up the last cards, our sources disclose, in a secret deal with Erdogan for Russian-Turkish collaboration in charting the next steps in the Middle East.

 

The G20 therefore, instead of promoting new US-Russian understanding, gave the impetus to a new Russian-Turkish partnership.

 

Erdogan raked in instant winnings: Before he left China, he had pocketed Putin's nod to grab a nice, 4,000-sq.km slice of northern Syria, as a "security zone" under the control of the Turkish army and air force, with Russian non-interference guaranteed. 

 

This Turkish zone would include the Syrian towns of Jarablus, Manjib, Azaz and Al-Bab.

 

Ankara would reciprocate by withdrawing its support from the pro-US and pro-Saudi rebel groups fighting the Assad army and its allies in the area north of Aleppo.   

 

Turkey's concession gave Putin a selling-point to buy the Syrian ruler assent to Erdogan's project. Ankara's selling-point to the West was that the planned security zone would provide a safe haven for Syrian refugees and draw off some of the outflow perturbing Europe.

 

It now turns out that, just as the Americans sold the Syrian Kurds down the river to Turkey (when Vice President Joe Biden last month ordered them to withdraw from their lands to the eastern bank of the Euphrates River or lose US support), so too are the Turks now dropping the Syrian rebels they supported in the mud by re-branding them as "terrorists."

 

The head of this NATO nation has moreover gone behind America's back for a deal with the Russian ruler on how to proceed with the next steps of the Syrian conflict.

 

Therefore, when US Secretary of State John Kerry met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Geneva Thursday and Friday, Sept. 8-9, for their sixth and seventh abortive sit-downs on the Syrian issue, there was not much left for them to discuss, aside from continuing to coordinate their air traffic over Syria and the eastern Mediterranean.

 

Washington and Moscow are alike fearful of an accidental collision in the sky in the current inflammable state of relations between the two powers.

 

As a gesture of warning, a Russian SU-25 fighter jet Tuesday, Sept 6, intercepted a US Navy P8 plane flying on an international route over the Black Sea. When the Russian jet came as close as 12 feet, the US pilots sent out emergency signals - in vain, because the Russian plane's transponder was switched off. The American plane ended up changing course.

 

Amid these anomalies, Moscow pressed ahead with preparations to set up a meeting between the Israeli and Palestinian leaders, as the Russian Foreign Ministry announced Thursday.

 

Putin is keen to succeed where the Obama administration failed. John Kerry abandoned his last effort at peacemaking as a flop two years ago.  But it is hard to see Netanyahu or Abu Mazen rushing to play along with the Russian leader's plan to demean the US president in the last months of his tenure - especially when no one can tell who will win the November 8 presidential election - Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump - or what policies either will pursue. 

 

All the region's actors will no doubt be watching closely to see how Turkey's "Russian track" plays out and how long the inveterate opportunists can hang together.

 

 

Touting aid deal, Obama says true Israeli security requires Palestinian statehood - By Raoul Wootliff - http://www.timesofisrael.com/touting-historic-aid-deal-obama-says-hell-keep-pushing-2-state-solution/

 

US president says military package will help Israel defend itself but 'long-term security' depends on creating 'an independent and viable Palestine'

 

US President Barack Obama said Wednesday that while the massive new military aid deal for Israel - Washington's largest defense package to any country in history - would help Israel defend itself, "long-term security" can only be achieved by the creation of "an independent and viable Palestine."

 

Signed at a State Department ceremony earlier on Wednesday, the new package will grant Israel $3.8 billion annually - up from the $3 billion pledged under the previous agreed-upon MOU - starting in 2018 and through 2028.

 

In a statement released shortly after the signing, Obama described the agreement, known as the memorandum of understanding, as "just the most recent reflection of my steadfast commitment to the security of the State of Israel," citing billions of dollars already provided by his administration over the past eight years.

 

"Over the past eight years, my administration has time and again demonstrated this commitment in word and deed," he said, stressing that this deal will help Israel address its defense needs.

 

"Both Prime Minister Netanyahu and I are confident that the new MOU will make a significant contribution to Israel's security in what remains a dangerous neighborhood. The continued supply of the world's most advanced weapons technology will ensure that Israel has the ability to defend itself from all manner of threats."

 

But the US president said a bolstered military was not enough to secure long-term stability for the Jewish state. He said America's commitment to Israel's security meant more than just giving military aid.

 

"It is because of this same commitment to Israel and its long-term security that we will also continue to press for a two-state solution to the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict, despite the deeply troubling trends on the ground that undermine this goal," he said.

 

"As I have emphasized previously, the only way for Israel to endure and thrive as a Jewish and democratic state is through the realization of an independent and viable Palestine. Ultimately, both this MOU and efforts to advance the two-state solution are motivated by the same core US objective that has been shared by all administrations, Democratic and Republican, over the last several decades - ensuring that Israelis can live alongside their neighbors in peace and security."

 

Speaking before the ceremony, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked the United States for what he described as the "unprecedented" and "historic" defense aid package.

 

"This agreement will ensure an unprecedented level of defense aid for Israel in the next decade," Netanyahu said in a video. "This is the largest military aid package the US has ever given out to any nation."

 

"The agreement will help us continue building our armed forces, improve our missile defense systems," he added. "I want to thank President Obama and his administration for this historic agreement."

 

Writing on Twitter, Israeli ambassador to the US Ron Dermer thanked Obama directly for "forging this historic agreement."

 

Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton released a statement praising the deal saying that it "sends a clear message to the region and the world that we will always stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel."

 

"The agreement will help solidify and chart a course for the US-Israeli defense relationship in the 21st century as we face a range of common challenges from Iran's destabilizing activities to the threats from ISIS and radical jihadism, and efforts to delegitimize Israel on the world stage," she said.

 

Under the terms of the deal, Israel pledged not to seek additional funding from Congress for the next decade. The agreement also includes a provision curtailing Israel's ability to spend the funds on its own arms industry over the next six years - a key area of dispute during talks. Washington had wanted Israel to spend a larger amount of the funds on American-made products. Currently, Israel can spend 26.3 percent of US military aid buying from its own domestic defense companies.

 

The US also reportedly wanted to remove a clause in the memorandum that allows Israel to spend $400 million a year on "military fuels."

 

According to earlier reports, Israel had asked for a separate, $400 million deal for missile defense spending - which could have raised the total amount to more than $4 billion annually. However, the final figure was set without that provision.

 

In his statement, Netanyahu acknowledged the recent diplomatic disputes between Jerusalem and Washington, but said they "had no effect whatsoever on the great friendship between Israel and the US."

 

"These are disputes you have between family," Netanyahu said. "This agreement demonstrates the simple truth that the relationship between Israel and the US is strong and powerful."

 

Obama Announces a Plan to Bring in Up to Four Times as Many Syrian Refugees in 2017 - By Michael Snyder - http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/obama-announces-a-plan-to-bring-in-up-to-four-times-as-many-syrian-refugees-in-2017

 

In 2016, approximately 10,000 Syrian refugees were brought into the United States, but in 2017 that number could skyrocket to 40,000 under Barack Obama's new plan. Obama says that we must play our part in taking in those displaced by the ongoing Syrian civil war, but Republicans in Congress are outraged by this announcement and remain deeply concerned that there are terrorists among the refugees that are being brought in. The Obama administration insists that all refugees are being subjected to rigorous screening, but his critics are quite skeptical. Coming out of the midst of a five year civil war, documentation is scarce for many of these refugees, and there aren't too many people that you can call over there that can serve as a solid reference at this point.

 

According to USA Today, the total number of refugees worldwide that will be brought in next year is scheduled to rise by 29 percent under Obama's new plan...

 

The White House plans to sharply increase the number of refugees accepted by the United States to 110,000 in the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, saying the move is necessary to help stem a migrant crisis gripping Europe and the Middle East.

 

The new target is a 29% increase over the 85,000 refugees accepted this fiscal year and a 57% hike over the 70,000 refugees allowed per year from 2013 to 2015.

 

Most of the mainstream news outlets that are talking about this story are not mentioning the number that will be admitted from Syria. And there is a good reason for this. According to NBC News, the number of refugees that will be brought in from "the Near East and South Asia" would rise to at least 40,000 under Obama's plan, and "most of those are likely to be people escaping the brutal Syrian civil war"...

 

Of the 110,000 the U.S. intends to begin admitting at least 40,000 are from the Near East and South Asia, a White House senior administration official said. And most of those are likely to be people escaping the brutal Syrian civil war, even as many GOP lawmakers and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump sound the alarm about terrorists in the midst of the refugees.

 

During fiscal year 2016, approximately 85,000 refugees were admitted to this country, and approximately 10,000 of those were Syrian refugees according to the federal Refugee Processing Center.

 

So if the number of Syrian refugees approaches 40,000 as Obama's plan appears to indicate, that would mean that somewhere around four times as many Syrian refugees will be brought into this country next year.

 

If we were helping Christians and other minorities that are being brutally persecuted by ISIS that would be one thing. But instead, it is being reported that only 0.46% of the refugees in the U.S. are Christians, and 98.33 percent of them are Sunni Muslims.

 

ISIS is a Sunni Muslim terror organization. We should be focusing our help on the religious minorities that are being tortured, killed and driven from their homes by ISIS, but instead almost all of the refugees that are being brought in are on the same religious side of the fence as ISIS.

 

And it is important to note that surveys have discovered that a significant percentage of Syrian refugees actually have a favorable view of ISIS.

 

The chaos that Sunni refugees have caused in cities all over Europe has definitely shifted public opinion in the U.S. about taking in more refugees. One poll that was taken back in November found that 56 percent of all Americans disapprove of bringing in more Syrian refugees, and only 41 percent of all Americans approve.

 

But Obama is going ahead anyway. At this point he is a lame duck, and so he doesn't really have to answer to anyone.

 

Some governors tried to stand up and say that they wouldn't take any more refugees in their states. Unfortunately for those governors, the courts ruled against them...

 

What happens next remains to be seen. Last year, with Syrian refugees flooding into Europe, the White House increased the number of refugees it would admit from the war-torn country. That led Republican governors in roughly two dozen states to express their opposition to receiving Syrians. Some governors filed lawsuits to stop refugees from coming to their states; they lost.

 

And so it is going to be up to Congress to try to do something.

 

As I have written about previously, it appears that the Syrian refugees that have been brought in so far have not been distributed on a uniform basis throughout the nation. According to the Obama administration, large cities such as Washington D.C. are deemed to be "too expensive" for the refugees, and there have been lots of reports of Syrian refugees being settled in smaller communities all over the country. In my previous article, this is how I described the impact that this could have...

 

If you drop a few hundred refugees into a major city of several million people, it isn't going to make much of a difference. But if you drop a few hundred refugees into a small town that has only a few thousand people living there, you can start to fundamentally alter the character of the whole area. Could it be possible that this is yet another way that Barack Obama is attempting to "fundamentally transform" America?

 

Many people have asked why we have to take in so many Sunni refugees when wealthy Sunni nations such as Saudi Arabia haven't taken in any.

 

And I think that is a legitimate question.

 

In the end, there has to be a balance. We want to help those that are fleeing the brutal religious persecution of ISIS, but we also want to be mindful of our own national security. I think that what House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte had to say about this was very appropriate...

 

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) criticized the decision, saying policymakers should focus on reforming the nation's system for admitting refugees rather than having the White House set goals.

 

"For generations, the United States has been a safe haven for people fleeing persecution. We must remain compassionate toward refugees but we also need to make sure that we use common sense," Goodlatte said in a statement. "Unfortunately, President Obama unilaterally increases the number of refugees resettled in the United States each year and gives little thought as to how it will impact local communities. The president also continues to ignore warnings from his own national security officials and plans to bring in even more Syrian refugees over the next year."

 

In Orlando we witnessed what a single lone wolf Islamic terrorist can do.

 

We need to use common sense, and we need to do the best that we can to make sure that the people that we are bringing in do not want to conduct their own personal jihads once they get here.

 

Unfortunately, Barack Obama has his own agenda, and it does not appear to be in the best interest of the United States.

 

 

 

Going, Going, Gone - By Daymond Duck - http://raptureready.com/featured/duck/dd244.html

 

When the auctioneer says "going . . . going . . . " buyers know that he is close to saying "gone" and the bidding will be over. The auctioned item will no longer be available.

 

When the baseball announcer says "going . . . going . . . " fans know that he is close to saying "gone" and the chance to catch the ball will be over. The fielder will no longer be able to get the batter out.

 

An atheist billionaire called George Soros has given millions of dollars to help Sen. Obama get elected to the office of Pres. of the U.S.

 

A group called DCLeaks hacked into Mr. Soros' e-mail and found a 2014 document that they made available through Twitter. The section of DCLeaks' website that contained this information suddenly and mysteriously went offline.

 

The document in question was prepared by Mr. Soros' Open Society Justice Initiative (part of his Open Society Foundation). It called for international (not U.S.) regulation of the Internet and favored treatment for Mr. Soros' Open Society groups (control of the Internet, but not Mr. Soros).

 

It is now being reported that Mr. Obama is planning to give the Internet to the UN at midnight on Sept. 30, 2016. This will give Mr. Soros the international regulation he wants (or bought) from Sen. Obama and some say it will eventually end freedom of speech and freedom of religion.

 

Pres. Obama denies that the Internet will be affected, but that can't be true if Mr. Soros gets the favored treatment he wants (or bought) for his Open Society groups. And what is the purpose of international regulation (international surveillance and control), if nothing is going to change?

 

Here is the problem: The international regulation that Mr. Soros (and others including the UN, Russia, China, etc.) want could just as well be called censorship. They think the public knows too much. They want to stop anti-establishment or politically incorrect information on the Internet.

 

They want to control who puts information on the Internet and to shut down people and groups that are posting things they don't want the public to know.

 

Like the atheistic Mr. Soros, they want favoritism for their views and censorship for anyone who disagrees with them.

 

Information that supports world government, world religion, open borders, global warming, gun control, abortion, same-sex marriage, LGBT rights, etc. will be allowed, but information that goes against these things will be called "hate speech," "Islamophobia," "homophobia," etc. and it will not be allowed.

 

Among other things, this is the one-world religion and the persecution of believers shaping up. It is atheistic control over what pastors and ministries can put on (or find on) the Internet. It is freedom of speech and freedom of religion going . . . going . . . gone on Sept. 30, 2016.

 

Lest some think people wouldn't censor the Internet, let's quickly consider some things that have been in the news in just the last few days.

 

Google is blocking some of the searches for information on Hillary's health.

 

YouTube (owned by Google) has new rules to punish those that make anti-establishment or politically incorrect statements.

 

CNN is editing out the word "crooked" when it reports on Donald Trump's tweets about crooked Hillary.

 

John Kerry recently said the media should stop reporting on terrorist attacks so the public won't know what is going on.

 

The leaked Soros e-mails tied him to the dismissal of Glen Beck from Fox News and the dismissal of Pat Buchanan from MSNBC.

 

It is only a matter of time until Christians may not be able to get (or post) reliable information on the Internet, but atheists will.

 

If Soros had the ability to get Beck and Buchanan fired, he has the ability to get other major media reporters fired. This means the major media news programs will also be unreliable.

 

Many Christian TV programs will have to become "politically correct" or they will be shut down.

 

The truth will no longer be available. People will believe lies. Freedom of speech and freedom of religion is going . . . going . . .

 

Prophecy Plus Ministries

Daymond & Rachel Duck