EU court rules Hamas is NOT a terrorist group, then EU pushes for Palestinian recognition; peace hopes for Middle East in 2015

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A European Union court ruled that Hamas should be taken off a list of terrorist organizations today:

December 17, 2014

A European court has ruled that the Palestinian militant group Hamas must be removed from a European Union list of designated terror groups.

The General Court of the European Union said Wednesday that the EU improperly included Hamas on the basis of information it got from the media and the Internet.

An EU measure in 2001 also added 12 other groups and 29 individuals to the list, but said they could only be designated terrorists based on “acts examined and confirmed in decisions of competent authorities.”

The ruling is open for appeal. Appeals, which can only be based on points of law, typically last about a year and a half.

Hamas welcomed Wednesday’s verdict.

“The decision is a correction of a historical mistake the European Union had made,” Deputy Hamas chief Moussa Abu Marzouk told Reuters. “Hamas is a resistance movement and it has a natural right according to all international laws and standards to resist the occupation.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced dismay.

“We expect them to immediately put Hamas back on the list,” he said in a statement.

The court said the asset freezes that came with Hamas being on the terror list will remain in place for three months or until the appeals process is exhausted. That decision was made to ensure that the freezes would remain effective if they were to be reinstated.

The court also stressed in a statement that the ruling was procedural and “does not imply any substantive assessment” of whether Hamas carries out actions that define a terrorist group.

The EU’s ambassador to Israel Lars Faaborg-Andersen told Israel’s Army Radio the body aimed to keep Hamas on the list. http://www.voanews.com/content/eu-court-orders-hamas-removed-from-terror-list/2562311.html

More and more nations in Europe have taken steps leaning more towards the Palestinians and against the Israelis. Israel is finding itself more and more isolated from the international community. I suspect that many in Europe probably feel that they do not need Israel and that by supporting Palestinian issues, they will be at a lessor risk for terrorist attacks.

Israel’s Prime Minister expressed his displeasure about the EU court’s decision:

December 17, 2014

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the European Union to put Hamas back on its terror blacklist immediately, after an EU court annulled the bloc’s decision to designate the group a terrorist organization.

Netanyahu responded to the decision by saying that Israel was “not satisfied” with the explanations of the EU that Hamas’s removal is only a technical matter.

According to the “technical issue” argument, Hamas was removed from the list because the evidence used to place the organization on the list did not meet European standards. Two central EU countries have already been working on a dossier providing the court with the evidence that will satisfy it.

“The burden of proof is on the EU and we expect them to immediately return Hamas to the list where everyone realizes they should be,” Netanyahu said. “Hamas is a murderous terrorist organization whose charter says that its aim is to destroy Israel. We will continue to fight it with determination and strength so that it will never realize its aims. ”

Other MKs and ministers were more critical in their reactions to the EU decision.

Economy Minister Naftali Bennett said that if anyone thinks that sacrificing Israel can save Europe, they are mistaken.

“The corrupt law of the EU court gives license for the shedding of Jewish blood everywhere and demonstrates the loss of a moral path,” he said. http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Netanyahu-We-expect-the-EU-to-put-Hamas-back-on-the-terror-blacklist-immediately-384926

More terrorist attacks are coming (e.g. Leviticus 26:14-17; Deuteronomy 32:25; Psalms 73:12,19; Ezekiel 21:12), and Europe is not exempt.

The European Union just took another step today apparently to attempt to placate the Palestinians:

December 17, 2014

The European Parliament accepted, with a large majority, a decision expressing support “in principle” of the recognition of a Palestinian state, along with furthering negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

Some 498 parliamentarians voted in favor of the motion, 88 voted against it, and 111 abstained.

The European Parliament “supports in principle the recognition of Palestinian statehood and the two-state solution, and believes these should go hand in hand with the development of peace talks, which should be advanced,” read the motion, whose phrasing reflected a compromise between various European parties.

The motion stressed that the European Parliament’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state is based on the fact that the Palestine Liberation Organization had recognized the State of Israel in 1993. http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.632364

Palestine is biblically destined to gain more territory for a time.

Notice the following that came out yesterday:

Agenda for 2015: Work Harder to Resolve Middle East Conflicts

December 16, 2014

When it comes to the Middle East, things can always get worse and often do.

But as 2014 limps to an end, there are reasons to question this mantra.

On several fronts, there are glimmers of optimism about easing decades-long confrontations in ways that would strengthen the coalition against the group that calls itself the Islamic State. …

Israel-Palestinians

After three terms in office, two of them consecutive, Netanyahu is seeing his domestic popularity plummet and the Israeli political kaleidoscope is shifting toward a possible victory by the center-left.

Polls now favor a new coalition led by Labor Party leader Isaac Herzog and former foreign minister Tzipi Livni. Both have been outspoken in criticizing Netanyahu for his poor relationship with President Obama, refusal to engage in serious peace talks with the Palestinians, and failure to take advantage of support for peace from important Arab states including Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

With a theoretical Palestinian state gaining recognition in new quarters, momentum is building behind a U.N. Security Council Resolution calling for resumption of negotiations with the aim of establishing an independent Palestine by 2016.

Secretary of State John Kerry is holding urgent consultations with Netanyahu and Palestinian officials this week in Europe to try to come up with a resolution that the U.S. can support. Kerry’s task would be much easier if Israel had a government that was truly willing to trade land for peace.

Confronting IS militants

Movement on Iran and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would facilitate progress in the third big confrontation roiling the Middle East: the fight to contain and ultimately defeat the Islamic State (IS). http://www.voanews.com/content/agenda-for-2015-work-harder-to-resolve-middle-east-conflicts/2561501.html

The above article certainly has a point of view, and I would like to address two points.

The first, as I have written about before, is that there is increasing interest in the West to put together some type of coalition in the Middle East and North Africa to attempt to contain Islamic terrorist groups. The Bible teaches that a confederation of nations that currently are predominantly Islamic in North Africa and the Middle East will form a coalition “the King of the South,” but this will result in destruction for others (Psalm 83:3-8) as well as for many of the coalition members (Daniel 11:40-43; Ezekiel 30:2-8).

The second is that Neville Chamberlain tried to ‘trade land for peace’ with Adolf Hitler, and that led to WWII. The Bible, however, does indicate that the Palestinians will end up with land that Israel currently occupies (for details, see Gaza and the Palestinians in Bible Prophecy). Many do not realize how peace will come to the region (see also How Will Middle East Peace be Brought About?).

The reality is that the time is getting closer when Israel will decide it has no real choice but to embrace a type of temporary peace deal consistent with what is described in the Book of Daniel (see also The ‘Peace Deal’ of Daniel 9:27). It is most likely that the Vatican will also be involved (the Vatican has indicated that it will help Israel if Israel will give it a particular building–see also Church of God on Jerusalem’s Western Hill).

The two events today are probably telling some Israeli leaders that they will need to placate the Vatican if they want Europe to be more understanding of Israeli concerns. The Vatican, in the past, indicated it could help Israel if Israel would give up the site of the early known Christian church building in Jerusalem. And although many Jews oppose that as they feel that King David’s tomb is below that general area, Israel may well give the Vatican more of what it wants in the future.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Gaza and the Palestinians in Bible Prophecy What does the Bible teach about Gaza and the fate of the Palestinians? Here is a link to a related video: Gaza and Palestine in Prophecy.
The ‘Peace Deal’ of Daniel 9:27 This prophecy could give up to 3 1/2 years advance notice of the coming Great Tribulation. Will most ignore or misunderstand its fulfillment? Here is a link to a related sermon video Daniel 9:27 and the Start of the Great Tribulation.
How Will Middle East Peace be Brought About? Can humans bring peace to the Middle East? Here is a link to a related video: Middle East Peace? When?
Is the Future King of the South Rising Up? Some no longer believe there needs to be a future King of the South. Others have many misunderstandings about him. Might Egypt, Islam, Iran, Arabs, or Ethiopia be involved? Might this King be called the Mahdi or Caliph? What does the Bible say? A YouTube video of related interest may be: The Future King of the South is Rising.
Jerusalem: Past, Present, and Future What does the Bible say about Jerusalem and its future? Is Jerusalem going to be divided and eliminated? Is Jesus returning to the area of Jerusalem? There is also a related YouTube video you can watch titled Jerusalem To be divided and eliminated.
Church of God on Jerusalem’s Western Hill Could this building, often referred to as the Cenacle, which is located on a Mount Zion, possibly have been the oldest actual Christian church building? There is also a video titled Might the oldest church building have prophetic ramifications?
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, English, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Saxon (non-Dutch) Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? What about Sweden? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? What will happen to Jerusalem and the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo-Saxon nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first? Here is a link to the Spanish version of this article: Anglo-América & las Tribus Perdidas de Israel. Information is also in the YouTube sermons titled Where are the Ten Lost Tribes? Why does it matter? and British are the Covenant People. A short YouTube of prophetic interest may be Barack Obama and the State of the Apocalypse.
The Arab and Islamic World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy The Bible discusses the origins of the Arab world and discusses the Middle East in prophecy. What is ahead for the Middle East and those who follow Islam? What about the Imam Mahdi? What lies ahead for Turkey, Iran, and the other non-Arabic Muslims? An item of possibly related interest in the Spanish language would be: Líderes iraníes condenan la hipocresía de Occidente y declaran que ahora es tiempo para prepararse para el Armagedón, la guerra, y el Imán Mahdi.
Is There an Islamic Antichrist? Is Joel Richardson correct that the final Antichrist will be Islamic and not European? Find out.
Arabic Nazarenes May Have Kept Original Christian Practices Were their faithful Arabs who held to original Christianity?
Nazarene Christianity: Were the Original Christians Nazarenes? Who were the Nazarene Christians? What did they believe? Should 21st century Christians be modern Nazarenes? Is there a group that exists now that traces its history through the Nazarenes and holds the same beliefs today? Here is a link to a related video sermon Nazarene Christians: Were the early Christians “Nazarenes”?
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Edition for Second Obama Term This is a 160 page book for people truly interested in prophecies related to Barack Obama and the United States, including learning about many that have already been fulfilled (which the book documents in detail) and those that will be fulfilled in the future. It also has a chapter about a Republican choice. This book is available to order at www.barackobamaprophecy.com. The physical book can also be purchased at Amazon from the following link: Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States: Is Barack Obama Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic Catholic, Kenyan, and other America-Related Prophecies? What About Republican Leaders? Second Edition for Second Obama Term.
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Term-Amazon Kindle edition. This electronic version is available for only US$2.99. And you do not need an actual Kindle device to read it. Why? Amazon will allow you to download it to almost any device: Please click HERE to download one of Amazon s Free Reader Apps. After you go to for your free Kindle reader and then go to Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Term-Amazon Kindle edition.