Note: The updated and expanded version of “Eye to Eye – Facing the Consequences of Dividing Israel” will be available September 7. It will have a total of 576 pages, 60 percent new content and documentation of 71 additional catastrophes and/or events for a total of 127.
The replacement theology chapter has been updated. The catastrophes and/or events that occurred during President George W. Bush’s final four-year term, President Barack Obama’s two four-year terms and the first seven months of President Trump’s first term are documented. It will include the following material and Hurricane Harvey. There is also a new chapter on Benjamin Netanyahu.
For more information, please click here: Christian Publications
By Bill Koenig
- The Kushner-Greenblatt-Powell Chronology in MIddle East and Israel from August 20 to August 24, 2017
- President Trump’s first national disaster
- Harvey ‘came back to life’ after three and a half days as a remnant
- Houston has been a ‘bulls-eye’ for major flooding catastrophes and no U.S. state has had more catastrophes than Texas since 1991
- Houston resident President George H.W. Bush began the ‘land for peace process’ in Israel on October 30, 1991 and the two-state plan was birthed by Dallas resident George W. Bush on June 24, 2002.
To say the least, the timing of White House senior advisor Jared Kushner, Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt, and Deputy National Security Adviser Dina Powell meetings in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Jordan, Egypt and Israel and the rapid reformation of Harvey when it looked like it was finished as a tropical threat was awe-inspiring (Harvey timeline below).
On Wednesday, August 23, the day that Jared Kushner, Jason Greenblatt and Dina Powell arrived in Jerusalem, after three and a half days of non-activity Harvey quickly became a tropical storm and within 48 hours a major record-setting Category 4 hurricane.
Much of Jared Kushner and his team’s schedule the week of August 20-24, especially the meetings in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), were somewhat secretive. I had to review some of the Arab news websites to establish the schedule. The bottom line, Kushner’s week was focused on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. It was a serious effort on behalf of President Donald Trump.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Harvey became a major record-setting Category 4 hurricane that pummeled southern Texas, Friday, August 25 at 10:00 pm CDT, and into the early hours Saturday morning. It continued to produce record rain totals through the southern and eastern parts of Texas and western Louisiana for five days. Harvey was the first major hurricane to hit the U.S. since Hurricane Wilma in 2005 (Catastrophe #57). It is said to be a “once-in-500-years-storm.”
----
The Following is the Kushner-Greenblatt-Powell Chronology from August 20 to August 24, 2017
Sunday, August 20 – White House Envoy Jared Kushner and Others Begin Mideast Peace Push - CBS News
The Trump White House has been relatively silent regarding the overseas trip, only confirming to CBS News that Kushner, Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt and deputy national security adviser Dina Powell had left the U.S. Sunday evening and were in "the region on Monday."
--
Monday, August 21 - A U.S. Secret Service Official Confirmed with CBS that the Kushner Delegation Was in Qatar Monday.
--
Tuesday, August 22 – Jared Kushner Meets Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Discuss Effort to Restart Peace Talks in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict - Independent-UK
US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and advisor Jared Kushner met with Saudi Arabia’s crown prince to restart peace talks in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Mr Kushner, who as Mr Trump’s senior presidential advisor is in charge of the administration’s efforts to broker a lasting Middle East peace deal, flew to Jeddah on Tuesday, where he held meetings with Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s newly-minted crown prince and defense minister, the Saudi state news agency said.
Negotiator Jason Greenblatt and deputy national security adviser Dina Powell also met with Prince bin Salman in Jeddah to discuss a “path to substantive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks,” a White House official said.
--
Tuesday, August 22 – Kushner met with Qatar leaders focused on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict - Al Jazeera
Kushner flew to Doha, Qatar for a meeting with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Kushner's talks with Qatari leader focused on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
--
Tuesday, August 22 – Kushner group met Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces - The National
On Tuesday, the US party – which includes special negotiator Jason Greenblatt, deputy national security adviser Dina Powell and deputy assistant secretary of state Tim Lenderking – met Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.
The UAE and US agreed to advance their shared goal of achieving genuine and lasting peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis and reaffirmed that cutting off all kinds of support for terrorists and extremists was a priority.
They said they would continue to co-ordinate on efforts in this area. The delegation has also met Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman and his senior advisers
--
Tuesday, August 22 -- Ahead of Israel Visit, Jordan's King Tells Kushner: Two-state Solution Only Way to End Conflict - Haaretz
Jordanian media reported that in Amman, Kushner, Greenblatt and Powell met with King Abdullah and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi. Jordan's ambassador to the United States, Dina Kawar, also attended the meeting.
The Jordan Times wrote that "talks focused on efforts to push forward the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and re-launch serious and effective negotiations between the two sides based on the two-state solution."
A statement by the Jordanian Royal Court following Tuesday's meeting emphasized that the two-state solution is "the only way to end the conflict."
---
Wednesday, August 23 - Jared Kushner Meets with Egyptian Officials to Discuss Middle East Peace Process - Reuters
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met U.S. presidential adviser Jared Kushner on Wednesday. Kushner, son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump and one of his close advisers, met Sisi with Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry present, Sisi’s office said in a statement.
Kushner’s visit, part of a wider Middle East trip, and had been billed as an opportunity for discussing the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians.
---
Wednesday, August 23 - Trump’s Team Arrives in Israel Once Again To Reignite Diplomatic Process - Jerusalem Post
The team, made up of Trump senior adviser Jared Kushner, Mideast negotiator Jason Greenblatt and Deputy National Security Adviser Dina Powell, will arrive after holding meetings in Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt
A senior White House official said earlier this month, in announcing the US team’s trip, that Trump has clearly stated his commitment to reaching a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians that “would help usher in an era of greater regional peace and prosperity.”
According to the official, Trump feels that the restoration of calm following the Temple Mount crisis “has created an opportunity to continue discussions and the pursuit of peace that began early in his administration.”
---
Thursday, August 24: Netanyahu Meets Kushner as Part of US Peace Push - Times of Israel
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with senior White House adviser Jared Kushner on Thursday as part of a US bid to find ways to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Speaking alongside Kushner before the start of their meeting at IDF Headquarters in the Kirya compound in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu said he believed peace was “within our reach.”
“We have a lot of things to talk about. How to advance peace, stability and security in our region — prosperity too — and I think all of them are within our reach,” he said.
“So I am happy to see you and the effort you’re leading on behalf of the [US] President [Donald Trump] with Jason [Greenblatt] and other members of your team,” the prime minister said. “I think this is a sign of the great alliance between us and the great goals that guide us.”
---
Thursday, August 24 - Putting Skepticism on Hold, Abbas Backs US Peace Push in Kushner Meeting, Trump Committed - Times of Israel
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas set aside weeks of widespread and vocal pessimism over US peace efforts, saying that a deal with Israel is not impossible during a meeting with senior White House adviser Jared Kushner Thursday.
Meeting with Kushner and other US officials in Ramallah, Abbas expressed optimism that a deal could be reached, despite complaints from the PA in recent days over a lack of seriousness from the White House in its efforts to broker an elusive agreement.
“We know that this issue is difficult and complex, but nothing is impossible in the face of good efforts,” Abbas said during the parley with Kushner, according to official PA news outlet Wafa.
“We affirm that this delegation is working toward peace, and we are working with it to achieve soon what Trump called the ‘peace deal’,” Abbas said. In his remarks carried by Wafa, Kushner did not mention a two-state solution and only offered vague sentiments about peace in the future.
“President Trump is very optimistic and hopes for a better future for the Palestinian people and the Israeli people,” Kushner said.
“We hope they can work together and live together for many years and have a much better life,” he added.
----
Thursday, August 24: Report: Trump to present plan for reviving peace talks - Times of Israel
Palestinian officials believe that US President Donald Trump will lay out a plan in the coming months on reaching an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal as part of his administration’s efforts to revive peace talks between the sides, according to a Sunday report.
During a meeting in Ramallah Thursday, White House senior adviser Jared Kushner told Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas that Trump would present the plan in the next three to four months in exchange for the Palestinian leader abandoning efforts to pursue statehood in international bodies, the Israel Hayom daily reported Sunday, citing an unnamed Palestinian official.
The paper said Abbas agreed to Kushner’s proposal, but demanded that Trump personally commit to the US peace plan, setting a meeting between the two leaders during the UN General Assembly in September.
The US plan would include a set timetable for talks, which would focus on the so-called core issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Palestinian official said.
----
President Trump’s First National Disaster
On Friday, August 25, at 9:46 pm EDT, President Donald Trump tweeted that he had declared and signed at the request of the Governor Abbot of Texas, a Disaster Proclamation, which unleashed the full force of government help for Texas.
This was President Trump’s first national disaster. His son-in-law and Senior White House advisor Jared Kushner, his former attorney and Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt and his Deputy National Security Advisor Dina Powell had just returned from an extensive trip regarding the land of Israel; as the land of the United States was about to be clobbered by a massive and devastating, record-setting Category 4 hurricane and record flooding.
---
Harvey ‘came back to life’ after three and a half days as a remnant – NHC
The remnant of Harvey was all that was left Saturday night, August 19 at 11:00 pm AST. Three and a half days later, on August 23 at 10:00 am CDT, Harvey reorganized into a tropical depression; this was at the same time Trump’s people were arriving in Jerusalem for peace talks. By Wednesday night at 11:00 pm AST, the storm had become Tropical Storm Harvey.
On Wednesday, August 24, by 12 noon CDT, Harvey had become a Category 1 Hurricane with wind speed of 80 mph and the National Hurricane Center warned of life-threatening and devastating flooding expected near the Coast due to heavy rainfall and storm surge.
On Friday, August 25 by 1 am CDT, Harvey had become a Category 2 hurricane with wind speeds of 105 mph. Harvey was one mph under a Category 3 with wind speeds of 110 mph by 6 am CDT Harvey became a 120 mph and a strong Category 3 hurricane by 2:00 pm CDT. Hurricane Harvey became a Category 4 hurricane with wind speeds at 130 mph by 6:00 pm CDT.
According to Accuweather, Harvey was a Category 4 hurricane when it made landfall between Port Aransas and Port O'Connor, Texas, on Friday night August 25 at 10:00 pm CDT.
Hurricane-force winds before landfall had extended outward up to 35 miles from the center, and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 140 miles, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
Harvey was the first Category 4 hurricane to make landfall in Texas since Carla arrived near Port O'Connor on Sept. 11, 1961. Wilma, in October 2005, was the last major hurricane to make landfall in the United States. Charley, in August of 2004 was the last Category 4 hurricane to hit the U.S. Both Wilma (Catastrophe #57) and Charley (Catastrophe #50) made landfall in Florida.
----
Houston has been a ‘bulls-eye’ for major flooding catastrophes and no U.S. state has had more catastrophes than Texas since 1991
Houston resident President George H.W. Bush began the ‘land for peace process’ in Israel on October 30, 1991 and the two-state plan was birthed by Dallas resident George W. Bush on June 24, 2002.
Houston, Texas has experienced more record-setting floods in the past 26 years than any other city in America.
President George W. Bush birthed the “two-state” plan of two states living side-by-side in peace and security on God’s covenant land in Israel. No U.S. Administration had more costly catastrophes than President G.W. Bush.
No U.S. state has had more costly insurance catastrophes than Texas since 1991. (Source: Property Claim Services (PCS)®, a unit of ISO®, a Verisk Analytics® business.)
-----
Hurricane Harvey information as of Sunday, September 3, 2017
Sources: NHC, CNN, Houston Chronicle, AP, CBS, Wired, USA Today
- Texas Governor Greg Abbot warned the Harvey bill could be $180 billion. He said the area affected is larger than that hit by 2005's Hurricane Katrina and 2012's Superstorm Sandy.
- “This disaster is going to be a landmark event,” said Brock Long, director of FEMA.
- The storm and resulting rainfall proved catastrophic and will likely be "the worst natural disaster in American history," according to Dr. Joel N. Myers, AccuWeather's founder, president and chairman.
- Isolated rainfall totals from Harvey reached 50 inches. National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist said rainfall totals for Houston averaged around 40 inches or higher.
- Some 325,000 people and businesses had applied for FEMA assistance in the first week.
- About 100,000 homes were damaged by Hurricane Harvey, according to Homeland Security Adviser Tom Bossert.
- Thirty-three counties in Texas under federal disaster declarations.
- Insurance companies have received at least 100,000 claims for cars impacted by Harvey, according to Wired. Seventy-five percent of those claims have been for totaled cars, with the number of claims expected to rise. Others estimate Harvey has destroyed up to five times more: Cox Automotive chief economist Jonathan Smoke told USA Today he believed 300,000 to 500,000 vehicles were destroyed by Harvey's path — with many of those covered by insurance.
- Both of Houston's airports were closed due to weather conditions and flooding. Southwest Airline’s Houston Hobby hub was reopened Saturday, September 2 after six days.
- One-fifth of the nation's refinery capacity was idled - and 40 percent of the Gulf Coast capacity.
- President Donald Trump visited Texas twice and Louisiana once and Vice President Mike Pence visited Texas once in the eight days after Harvey landfall.
Note: Updated info will be available at http://watch.org under the “Eye to Eye” section.