Isaiah 17
1The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.
2The cities of Aroer are forsaken: they shall be for flocks, which shall lie down, and none shall make them afraid.
3The fortress also shall cease from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria: they shall be as the glory of the children of Israel, saith the LORD of hosts.
4And in that day it shall come to pass, that the glory of Jacob shall be made thin, and the fatness of his flesh shall wax lean.
5And it shall be as when the harvestman gathereth the corn, and reapeth the ears with his arm; and it shall be as he that gathereth ears in the valley of Rephaim.
6Yet gleaning grapes shall be left in it, as the shaking of an olive tree, two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in the outmost fruitful branches thereof, saith the LORD God of Israel.
7At that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel.
8And he shall not look to the altars, the work of his hands, neither shall respect that which his fingers have made, either the groves, or the images.
9In that day shall his strong cities be as a forsaken bough, and an uppermost branch, which they left because of the children of Israel: and there shall be desolation.
10Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful of the rock of thy strength, therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants, and shalt set it with strange slips:
11In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish: but the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow.
12Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations, that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters!
13The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.
14And behold at eveningtide trouble; and before the morning he is not. This is the portion of them that spoil us, and the lot of them that rob us.
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US: Syria, Iran responsible for attack
The US condemned Wednesday the kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers and blamed Syria and Iran for sponsoring the Hizbullah, who initiated the attack.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who is visiting France, issued a statement in which she says that the attack on Israel's northern border does not serve the interest of the Lebanese people. "Hizbullah's action undermines regional stability and goes against the interests of both the Israeli and Lebanese people," Rice said in her statement. The Secretary of State also called on Syria to use its influence in the region in order to "support a positive outcome" to the crisis. Rice stressed that all sides should show restraint in their actions.
The US Secretary of State phoned the UN Secretary General Kofi Anan, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Saniora to discuss the latest developments. "We are united in determination to achieve the release of the Israeli soldiers," Rice later said.
The American reaction to the outburst of violence in the Israeli - Lebanese border made clear that the Hizbullah is responsible for the latest escalation and called for an unconditional release of the two Israeli soldiers being held by the organization. "The United States condemns in the strongest terms this unprovoked act of terrorism, which was timed to exacerbate already high tensions in the region and sow further violence," a White House statement issued Wednesday afternoon reads.
While pointing to the Hizbullah as the holding direct responsibility for the attack, the US also stressed the role of both Syria and Iran in harboring the terror group. Fredrick Jones, spokesman for the National Security Council, said "We also hold Syria and Iran, which directly support Hizbullah, responsible for this attack and for the ensuing violence."
The US has long stressed the need for both Syria and Iran to stop supporting the Hizbullah, which is based in southern Lebanon. Both countries are on the US list of states that sponsor terror and are annually listed as giving shelter and support to the Hizbullah. The US has rejected claims by the Hizbullah and by Lebanese officials that Israel did not complete its withdrawal from southern Lebanon due to its presence in the Shabaa farms. A statement issued by the White House said that "Hizballah's actions are not in the interest of the Lebanese people, whose welfare should not be held hostage to the interests of the Syrian and Iranian regimes."
The European Union called for the immediate release of the kidnapped soldiers, and urged all sides to respect the Blue Line border between Israel and Lebanon.
Germany, too, condemned Hizbullah's capture of the two Israeli soldiers, calling it an "irresponsible new escalation" that could set back hopes for peace in the Middle East.
Berlin urges the immediate and unconditional release of the two soldiers, whose capture triggered an Israeli assault on southern Lebanon, Foreign Ministry spokesman Jens Ploetner said.
"In view of this irresponsible escalation in an already tense situation in the region, the danger exists that any agreed solution in the Middle East could be submerged for a long time," he said.
Russia joined the condemnations of Hizbullah, but emphasized the need for restraint on both sides. The Russian Foreign Ministry said the urgent task was to avoid the Hizbullah raid in Israel and ensuing Israeli military offensive in southern Lebanon degenerating into a "full-blown confrontation."
The top UN official in Lebanon, Geir Pedersen, met with Lebanon's prime minister and denounced Hizbullah's incursion across the border into northern Israel.
"Hizbullah's action escalates the already tense situation along the Blue Line and is an act of very dangerous proportions," he said in a statement.
UK Foreign Office Minister, Kim Howells MP, condemned the attacks on northern Israel.
"We condemn this morning's infiltration and rocket attacks by Hizbullah on northern Israel. We are particularly concerned by reports that Israeli soldiers may have been kidnapped or killed.
"Hizbullah's actions will further escalate an already tense situation in the region. A further escalation is in no one's interest. We call on all parties to take actions to promote a rapid and peaceful resolution of the crisis and urge that any Israeli action be both measured and proportionate," he said in a statement.
France also expressed concern at the escalation.
"I am very concerned about the latest developments on the Israel-Lebanon border," French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said in a statement.
"I condemn the rocket strikes this (Wednesday) morning on the town of Kiryat Shmona. I also condemn the kidnapping of two Israeli soldiers and I ask for their immediate and unconditional release," he said.
"I call on all parties to show restraint and not engage in a cycle of violence in which civilian populations would be the first victims," he said.
He said France is in contact with all parties involved to help seek a solution to the crisis.
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi urged Israel to show restraint and not seek "an eye for an eye" Wednesday during a state visit.
"I understand the anger of the Israelis," Koizumi said in a joint press conference after talks with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. "But I hope you will not seek an eye for an eye and keep in mind the importance of peace."