Category Archives: Middle-East

US Israeli-Palestine policy makes dramatic shift

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Obama to Palestinians: Accept the Jewish State

Policy shift challenges the core of Arab resistance

Obama in Israel - Courtesy D Pipes

Under the above headline and lead-in published as Tuesday’s ‘Editor’s Pick’ in the Washington Times, leading Middle-East analyst Daniel Pipes opens with.:

One key shift in U.S. policy was overlooked in the barrage of news about Barack Obama’s eventful fifty-hour visit to Israel last week. That would be the demand that Palestinians recognize Israel as the Jewish state, called by Hamas leader Salah Bardawil “the most dangerous statement by an American president regarding the Palestinian issue…

in his Jerusalem speech last week, Obama suddenly and unexpectedly adopted in full the Israeli demand: “Palestinians must recognize that Israel will be a Jewish state.””

Pipes is of the opinion.:

Daniel PipesThat sentence breaks important new ground and cannot readily be undone. It also makes for excellent policy, for without such recognition, Palestinian acceptance of Israel is hollow, indicating only a willingness to call the future state they dominate “Israel” rather than “Palestine.”

The one-page article is very instructive, albeit concise, in its overview of the history of modern Israel and minimal on reference to America. If any reader is unfamiliar with these important facts then I recommend their reading the article (here). It is updated to include reference to hostility to Obama’s speech from a London-based Arab editor.

Obama’s fledgling mentor

Last weekend’s Inside the White House from Bill Koenig reports.:

A naïve, idealistic and inexperienced 35-year-old is molding Obama’s Middle East foreign policy, which is leading the region to Armageddon –

How could that be? President Obama, who had very little real-world experience before he took the office, apparently doesn’t fully understand the great importance of surrounding himself with experienced Middle East staff.

williamkoenig-web[1]Bill refers to Mark Landler of The New York Times’ article, Worldly at 35 and Shaping Obama’s Voice; ‘Benjamin J. Rhodes, a 35-year-old deputy national security adviser with a soft voice, strong opinions and a reputation around the White House as the man who channels Mr. Obama on foreign policy, has had a very significant hand in some of the great failures in the Middle East in the last three years and nine months.’

Landler reveals that Rhodes first came to prominence after he wrote Mr. Obama’s landmark address to the Muslim world in Cairo in June 2009. The speech was notable for President Obama’s assertion that governments should “reflect the will of the people,” prefiguring his policy in dealing with President Hosni Mubarak and Colonel Qaddafi.’

Koenig adds, ‘The speech Obama gave to the Muslim world from Cairo, Egypt in 2009, was filled with inaccuracies, falsehoods and total distortions, and was obviously written by someone unfamiliar with the region, the long history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or the depth of conflict between the Shiites and the Sunnis.

‘Just think’, writes Koenig, ‘Obama spoke to the Muslim world with a speech written by a young ideologue with very little real world experience, a speech that he gained much credit for, which further led to his responsibility for preparing and writing Obama’s major address to the Israelis this week.

‘Rhodes wasn’t even born at the time of the Six-Day War of 1967 or the Yom Kippur War of 1973. Furthermore, he’s had a major influence on some very serious decisions that have had horrible results…’

[Koenig’s in-depth critique of Obama’s Cairo speech is here, my briefer points here.]

Postscript: As ever, Carolyn Glick’s insights and reservations made in advance of the visit make for an interesting read; see Obama’s mysterious visit. Also, my recent post on Raymond Stock covers the issues in some depth.]

Prophetic Perspective

From my perspective this is a most interesting development and yet another to thank the Lord for in answer to the prayer request and prophetic words published late last year. (See original post, with developments here and here.)

UPDATE 25 April: see Viscount Samuel, Meet Secretary Hagel by Daniel Pipes for news of Secretary of Defense Hagel turning over a new leaf regarding Israel.

Butties and coffee with Raymond Stock

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Stock_Raymond[1]Having closed the previous post by recommending Raymond Stock, I thought to take him (rather, his paper) to lunch in the garden-room downstairs. His article had come to me from the Middle-East Forum at the end of January and had remained flagged in my in-tray – until today.

Somehow I got one of those inexplicable ‘nudges’ and saw it buried in the mass of email and checked it out. It was eminently fitting for the matters in-hand – no surprise!  Having run off a pdf-copy I read it whilst yet again munching (ham ‘butties’ on fresh bread I’d baked – and yet another coffee). Continue reading →

Monday’s newsmix

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Many items in my electronic in-tray vied for my attention on booting up this morning after our 3-day weekend offline. Some get ditched quickly, others relating to this blog deserve study, the rest make good background info.

If they’d be of interest to you too, here’s a few.:

1. America’s withdrawal from the Middle-East under ‘The Obama Doctrine’ –  Lee Smith, the critically acclaimed author of The Strong Horse: Power, Politics and the Clash of Arab Civilizations briefed the Middle-East Forum on the dangers of ‘extrication’ from this region. He argues that the major problem with this policy is of the vacuum being filled by others who are not always friendly powers. Libya is cited as an example. Click here to read brief, one-page synopsis.

2. Obama’s new Secretary of State seems to think he can encourage Egyptian reform by rescuing Egypt from its impending financial calamity. (Shhh… let’s pretend that’s not happening back home, like the swathe of ‘sequester’ defense cuts!)  And whyever not, his boss gave the Muslim Brotherhood the all-clear when he popped into Cairo so soon after his inauguration. Yet President Morsi is far too preoccupied with spreading MB control the rot nationwide. (Debka’s exclusive report refers)

3. By the way, an unusually large locust swarm (of Biblical proportions) has hit Egypt.

4. According to John McTernan, terrorist group Hamas has warned President Obama against any plans to visit the Temple Mount during his trip to Israel later this month.

5. Joel Rosenberg reckons Iran already has nuclear weapons, according to one expert’s analysis.  This wouldn’t be surprising as Iran has cleverly duped the West all along.

Finally, do you recall Watergate? 

One of the ace journalists who investigated Richard Nixon was Bob Woodward. This weekend’s report from Bill Koenig not only quotes him, but also reports other reputable journalists as having encountered severe problems with the administration.:

Bob Woodward notes that POTUS is showing “a kind of madness I’ve not seen in a long time“.  Editor-in-chief of National Journal, Ron Fournier, had to rebuke a senior White House official.  This indicates deep, deceptive issues and manipulation of the media at the heart of American politics, as here.:

“The way the president’s availability to the press has shrunk in the last two  years is a disgrace,” said ABC News White House reporter Ann Compton, who has  covered every president back to Gerald R. Ford. “The president’s day-to-day  policy development — on immigration, on guns — is almost totally opaque to the  reporters trying to do a responsible job of covering it. There are no readouts  from big meetings he has with people from the outside, and many of them aren’t  even on his schedule. This is different from every president I covered. This  White House goes to extreme lengths to keep the press away.” [Source: Politico, Obama The Puppet Master – emphasis added.]

As an accredited Christian reporter at The White House, Bill Koenig’s conclusion is worthy of due regard.:

This is a problem that is coming to the surface, and hopefully the media that have fawned over Obama and helped him get elected twice will see that they have been duped. The fact is that those who are bold don’t get emails answered or are not called on for questions in White House press briefings or press conferences with the President. However, some of the liberal media has come to the White House defense very likely for favor that will come from that.

I don’t think this last item may be news to my States-side readers?

[Hand Pressing News Icon by Watcharakun, courtesy of Freedigitalphotos.net]

A question about the Obama prayer/ prophecy and Netanyahu

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An intercessor friend emailed me about President Obama’s proposed appointments for chief of CIA and Defense Secretary, neither of whom are well-disposed to Israel. (Eg. Director of Centre for Security Policy Frank Gaffney’s article in Jewish World Review.)

So, I replied with links to the postings about Wendy Alec’s prayer request for Obama and the promise that the rift between him and Israel’s PM Netanyahu would be healed. (Original post here, with subsequent developments here, here and here.)

UN Sep12 NET-OBAMA1_13jpgThat information caused some consternation, especially in view of notions about Obama’s desire to divide Jerusalem.  The antagonism in his first term towards Israel’s PM and favour for the Palestinian leader Abbas were renowned.  (Abbas was one of the first Obama phoned after his first  inauguration in 2009.)  Would the US President continue in his old ways during the forthcoming state visit to Israel?

Similar reservations may have entered readers’ minds too and you may, therefore, like to note my second reply.:

“Yes, I too was puzzled when I first read it as I’ve deep reservations about POTUS, as you may have read under the Obama tag on my blog. But Wendy’s was also an urgent request for intercession on his behalf and we have seen changes which astonished the intelligence experts. What is truly in his heart the Lord only knows!

“Incidentally, she was also accurate about Todd Bentley’s mess at Lakeland, whom she and Rory had televised and sponsored. Our minister saw him recently on God TV repenting of his sinful reaction in saying she’s a false prophet and confessed she was correct!”

There’s precious little in the public domain about Obama’s visit, as may be expected of  a predominantly anti-Israel mainstream media. I cannot find any details yet on the White House website other than the President’s The State Of The Union Address during which he said.:

In defense of freedom, we’ll remain the anchor of strong alliances from the Americas to Africa; from Europe to Asia. In the Middle East, we will stand with citizens as they demand their universal rights, and support stable transitions to democracy. We know the process will be messy, and we cannot presume to dictate the course of change in countries like Egypt, but we can — and will — insist on respect for the fundamental rights of all people. We’ll keep the pressure on a Syrian regime that has murdered its own people, and support opposition leaders that respect the rights of every Syrian. And we will stand steadfast with Israel in pursuit of security and a lasting peace.

Those are the messages I’ll deliver when I travel to the Middle East next month…(emphasis RB)

[NOTE: The White House welcomes comments and sharing of the Address directly from the link provided above.]

williamkoenig-web[1]Nevertheless, President Obama’s itinerary for his visit to Israel has been published. In the introductory ‘Inside The White House’ by Bill Koenig to last Fridays’ Eye View From The White House, Bill bullet points more details than those of his Ynet source. He  remarks, “Interestingly, most of Obama’s time in Israel will be with the Israelis, with only one meeting scheduled with the Palestinians” (in Ramallah to meet Abbas, and then returning to Jerusalem by noon).

Regular readers know I cannot recommend William Koenig’s World Watch Daily highly enough for any Christian wanting to keep an eye on Israeli and Middle Eastern news.

PS. see next post about an official logo for the trip

MAIN UPDATES:

Aug 2014 – Israeli retaliation against Hamas perpetual bombardment brings change in US-Israel rapprochement.

Oct 2014 – Netanyahu meets Obama at The White House after UN General Assembly (also see PM Netanyahu at UN and Joel Rosenberg Tale of 2 Speeches at UN).

Iranian forces are “running” Syria says former Syrian Prime Minister.

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This latest update on Syria may be part of the scenario to one of the many prophecies by Ezekiel, as in chapter 38 against ‘Gog and Magog’ and which this blog refers to as ‘the Ezekiel Alliance’. For earlier reports click on tags shown below…

joelcrosenberg's avatarJoel C. Rosenberg's Blog

With the implosion of the Assad regime in full swing, the countdown to the fall of Damascus is on, and Iran is moving quickly to fill the vacuum. Now Riad Hijab — the former Prime Minister of Syria who defected from his senior position in Damascus last August — says that Iran’s military and intelligence forces are “actively running” the nation of Syria.

“Syria is occupied by the Iranian regime,” Hijab told an Arabic media outlet. “Who runs the country isn’t Bashar Assad but Kassem Suleimani, the head of Iran’s al-Quds Brigades [within the Revolutionary Guards].”

Evidence is mounting that Iran and Hezbollah, its Radical Shia terrorist organization, are moving military forces into the country so that if and when the Assad regime finally falls, Iran can fully and quickly seize and consolidate full control. Back in August, when I reported on this blog that Hijab had defected, I also quoted a press repors

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Saudi hypocrisy at its best

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For an informative follow-on to previous post’s comments > Saudi Hypocrisy At Its Best.

Ray-ibrahimThe linked article brings insights from the Coptic, Islam specialist Raymond Ibrahim, Associate Fellow with Daniel Pipes’ Middle East Forum (see About). Widely published author and translator of Al Qaeda treatises as well as Arabic news unknown in the West, Raymond watches the pivotal Islam-Christianity intersection. His impressive resume and regular updates on Muslim persecution of Christians are on his blog Raymond Ibrahim, Islam Translated.

Israeli warplanes reportedly strike targets on Syria-Lebanon border; Israel on high alert over Syrian WMD

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On watch... Joel reports developments after a week of escalating tensions on the Israeli-Syrian border, especially the weekend’s explosion in an Iranian-Hezbollah convoy in the Golan Heights. Debka reported this put Israeli, Jordanian and US special forces in the kingdom on high alert. Breaking news Wednesday afternoon:  the airforce attack prevented handover of sophisticated missiles to Hezbollah. Syria’s Assad has since responded in a detailed statement – visit Debka homepage for latest ‘pre-media’ news.  On Monday President Obama was reluctant to prevent Syrian (and ex-Iraqi) chemical weapons falling into the hands of terrorists – hardly surprising in view of the withdrawal of the US naval fleet. So he left matters entirely in the hands of Middle-East regional powers. The next day all Israel’s armed forces went into a higher state of readiness for conflict as a top Air Force commander described Syria as ‘falling apart’. In addition, Egypt’s Defense Minister said about Egypt, “The political strife is pushing the state to the brink of collapse”.  On top of all that, Joel covers reports on a mysterious explosion in Iran’s underground Fordow nuclear facility. Perhaps a number of things are moving into place as regards the Psalm 83 confederacy and the Ezekiel alliance (as here)?

joelcrosenberg's avatarJoel C. Rosenberg's Blog

israel-lineoffighterjets“Israeli warplanes attacked a target on the Lebanese-Syrian border overnight Tuesday, foreign media reported on Wednesday,” according to a report in the Times of Israel. “While some reports said the purported strike was carried out on the Syrian side of the border, according to one source the target was a weapons convoy that had crossed from Syria into Lebanon. The reports come amid rising concern in Israel and the West regarding the sizable chemical weapons stockpile in the hands of an increasingly embattled Syrian regime. Lebanese officials said a dozen Israeli warplanes violated Lebanese airspace on Tuesday and overnight into Wednesday, flying close to the ground in several sorties over southern Lebanon. The Israeli military and the Prime Minister’s Office had no comment. A Lebanese army statement said the last of the sorties was at 2 a.m. Wednesday. It said four warplanes, which flew in over the southernmost coastal…

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Cameron: A war against al-Qaeda could last decades…

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WELL, YES AND NO, Prime Minister.

This opinion is based upon over fifteen years’ monitoring, study and research in dozens of documents and reference works. [See Footnote 1 below].

In Sunday’s interview [2] on the murders of Britons and many other nationals in Algeria, David Cameron stated.:

D CameronThis is a stark reminder, once again, of the threat we face from terrorism the world over…particularly in North Africa. This is a global threat and it will require a global response. It will require a response that is about years, even decades, rather than months, and it requires a response that is patient, that is painstaking, that is tough but also intelligent, but above all has an absolutely iron resolve; and that is what we will deliver over these coming years. It will also require countries to work together, and I will use our chairmanship of the G8 this year to make sure this issue is right at the top of the agenda where it belongs.

…first we should just say very clearly; the responsibility for loss of life lies with the terrorists…they wanted to take lives; they wanted to kill people; they wanted to do exactly that.

When asked if the threat to the UK from al-Qaeda in North Africa is as great as it was in Afghanistan a decade ago, he replied.:

Well, it is different in scale but there are similarities. What we face is an extremist, Islamist, violent, al-Qaeda linked terrorist group. Just as we had to…have to deal with that in Pakistan and in Afghanistan, so the world needs to come together to deal with this threat in North Africa. It is similar because it is linked to al-Qaeda; it wants to destroy our way of life; it believes in killing as many people as it can. [Emphases mine]

The total number killed by Islamists is now over 20,000 since the attack upon New York on 11 September 2001 [3].

At least the PM and Foreign Secretary William Hague are unequivocal about the No. 1 menace to global peace and security.  In practically every Western government PC values (Political Correctness, ie. Politicians’ Claptrap) have imposed head-in-the sand attitudes, blinkered avoidance and deliberately ignorant self-deception upon policies.  They even made rational analysis, legitimate discussion and speech a criminal offence. A controversial example is the US administration’s kowtowing to Muslim Brotherhood influence and changing all national security manuals [4]. This has resulted in a greatly hampered military grasp of the avowed enemy’s strategy and goals. For example, the Bengazhi-gate furore [5] and refusal to recognise the Fort Hood massacre of November 2009 for what it really is. [6 – Raymond Ibrahim is quoted but many credible experts could also be cited.]

FIRST, I must underline my personal opinion is not against Muslims as individuals for each murderer, like all of us at one time of another, is a sinner in need of forgiveness  and their salvation that was purchased for each of us by Jesus’ self-sacrifice on the accursed Roman cross.  And this awesome blessing is FREE!  Truly there is no other way, or any higher name by which we are to be saved and enter into life everlasting than that of the One whom God sent. Thus, we can be fully reconciled to Him though His Son and come into His holy presence.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me”. [John 14:6]

It is irrational, nay evil, to ascribe the obligatory murder of non-believers to a divinity’s demands. [Is it any wonder atheistic Professor Dawkins claims ‘religion makes people stupid’? 7] Irrationality puts a mere man above his god – which is idolatry!  If divine, is not the Meccan god of the famous 7th century Arab more than able to deal, now or any time, with everyone who offends him? Why need men and children to do his dirty work?

It was heartening, therefore, that unlike the effete BBC the PM did not mince words in Parliament when he called the perpetrators ‘terrorists’. The BBC describes them as ‘militants’, perhaps to reflect Algerian usage. Yet it’s hardly surprising in view of my  earlier criticism [8] and Michael Deacon concludes his report [9] of the occasion, “Our enemy isn’t a nation. It’s an infestation”.

[Update 4th Feb: according to The Commentator, on TV yesterday former PM Tony Blair echoed PM Cameron’s remarks and is of the opinion.:

“We are certainly talking about a generation” said Blair, explaining that the West should view the fight against Islamism as the fight against revolutionary communism. (U/line added by RB)

“It will happen in many different theatres, it will happen in many different ways but the truth is that you have no option but to confront it, to try over time to defeat it.”]

PERSONAL VIEWPOINTS

1.  As reported privately [10], several years ago I discussed with Rolland Baker of Iris Ministries a vision of Holy Spirit fire sweeping up Eastern Africa from Mozambique, across the Sinai into the Middle East. He told me about a discussion on Arabic TV held at Islam’s worldwide spiritual authority of Al Azhar University in Cairo. Apparently, this was about setting up a global caliphate and progress reports were received that their goal is well on the way to being achieved, with the exception of Africa because of God’s work in Mozambique – where Muslims have been healed and delivered of demons, and where Muslim provinces converted and mosques have become churches!

2.  A professor of Islamic history and literature at its most prestigious centre of learning, Al-Azhar University, and who lived Islam and taught in mosques, has written a thorough expose of Islam and the origins of the Muslim Brotherhood.  When a freshman, he enrolled in a class on Quranic interpretation and asked, “Why is jihad constantly spoken about and not other verses about peace, love and forgiveness? The blind sheik erupted in front of hundreds of students,

There is a whole sura (chapter) called ‘Spoils of War’. There is no surah called ‘Peace’. Jihad and killing are the head of Islam. If you take them out you cut off the head of Islam!

Islam & Terrorism

This student couldn’t understand why others were killing Christians and came to realise he had two options, viz: embrace ‘Christianised’ Islam tailor-made for Egyptian government (of Mubarak), or to embrace Islam fully in line with its founder’s teachings and Quran!  I could quote much more, particularly about the MB, its Egyptian President Morsi and its tentacles around President Obama [hence my concern in 11], but for now here’s Dr Mark Gabriel’s book:

This ex-Muslim scholar confirms that the ultimate goal of Islam is to establish Islamic authority over the whole world.  His book is an eye-opener for most Christians!

WHAT’S TO BE DONE?

Foreign Secretary Hague spoke about increasing UK overseas aid to poor nations to combat Islamists. But the problem won’t be changed until ordinary believers come to understand the faith is mistaken and are educated about its conflict with the teachings of the Old and New Testaments. Simply check and compare the lives of the founders of three Abrahamic faiths, Moses, Jesus Christ and Mohammed, and the open-minded  will agree with the Gospels – Jesus is matchless.

I believe the government should continue to obtain advice and assistance only from ex-Muslims who are familiar with all the deep issues and carry out an urgent programme to ditch PC bilge and focus on straight-talking. This should start making inroads into the problem. But it does have another and much more real dimension – that of the spiritual realm. This would be for others to tackle and which is now covered in the next posting, All Hail The Lamb (click to continue reading).

Informed Links:

Useful Reference:

Mosques & MiraclesMosques & Miracles - outline

Footnotes:

  1. These sources only scratch the surface: Not on the 10 o’clock News.
  2. Full transcript of interview: Number10’s Update by the Prime Minister.
  3. Contributions from the ‘Religion of Peace’ and detailed list of attacks.
  4. Just one of many reports: Obama tries to eradicate radical Islam.
  5. My remarks here on the US election: If I were an American citizen.
  6. An example and analysis of political failure: The ‘lone wolf’ jihadist.
  7. His Grace Cranmer’s discussion: Dawkins: religion makes you stupid.
  8. Richard’s Watch tag BBC covers BBC’s highly questionable attitudes.
  9. Telegraph Sketch: terrorists or ‘militants’ they will be our enemy…
  10. Richard’s Watch Not many people know and A 3rd Great Awakening?
  11. Obama’s speech at Cairo to the Muslim world and Muslim Brotherhood

Syria gets closer to fulfilment of Biblical prophecies

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ANOTHER GAME-CHANGER?  Weekend catchup: Iran – game over covered the news of Iran’s advancement towards nuclear weapons and warning of a world war arising from missiles based on the Syrian-Turkish border that would affect Europe. Although I wrote about the withdrawal of two American fleets from Syrian waters I didn’t mention the Russian warships docking in Syria’s port of Tartus and the fleet heading for the Gulf. Interested readers have no doubt delved into DEBKAfile’s homepage for themselves.

Today we learn from DEBKA video report that those vessels delivered not only marines but also a ‘fearsome weapon…and a game changer in the Syrian conflict’  It is a deadly agenda for Assad of chemical weapons first, Iskander 9K720 next. To quote the video’s transcript.:

While NATO unpacked the Patriots in Turkey, a dozen mobile batteries, each carrying a pair of Iskander missiles, were fixed into position opposite Turkey, and another dozen, opposite Jordan and Israel.  At all their stations, the Russian missiles pointed at US military targets.

So while the West was gripped with alarm over Assad’s poison sarin gas shells and bombs and gearing up for missile attacks on Turkey, the Russians were injecting into the Syrian war field the most sophisticated weapon of death thus far. The West and Israel have no answer for the Iskander’s hypersonic speed (and range and nuclear capable warhead) which destroys targets with pinpoint accuracy.

The Prophetic Perspective – the ‘Ezekiel 38 Alliance’

During Advent we recall the account of learned men, or magi, watching for ancient signs that would announce an exceptionally important birth, as recorded in chapter 2 of the Gospel according to Matthew – read here.  Dr Chuck Missler’s Who were the Magi? is of interest in stating that these men were of the ancient school of the prophet Daniel based in Persia.

Nowadays, many believers are well-informed about not only Daniel’s prophecies but also those of the many other Old and New Testament prophets. Yet the public remains uninformed and does not appreciate why today’s events are of great significance. If you wish to find out why this is important please read Chuck’s brief explanation on this blog.

As reported previously, the prophet Ezekiel foresaw an alliance of nations consisting of Iran, Syria, Egypt, Libya, Turkey and led by Russia which would be hostile to the Jews when they have been regathered to their ancient homeland (modern Israel).  Ezekiel knew them by contemporary ethnic names of Gog, Magog, Rosh, Meshech, Cush, Put, Tubal, Gomer and Togarmah. Persia was just coming to prominence in the prophet’s day. For the NKJV translation of the revelation from the Lord click Ezekiel 38.

In recent years this ‘Ezekiel’ alliance has been taking shape in one way or another. We may, however, object and say that although Iran supports Syria’s Assad, Russia has kept at arm’s length, and Turkey and Syria are almost at war.  Yet the above news shows that Russia is getting more deeply involved. What a surprise!

So is Turkey outside any such foreseen alliance? No. The Daily Star Lebanon reported on Monday that Turkey’s prime minister has discussed with the Russian president a plan for an orderly transition to peace in Syria! Thus the prophesied ‘Gog and Magog’ alliance will be rapidly developing and gaining strength during 2013.

So keep watching – and looking up!

Further reading:

Weekend catch-up: Israel and UK, and Iran

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DSC_8314 credit-The CommentatorReaders and visitors will have noted  I often quote the Daily Telegraph. I like a number of its columnists but please don’t assume this reflects my politico-religious view. For example , I’ve noticed lately some reports on Israel don’t reflect what I’m learning from those who have their ear close to the ground, or those who are well informed. The paper’s chief political editor, Peter Oborne, usually writes well but has his critics, one of whom took him to task for his recent criticism of David Cameron’s ‘cowardice’ over Israel.

I came across that criticism on one of my dips into The Commentator and spotted an article entitled Conservative cowardice on Israel?  Historian Carly Beckerman-Boys  raises this question because,

Peter Oborne’s recent comments on the Conservative Party and Israel are overshadowed by his fundamental misunderstanding of British politics and the history of the Israel-Palestine conflict.

In view of my interest this looked a promising read but I dug first into the original article, The cowardice at the heart of our relationship with Israel. I was thus in a better place to follow the historian’s argument.  So, if this topic stirs you why not take a few minutes to read Peter Oborne and then click here for an interesting counter-thrust.

Had I come across Peter’s article in my occasional copy of the paper I would have had some reservations, so I’m pleased to have discovered Carly’s well-balanced answer to his perception of the issue.  Another critic and contributor to CIFWatch, Richard Millet, is not so gentle in his solid response! (For Richard’s background click here.)

Iran – the game is over

Forget POTUS Obama’s intentions to discuss nuclear energy and weapons with Iranian leaders – talks are dead in the water! That game is now over according to DEBKAfile because Iran now has enough plutonium for 24 Nagasaki-type bombs!  This Special Report opens.:

The secret, one-on-one nuclear negotiations President Barack Obama launched with Iran have run into a blank wall. A senior Iranian team member, Mostafa Dolatyar,  said Friday, Dec. 14 in New Delhi that the diplomatic process for solving the nuclear issue with Iran was in effect going nowhere, because the demand that Tehran halt its 20-percent enrichment of uranium “doesn’t make sense.”

Debka reports that Dolatyar’s remarks would have been authorised by ‘Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who, through him, posted a message to Washington: If the enrichment suspension demand stands, the game’s over’. The report continues.:

‘After more than 15 years of on-and-off, largely aimless, nuclear diplomacy with world powers and evasive tactics with the UN nuclear agency, Tehran is for the first time showing signs of impatience and not just its usual disdain. This is because two things have changed:

‘1. For all those years, Tehran availed itself of every diplomatic opening for protracted bargaining about its nuclear program for the sake of buying time, free of pressure, to push that program forward. Now, the Iranians are telling the US and Europe that they have arrived at their destination. For them, time is no longer of essence, as it may be for the West.

‘2.  The second development was revealed on Dec. 5 by The Wall Street Journal in a short leader captioned “From Bushehr to the Bomb”. This revelation was not picked up by any other Western – or even Israeli – publication despite its sensational nature…’  (Click to read before report is filed to premium content archive. More background here.)

So, as mentioned throughout this year the Middle-East pot continues on the boil. But at least it’s not boiling over – yet!

Furthermore, the Iranians stated that installing an American Patriot missile defence on the Turkish-Syrian border is “meant to cause a world war”.  With a massive US, British, French and Russian naval presence in the Persian Gulf, Red Sea and Mediterranean,  Obama has tried to defuse the situation and ‘quietly recalled’ two naval strike groups home from Syrian waters. (Debka Exclusive Report.) And this is without considering the several stockpiles of chemical weapons of mass destruction, or lunacy that continues to break out in the Middle-East.

PROPHETICALLY, NONE OF THESE TROUBLES ARE A SURPRISE. I’m intrigued to muse whether Barack Obama has yet started to take his accredited White Ho journalist Bill Koenig’s wisdom seriously. (First-time visitors click for information about Bill and here for previous posts referring to his work.)

ALSO, we know of an anointed man of God blessed with an evangelistic and healing miracles ministry who heard God say He’s setting the stage for fulfillment of Biblical prophecy > AND we have confirmation from economic cyclical theory > ALL in addition to the fullness of what the Lord Himself said whilst here, and through His holy prophets.

What awesome and exciting days we live in…..

Media manipulation of thought and emotions

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Frankly I don’t like fault-finding and criticising, as in recent posts. Nevertheless, there is  Godly authority for Christians to do so whenever necessary. This ‘standing instruction’ is found in Apostle Paul’s directions for walking in Love, Wisdom and Light, as in his letter to the early church in Ephesus. So, before putting this matter (hopefully) to rest with examples of media manipulation, it behoves us to consider Paul’s words.:

6 Let no one delude and deceive you with empty excuses and groundless arguments [for these sins], for through these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of rebellion and disobedience. 7 So do not associate or be sharers with them.

8 For once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of Light [lead the lives of those native-born to the Light]…

11 Take no part in and have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds and enterprises of darkness, but instead  expose and reprove and convict them…13 But when anything is exposed and reproved by the light, it is made visible and clear; and where everything is visible and clear there is light. [Amplified Bible; see Ephesians 5 in full]

Regrettably, deception and lies abound throughout all forms of public life and media; as in the activities of press and police in phone and email hacking scandal. Much has been written, many got hot under the collar, and top leaders deeply divided over the issue of  freedom of the press and the controversial recommendations of Lord Leveson’s Inquiry. [For a brief summary see Gillan Scott’s: Leveson – where do we go from here?]

Censorship laws were abolished in 1695, so the introduction of the first press statute in over 310 years would be yet another step towards increasing state control.  [My family forebears required a licence, or ‘patent’, to print even the Authorised King James Bible! In view of threats of sedition and rebellion that faced Tudor and Jacobean monarchs,  eg. the Gunpowder Plot, printers could operate only with the sovereign’s permission – see my personal notes.]

Free speech in America is protected under the First Amendment to the US Constitution, but in Britain liberties once protected by convention are now seriously undermined by Section 5 of the Public Order Act. Anyone who feels offended or insulted – for any silly reason! – may bring a criminal prosecution!!  [More: Christian Institute and Cranmer.]

Human nature being what it is, the combination of freedom to speak and write enabled unsavoury elements of the press to make dramatic, sensational and inaccurate stories for the sake of attracting more readers.  This happened over 110 years ago in the USA, as outlined in The ‘Yellow Fever’ of Journalism.

Eventually, this kind of publishing spread to the UK, as evident in the tabloid press wars and started to afflict the once highly reputable British Broadcasting Corporation as well as The Guardian, successor to the renowned  Manchester Guardian. [This famous local paper was essential reading for me as a 6th form student at school only 15 miles from the city – read brief history and of its interest in Zionism and Palestine.]

Consequently, it’s with unease that I see sensational and deliberate inaccuracy within once-august organisations’ coverage of factual material. I can only infer their purpose must be to mislead and manipulate readers, thereby inculcating mental and emotional antagonism against a people and a nation, Israel. (Although having studied the history for years in some depth, I am open to correction.)

Example 1

westBank-E1

Yesterday, a friend asked if I’d heard the latest news about a large building programme by Israel in an area designated as E-1 lying east of Jerusalem, specifically to bisect the West Bank – ie. divide it in two. The friend got this notion from media reports.

Better still, why not read what someone on the ground says? Paula Stern writes ,

It’s all about a mountain that sits between Maale Adumim and Jerusalem between the city where I work and the home that I have made with my husband and children. YNET incorrectly claims that Israel building on E1 threatens to “bisect” the West Bank. I can’t help but wonder why they never took the 3 minute drive out of Jerusalem to realize that was just nonsense!

…what we have is a mountain – not a very tall one, smaller even than the ones next to it on three sides. That’s all E1 is – a mountain. It is barren, but for a road that snakes its way up to a midpoint where a large police station has been built. No one lives there – no one has. Some trees, a lot of rocks, a traffic circle at the base – that’s all.

Read this local resident’s full statement here. Look at the above map! (details here); it is ‘much ado about nothing’, according to GW Bush’s deputy assistant Elliot Abrams. Also, CIF Watch refutes media claims and thereby trashes falsehood in The Guardian.

Here’s more true-to-type ‘yellow journalism’ from a badly biased international agency – Reuters Blames Israel For Doomsday. How’s that for manipulation?

Example 2

Another friend and reader of this blog contacted me about the effects that recent rocket attacks and defence had upon someone watching the news. Therefore, he quite rightly attempted to set the record straight. Thank you Neil for permission to quote your email, viz.:

How are you? I do greatly enjoy reading your “Watch” input and updates – keep up the good work.  We are now very close to the finish line for the End Times Course here…

I am writing because I had need to respond to an e-mail that I received. I quote an element below, and thought I would let you see my response as some information came from input you have so kindly provided. I am sure you will understand that I do not wish to identify the sender or quote the text in full:

[extract:]

“I am struggling to come to terms with what is happening in Israel / Gaza. Israel’s response to the missiles from Gaza seems to be disproportionate with appalling civilian casualties. And in response we now have a bomb on a bus in Tel Aviv. I am beginning to ask myself whether under the circumstances it is morally right …. ”

[Neil’s proposed reply:]

“Hard to know where to begin – I wish you had attended the Winvin End Times study. I take a very different view to yours: the Israeli’s have suffered extreme provocation over many years, particularly in relation to rocket attacks, from Hamas controlled Gaza into Southern Israel. These rocket attacks have been going on intermittently for more than 10 years. Hamas have repeatedly expressed their unequivocal aim to destroy Israel (wipe Israel off the face of the earth, re-occupy the land that belongs to Allah, and so on). They are supported and equipped by Iran, which takes the same view and appears to be close to developing a nuclear armaments capability.

“In mid October, Hamas gunmen, bombers and rocket firers started to increase the level of their cross border attacks. Some recent examples: on 8 Nov they blew up an Israeli military position on the Gaza border by tunnelling underneath it and filling the tunnel with high explosive. On 10 Nov they fired an anti-tank missile across the border, destroying a lightly armoured vehicle. On Sunday 11 Nov, the day before Israel retaliated, they fired 187 rockets into Southern Israel. Hamas launch their rockets from the vicinity of schools, hospitals and civilian populated areas, which is really using civilians as a shield and likely to “wrong foot” any military response, very challenging in terms of propaganda and “sound bite” media coverage. Hundreds of air sorties have failed to stop missiles being fired from Gaza, and they are now being fired at Tel Aviv and Jerusalem plus the bomb in Tel Aviv that you mention. I see it as a Hamas responsibility that civilians are being killed and injured – it is as a direct result of their tactics and their avowed determination to annihilate Israel.

“Israel is surrounded by its enemies (the more so since the so-called Arab Spring) and I suspect that it feels it is imperative to show to those who might contemplate an attack, that it is willing to take robust action.

“There are more complicated geo-political considerations in respect of Ayatollah Khamenei’s ambitions for Iran, his relationship with Bashar Assad (Syria and his wish to deflect attention from his “civil war”), Mohamed Morsi (Egypt and the Muslim Brotherhood) and Hizballah.

“I could go on but it would become a book! I will add that Israel has a sophisticated anti-missile missile system which manages to take out some of the incoming rockets…

“I believe that the Jews are God’s chosen people, He has an everlasting covenant with them, and Jesus (a Jew) will return to Jerusalem to take his rightful place on David’s throne. I do not believe in replacement theology. There is no doubt that the Israeli’s are far from perfect – however, the Bible tells us we should pray for their wellbeing (which is not the same as agreeing with their actions – though in this recent activity in Gaza, I do).”

“I did not develop the possible fulfilment of end times prophecy that we see in these events, probably a step too far for the enquirer at this stage!”

Recommended links for countering Anti-Semitic mis-information:

1. For in-depth investigation and refutation of many instances of weak journalism, visit:

2. For well-informed, no-nonsense commentary within UK visit:

Be blessed as you dig…

>> See also Update

Palestinians could have been celebrating their state’s 65th anniversary! What happened?

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A very useful summary of factual history for easy quick reference. Thank you Joel.

joelcrosenberg's avatarJoel C. Rosenberg's Blog

(Los Angeles, California) I am sympathetic to the plight of the Palestinian people. They are loved by the Lord God of the Bible, but they are forgotten or ignored by much of the world. Tragically, most of their leaders over the years have been either corrupt, misguided, or incompetent. They deserve so much better. Consider briefly the sad pattern of modern history:

* 1947— Humanly speaking, the Palestinians could have been celebrating the 65th anniversary of their state today. After all, 65 years ago today, the U.N. voted on the “Partition Plan,”giving part of British Mandated “Palestine” to the Jews to create the state of Israel, and part to the Arabs to create a Palestinian/Jordanian state. The Jewish leaders said yes to the U.N. plan, and created Israel. The Arabs said no to the U.N. plan, and went to war to destroy the Jews. They lost the war and got heartache and poverty instead.

* 1967

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Is BBC’s coverage of Gaza ‘yellow journalism’?

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I have much better things to do than bang on about the BBC but its deliberate bias is outrageous. For example, last Monday evening I took an exception to the clear tone of bias/bigotry.

For once I quickly checked our TV’s teletext for the BBC News of 26th November and selected ‘World Reports’.  I spotted and opened ‘Israel and Hamas begin Gaza talks’, which reports as follows.:

‘Representatives of Israel and Hamas have begun indirect talks about implementation of the ceasefire deal that ended recent violence in Gaza. The negotiations are being led by Egyptian intermediaries in Cairo. Hamas is expected to press for an end to the Israeli blockade on Gaza, while Israel wants arms smuggling to cease.

‘At least 158 Palestinians and 6 Israelis were killed by the 8-day offensive which Israel said it launched to stop rocket fire from the territory.’

What I’ve underlined is what I took a great exception to – it insinuates that Israel is lying or saying that as an excuse for violence. Why not simply state the plain substantive fact by deleting ‘said it’ ??

Any reasonable person can read the BBC is making a sly, subtly derogatory comment in order to mislead.  Anyone who has been closely following ‘front-line’ news on Israel for years, as I have, well knows its south has been subject to unending bombardment – which is why Mike Evans has solicited funds for the provision of bomb shelters!

The fact is, THE VIOLENCE HAS BEEN COMING FROM THE GAZA STRIP ever since Israel vacated it. Since 2005 OVER 8,000 missiles have been fired by terrorists into Israel from Gaza…almost 1,700 in this year alone! (per IDF Rocket Attacks report) 

So it was happening well before Israel decided enough was enough.

The BBC has never, ever bothered truthfully reporting upon that fact.

Hence, B.B.C. does mean ‘Bigoted Broadcasting Corporation’!

If the BBC were a professional organisation it would be aware of the truth of the matter and not have produced highly slanted news reports throughout this latest clash. Yes, it was tragic for the baby son of one of its Arabic services staff to have been killed. But I was most uneasy not only over the propriety of this report but also whether or not it was truly as claimed. Happening to be on-hand to cover this in a sensational way was a tad unprofessional – it smacked of ‘yellow journalism’ (see definition and background), as does the history of the BBC’s coverage.

I had to ask, why were the family in harm’s way? – is there truth in the Israeli claim that Hamas are guilty of war crimes by using civilians as ‘human shields’?

That particular tragedy has been investigated by BBC Watch, who conclude:

It is implausible that the BBC…is unaware of the Masharawi family’s connections to Hamas – a terror organization proscribed by the British government and many others.

The BBC’s funding public will naturally find it unacceptable on all levels that a BBC employee should engage in propagating lies and antisemitic vitriol on a television station owned and run by a terror organization. (To read in full click here and then scroll down page.)

Stop Press: Breaking News >> The Government Press Office has issued a formal warning to the BBC reporter on the above case for his use in an unrelated matter of ‘unverified and misleading material’ – see BBC’s Jon Donnison gets yellow card. [Clarification 30/11: earlier report refers to Israel’s GPO; not UK’s as may be inferred.]

I also read there are serious questions about BBC Middle-East editor Jeremy Bowen’s partiality – click that link for report (again, scroll to read).

Others who share my concerns:

In BBC leads Hamas spin…again The Commentator castigates the Corporation and urges readers to file complaints.

With his usual subtle wit, His Grace Cranmer recognises the same issue, as herein.

Controversial yet sensible Melanie Philips now posts ‘REAL News Bulletins’ on her blog, starting with Here is the (real) news. (“Here is some information about the war between Gaza and Israel that for some unaccountable reason you may have missed today in Britain’s mainstream media…”)  Melanie has also written about The real BBC scandal.

One of my readers tells of someone’s distress and faulty logic as a consequence of the  media reports. I shall, therefore, consider this pernicious effect of ‘yellow journalism’ another time…

Good news from Egypt!

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Intriguing, especially as I’ve little time at present to blog – I keep getting ‘server error’ when trying to get an update via Google from Open Doors USA on the following. Christian Post reported on a massive prayer gathering in Egypt and quoted an anonymous source as saying:

“There is no doubt that God is moving in Egypt and showing Himself in mighty  ways to many of His children, and to many who are seeking to know Him,” the  contact said. “The hunger to know about Jesus and to get to know more about the  Christian faith is phenomenal…

“…we Christians of Egypt are realizing more and more every day that God is  visiting our country with a powerful divine presence, and that the things He is  going to do in our country are beyond imagination. This is what we pray for and  this is what we are waiting in faith to see happening.”

Read full report here as well as this from Open Doors about 10,000 youngsters who met earlier in October. Also, President Obama has congratulated Egyptian Christians on the election of a new Coptic Pope. This news is a welcome follow-up to last November’s encouraging news, as covered here.

Good news indeed…

Israel v. Iran – possibility of breakthrough?

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Someone has observed that when a nation is attacked then internal divisions disappear and its people act in unity against the aggressor. (If you know the reference source for this remark, please refresh my memory.)  By this principle unscrupulous leaders, eg. of  totalitarian regimes, have been known to provoke conflict with another nation in order to distract their public from severe internal issues that bring a great risk of internal unrest and rebellion.  Perhaps that’s now the case with Iran?

Last weekend brought Israel close to the brink of war as over 55 missiles and mortars were fired into Israel from Gaza and an Iranian unmanned surveillance helicopter flew over highly sensitive installations. The Israelis conducted cyber-warfare against it and it was shot down. Debka reported the barrage was the outcome of a new Hamas-Iran accord (see Is the Mid-East coming to the boil?) and in several reports that Israel has been highly embarrassed by the deliberate act of Iranian belligerence.  On top of that, Hezbollah was so confident of success that it published plans to attack Israel from the Golan and Lebanon. Then came speculation of an American and Israeli ‘surprise’ this month!

Amidst all this will be lots of disinformation, but Iranian leaders have promised to be taking action soon. But could all the above-related events be a distraction to provoke Israel into attacking Iran as a knee-jerk reaction and thereby uniting the Iranian public?

There have been reports of public protests and demonstrations in Tehran because of the severe economic downturn the country is suffering. It is on the verge of collapse, and nothing could definitely divert the people’s attention like a ‘jolly’, ‘holy’ war!  The people have experienced tough suppression a couple of years ago and if they riot this time would be determined not to lose again – maybe the mad–mullahs will be over-thrown?

Mike Evans has reported this week that these developments are being given serious consideration.  Dare we hope for a non-violent solution to this situation – one in which the hand of the Lord is seen?  Here’s food for thought from Mike’s valued insights (also see my postscript comment):

The Power of Prayer is Working
Dear Richard,
During my recent trip to Israel, I met with over 41 leaders in the nation. Afterwards, I flew to New York to defend Israel at the UN and confronted the Iranian leaders that were raging against the State of Israel.
Israel’s leaders were fully prepared to courageously attack Iran’s nuclear reactors. Some of the top leaders in the Jewish state told me that the attack was already scheduled between September 15th and October 15th . In the midst of this, the amazing has occurred: Iranian people are rising up, and the economy of Iran is on the verge of collapse due to international sanctions. Because of these events, Israel will not attack before the end of the year.
From my perspective, this has been a direct result of the power of prayer. An attack before the US elections would have resulted in Israel being blamed, and would have placed the nation squarely in the crosshairs of every legislator in the party that loses the election. It would also have created a global economic crisis because of oil flowing through the Persian Gulf. Liability would have fallen on Israel.
The key to understanding Israel’s actions can be found in II Samuel 11:1: “In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel.”
If Iran experiences a “Persian Spring” much like the Arab Spring, and Admadinejad’s regime is overthrown, Israel will not attack. When Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke courageously at the UN concerning the “red line,” his team was negotiating with Great Britain, France, Germany, and the US, asking for new sanctions against Iran. The top European leaders agreed and will make proposals in the areas of finance, trade, energy, and transportation in Brussels on October 15th. I’ve been told by the highest level of officials in the Israeli government that Iran’s loss of income is between $40 and $50 billion.
The last time this occurred, the Shah of Iran was overthrown. That was confirmed when I interviewed all the top leaders of the country, including Empress Farah Pahlavi and Ambassador to the US, Ardeshir Zahedi. The Iranian rial has lost 80 percent of its value in twelve months. The bazaars in the nation are going on strike, and the people are demonstrating. I can tell you firsthand that not all the top Iranian leaders were given visas to enter the US in September. I am referring particularly to the mullahs who run the country. In addition, Iranian spies who have been meeting in the hotels for the past four years were not in attendance this year. I believe many have been arrested.
Perhaps one of the most telling examples are the Iranian women. In past years, they have gone to the top stores in New York City to shop. That did not happen this year. Instead, the men would return from pharmacies and hardware stores with purchases including boxes of over-the-counter drugs.

Is the Middle-East coming to the boil?

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Copy of email circulated yesterday and today about Israel, Iran and Jordan:

YESTERDAY (Monday)

Friends, to keep you in the frame, this update focuses [first] upon Israel and Iran.:

I was amazed this morning to learn that my merely passing thoughts at the foot of this thread, just after my quoting Mike Evans, could have been accurate! [See blog version of Thursday’s email for that reference.]  Btw, he’s said to be the only Christian to have confronted Iranian pres. Amadmanjihad last year in New York, where the Lord helped him get through high-security guards. He intends to do so again this week whilst the Iranian’s attending the UN General Assembly. [US House of Representatives passed motion requesting UN not allow him to speak on holy day of Yom Kippur!]

Breaking news today from New York quotes the Iranian president’s lying threat,

 “Iran has been around for the last seven, 10 thousand years. (Israelis) have been occupying those territories for the last 60 to 70 years, with the support and force of the Westerners. They have no roots there in history.

“We don’t even count them as any part of any equation for Iran…During a historical phase, (the Israelis) represent minimal disturbances that come into the picture and are then eliminated.”  (Reuters’ 1st report; my emphases)

The weekend before last I’d been mulling over media quietness during Rosh Hashanah holy days as perhaps the ‘still before the storm’, and praying there would be no surprise attacks upon Israel.

Thus, my remarks at the close of previous email were merely meant as an observation about Israel ’obviously taking precautions against being caught napping’. Yet little did I know it was the very same afternoon when newly released papers revealed a massive intelligence failure at the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War of 1973, as Joel Rosenberg reports:

Thirty-nine years ago this month, Israel was surrounded by enemies threatening to annihilate her. But Israeli leaders did not take the threats seriously enough, and did not order a pre-emptive strike to neutralize the enemy’s military capabilities. [Read The Times of Israel article on this severe lesson.]

Last weekend’s news:

Yesterday [Sunday], Reuters reported a Brigadier-General in the Republican Guards as stating on Iranian TV that:

Iran could launch a pre-emptive strike on Israel if it was sure the Jewish state was preparing to attack it…we can not imagine the Zionist regime starting a war without America’s support. Therefore, in case of a war, we will get into a war with both of them and we will certainly get into a conflict with American bases.

Also, the station paraphrased him as saying:

“Iran will not start any war but it could launch a pre-emptive attack if it was sure that the enemies are putting the final touches to attack it.”

Furthermore, Rosenberg advises that, for the first time, Iran’s highest-ranking military official (minister of defence) has tied the forthcoming confrontation into ‘the era of The Coming’ of the Hidden 12th Imam, or Mahdi. Thus, Iran’s leaders are expecting a highly significant war to facilitate that event and thereby introduce a global Islamic caliphate.  (See Joel’s post here and my previous overview.)

BUT JUST AS OMINOUSLY, the general alluded to various means of response which would implicitly include last week’s ‘binding commitment’ by Hamas leaders in Gaza to join Iran, Syria and Hezbollah in Lebanon in military action against Israel.

Debka’s exclusive military sources (here) disclose the agreement’s detailed and precise directives would make Palestinian Hamas defer to Tehran and not to Cairo’s Muslim Brotherhood, of which Hamas is an offshoot, and instructs them to stop obstructing Iran’s proxy in the Gaza strip.

Thus, we can see Iran’s influence is extending westward like a demonic talon through Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Gaza around Israel, whose only trouble-free border is with Jordan. This development will doubtless affect the Egypt-Israel relationship and their counter-terror operations in Sinai, the border of which was breached during Friday’s shootout. Egypt’s new rulers are unable to control or contain Islamist terrorism in Sinai. Therefore, Israel’s latest massive exercise should be regarded in this light, and which left two battalions on the Syrian border!

America’s lack of influence/interest continues to be demonstrated by president Obama’s latest, and as some infer, unhelpful remarks towards Israel, as Debka reports here.

Thank the Lord what’s going in the world doesn’t hinder us from keeping our eyes on Him, and looking to His return – maranatha!

TODAY (Tuesday)


Further to yesterday’s update, this morning’s on-line headline corrects my reference to Israel’s only ‘trouble-free border’, viz :

Jordan on the brink: Muslim brothers mobilize for King Abdullah’s overthrow

Another ‘exclusive’ from Debka reports:

For Israel, an upheaval in Jordan bodes the tightening of the Islamist noose around its borders – Egypt and Libya to the south and Syria to the north, with unpredictable consequences with regard to Jordan’s Pales-tinian population.

Saudi Arabia, already threatened by Iranian aggression, fears the oil kingdom may be next in line if its northern neighbor is crushed under the marching feet of the “Arab Spring.”

The Debka report goes on to analyse the monarch’s plight and his three options, refers to the knock-on effect upon Saudi Arabia and succinctly surmises Obama’s quandary – will he stab yet another staunch ally in the back for the sake of the lynchpin to his outreach to the Muslim world, their Cairo-based brotherhood?

You may recall my reference in Jan 2011 (‘Talks leaks’ aka ‘Palestinian papers’) to:

calls for the overthrow of Jordan’s government (Egypt next?) …Perhaps, therefore, we may soon see whether or not Christian commentators upon the prophesied Psalm 83 Middle-Eastern war and fulfilment of Obadiah 15 are proved correct??’

Psalm 83 (click to read psalm)

In Bible Prophecy Blog of April 1st 2012, Bill Salus refers to the increasing interest in Psalm 83, which he describes as “a prophecy in progress”. His article notes and lists the six primary requirements stated in the psalm that need to be in place before all the nations surrounding Israel ‘wipe out its people…that the name of Israel be remembered no more’ (vv2-4). Six months ago he observed that ‘all six of these prerequisites are in place’ and foresaw with precise perspicuity that:

Apart from fragile peace treaties between Israel and Egypt, and Israel and Jordan, the Psalm prophecy essentially appears to be on the verge of fulfilment.

Many pundits believe that the new majority Islamic fundamentalist parliament of Egypt will soon abrogate the 33 year old peace agreement with Israel. Should Egypt break peace with Israel, there are few that believe Jordan will covet the lone-wolf position of being the only remaining Arab state that possesses a peace accord with Israel. The legitimate concern is reflected in the adage; “As goes Egypt, so goes the rest of the Middle East.”

What Bill describes has indeed started to happen, as is clearly evident from Egypt’s new, Muslim Brotherhood president Morsi’s attitude towards the peace treaty. With today’s exclusive news, we can now expect radical changes in Jordan this year…

To gain a good insight into the Biblical significance of what’s happening read Bill’s lucid, 4-page exposition Psalm 83 – A Prophecy in Progress. (His blog: prophecydepot.com)

The Lord bless you and keep you.

See also:

> John McTernan’s Daily Digest commentary of Sept 25th and his several news links.

> Nick Gray in The Commentator on the effect of Morsi’s attitude on the peace treaty. (He writes for Christian Middle-East Watch, a voice coming from the Church in Britain, aiming to bring balance and truth to debates and issues concerning the Middle-East.)

Update 14th Oct: Robert Spencer; Egyptian Copts overwhelmed by “anxiety and fear”, see Muslim Brotherhood government as “worst in memory”.

Historically significant week for the Middle East

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This brief update is offered in case you may be unaware of developments in the Middle-East. Those who relish detail will enjoy getting their teeth into Bill Koenig’s chronology of events from a perspective of US-Israel relations, Eye-to-Eye: Week of 9-11-12. It has  a brief overview. (Also see recent post about his Alert anticipating trouble according to cyclic theory.)  Here’s my update:

An unprecedented ‘armada’ of American, British and French naval power is focusing once again upon protecting the Strait of Hormuz (see Telegraph) – this separates the Persian Gulf from the Gulf of Oman, as in map below.

Barnabas Fund reports growing concern for Christians in countries rocked by violent protests against an offensive movie trailer on Mohammed. According to a number of experts, however, it’s a pretext for Islamist action on several fronts – eg. Raymond Ibrahim and Caroline Glick, here and here respectively.  [NB: see update below on investigation into possible terrorist involvement in production of this video in order to commit an outrage.]

Solid grounds for this conclusion as regards the attack in Libya are given in a press release by the London counter-extremism think-tank Quillam Foundation. (Quillam’s founder, ex-hardline Islamist Maajid Nawaz, gives a most informative interview in The Counter Islamist. Their website explains how they are working to change attitudes.)

Also, Mudar Zahran, a Palestinian writer and Jordanian academic resident as political refugee in the UK, reports upon the ‘textbook Islamist’ who ignited the rage by running an Egyptian tv show about the movie. (Thank you Tembisa at World Chaos.) Also, The Telegraph reports that this presenter’s,

inflammatory chat show on satellite television has long prided itself on baiting liberals, Christians and Jews, but last week saw Sheikh Khalid Abdullah stage the broadcasting controversy of a lifetime.

In view of all the hysteria, however, there’s been a news blackout in mainstream media about two places – Sinai and Israel.

Debka reported on Friday and Sunday fierce Al-Qaeda led military attacks in Sinai, one of which was against the 1000+ Multinational Force’s camp established to monitor the 1979 Egypt-Israel peace treaty. There, a Colombian battalion protected Americans. Then on Monday I received an email from Mike Evans stating,

“I have received an email from a friend and supporter of the Jerusalem Prayer Team who lives in Jerusalem with an urgent message about massive troop movements underway in Israel. The scale of the mobiliz-ation is like nothing this family has seen in more than twenty years in the Jewish state.”

There have been a number of such reports, which may be disinformation, or as some well-meaning folk think – a hoax!  It may be that Israel was taking precautions against being caught napping during the Rosh-Hashanah holy days. However, news of a ‘snap military exercise’ in the Golan Heights did at last surface yesterday morning in a Debka ‘exclusive’ and later in The Telegraph.

Today, we learn about enemy troops moving into the territory across Israel’s northern border, ie. Iran is pouring troops into Syria to bolster Assad and thereby threaten Israel (as here). Link both ‘blackout’ news items with the supposed ‘hoax’ and we can tell that good intel’ had alerted and activated the Israeli military – there’s no smoke without fire!

Events are proceeding at breakneck speed!

ALSO SEE copy email update about these closing remarks!!

Update 27/9: Former member of the Muslim Brotherhood, Walid Shoebat, claims on his blog that the offensive video trailer was, in all likelihood, produced as a terrorist scam. This renowned peace activist arrives at that conclusion after examining contradictions and falsehoods within the media accounts, plus his own previous investigations into the characters and his connections in and direct knowledge of the Middle-East. There are far too many facts that can’t be married up!

Keep looking to the Lord…

11-year cycle proves itself again!

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William Koenig has HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD!

Readers may have noted my Paws 4 thought on cycles (29 Aug) outlined the 11 year cycle of major conflicts in the Middle East. [For a brief introductory outline see my post Points to ponder: 2011-2012 and then Koenig’s intriguing ‘Timeline 2011 to 2019‘ – regret no longer available since updating of his website.]

BillKoenig_hdrA week ago I received the following News Alert from Bill in which he anticipated another ‘historical day’ in connection with Israel, militant Islam and the USA. But before reading it consider these momentous events.:

The world now knows another September 11th (Tuesday) became notorious for conflict: the American embassy in Egypt and consulate in Libya came under siege from raging Islamist mobs and, as they fled to safety, US Ambassador Stevens and three consular staff were murdered in cold blood in Benghazi (Debka exclusive report).

Also on Tuesday, President Obama decided not to meet PM Netanyahu on his forth-coming visit to the States, thereby increasing strained diplomatic relations and causing a flurry of news reports (here’s just one, a Debka special).

Now, take careful note of the prophetic news alert (web version here)..:                            [Koenig’s Eye-View Friday 14th has day-by-day account of the week.]

William Koenig - Main Banner
September 5, 2012
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A New World Order Speech – Major Terror Attacks – Is Something Coming?  asks Bill Koenig

9-11-1990 plus 11 years = 9-11-2001 plus 11 years = 9-11-2012

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On Sept. 11, 1990, President George H.W. Bush, in an address before a Joint Session of the U.S. Congress on the Persian Gulf crisis and the federal budget deficit, spoke of a “new world order.”

President G.H.W. Bush: Out of these troubled times, our fifth objective — a new world order — can emerge: a new era — freer from the threat of terror, stronger in the pursuit of justice, and more secure in the quest for peace. An era in which the nations of the world, East and West, North and South, can prosper and live in harmony.

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On Sept. 11, 2001, the 11th anniversary of President Bush’s new-world-order speech to Congress, America experienced the first-ever massive terror attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

President G.W. Bush: Good evening. Today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts. The victims were in airplanes, or in their offices; secretaries, businessmen and women, military and federal workers; moms and dads, friends and neighbors. Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror.

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Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2012, will be the 11th anniversary of the World Trade Center/Pentagon terror attacks.

The new-world-order vision President George H.W. Bush spoke of hasn’t happened; as a matter of fact, the world is much more dangerous, especially the Middle East — Israel’s neighborhood — thanks to political decisions of the United States.

Instead of a new-world free from the threat of terror, the United States experienced a massive Islamic terrorist attack on 9-11-2001, followed by two extremely costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and President G.W. Bush’s nation building and active promotion of democracy in the Middle East. It also enabled Barack Obama to defeat John McCain in the 2008 U.S. Presidential election.

President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have been actively involved in the Arab Spring debacle, which is becoming a hard-line Islamic takeover in country after country in the Middle East. This has led to an unprecedented persecution of Christians and the purging from countries throughout the Middle East, while Israel is facing its most dangerous threats in history. Moreover, under Obama’s watch, Iran has aggressively accelerated its nuclear development program.

Unbeknown to these U.S. Presidents, their active roles in the Middle East have led to the rapid acceleration of final-day events and the final battle for Jerusalem (Zechariah 12-14).

Will Sept. 11, 2012, be another historical day? (my emphasis, RB)

Click here for President George H.W. Bush’s new-world-order speech to Congress and President George W. Bush’s speech to America.

Paws-4-thought: weather, quakes and cycles – part 2

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Continued from Part 1: “And then what? You were saying Richard, …”

Normally I’m offline Friday to Sunday, and longer over a Bank Holiday.  But in between showers and odd tasks I planned to snatch 15 mins ever so quickly to re-blog an ace post.  But I found WordPress playing up terribly and dipped into emails, spotted the ones from William K and John McT, and so I tried using them for a couple of direct email postings. I saw another from Tony P on his latest post Winds of Change, which fits the News Alert on the tropical storm/hurricane in Florida.

Bank Holiday Monday evening we planned to catch up with the second night of The Bay Revival team’s visit to Southern California but found the website unavailable, as was that of their church in Mobile.  Perhaps this was down in preparation for the arrival of Isaac.  Also, I was puzzled over the claims about its location and path – Tampa, Florida  or central northern Gulf…which?  We saw Weather Channel’s hurricane specialist show how he’d found tropical storm Isaac’s approach from mid-Caribbean had been split by a wedge of dry air and this made the main part head west nor-west towards New Orleans. The eastern leading edge was already over Florida.  It seemed as though the massive storm was not going directly towards the Florida panhandle and neck of Alabama but veering off to once again join the ‘Southern Decadence’ – on yet another 29 August!

Question: was this accident, fluke or directed by a mind far superior to ours?  Or could it be to allow some respite to the Pensacola-Mobile area because that’s been blessed by two Holy Spirit visitations?  (Perhaps my dream recounted here has relevance?)

With regard to my previous reference to extremes of weather, the agricultural economy of both nations is already being affected, as in today’s Telegraph article The farmer’s hell after the heavens opened where Christopher Middleton notes:

Yes, while drought-stricken American farmers have been praying for rain, with 35 states declaring themselves disaster areas, we Brits have found the heavens to be open all hours of the day, in what is set to be one of the wettest summers on record. The combination is expected to send food prices soaring for the average shopper in the coming months.

The political price for this upon our government is not missed by His Grace Cranmer’s post, Cameron’s downfall will be the price of bread.

Too Coincidental?

williamkoenig-web[1]The detailed information and conclusions William Koenig gives in his Eye-to-Eye alert arise from years of monitoring events that occur simultaneously with, or following closely, important matters to do with Israel. Thus, likely connections with Biblical teaching and prophecy can be demonstrated from the linkage and deduced by open-minded investigators.

In Koenig’s current examples the repeated four instances of related occasions should be of interest to those of a mathematical and scientific bent. Their repetitive nature almost makes the events worthy of scientific investigation, does it not?

And there’s more! Lots…

For example, his detailed analysis of record heat and drought in both 2011 and 2012, during June to August in both years, suggests a connection with President Obama’s LGBT and gay marriage agenda (Eye-View 3rd August).  Earlier in July 2010, he’d observed that most of the states supporting this in the US northeast had experienced record-breaking temperatures during Jan-July. A thinking person would don his/her thinking cap!

Cycles

Earlier this year my Points to ponder 2011-12 introduced Koenig’s investigation of the work of internationally renowned financial analyst Erick Hadik.  Hadik has recognised the affects of natural cycles not only upon our environment but also upon our spheres of political and economical activity. One in particular corresponds closely with the 11-year sunspot cycle’s peak this year 2012, that of Middle-Eastern conflict!  For example, look at these dates:

end of WWII – 1945, adding 11 years:

Suez War – 1956, another 11 years:

Six Days War – 1967, plus 11 years:

Camp David Accords – 1978-1979 (also Iran’s Islamic Revolution):

Persian Gulf War / Desert Storm (Part I) – 1990-91, another 11 years:

Sept 11th 2001 terror events and subsequent Afghan and Iraq wars (Part II).

2012 – may introduce Persian Gulf Wars Part III? – Sunni/Shiite conflict? Israel v. Iran? Update > See blog 11-year cycle proves itself again! (posted 14 Sept: attacks upon US embassy in Cairo and consulate in Libya with ambassador’s murder) and News and Stories for 2012 for the year’s main events.

Hadik claims the above dates are, in fact, preceded by those for the Palestine mandate (1922) and Hitler’s ascension (1933).  Furthermore, there is a 50/100 year cycle of major wars. He cites the Napoleonic war of 1812, US Civil War (1861-65), the Balkan Wars of 1912 as the real start of WWI,  1961-2 Cuban missile crisis and SE Asian wars.  2012 next!  (Source: page 5 of Hadik’s Earth in Transition 3+3 II.)

Anyone wishing to dig below the surface will find fascinating facts!  Be blessed…

Post-script to Update 3 – Iranian threats widen in scope

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Further to the ‘latest’ news at the foot of yesterday’s post,  the Telegraph’s executive foreign editor and Middle-East expert Con Coughlin reports today that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, has ordered the country’s Revolutionary Guards to intensify its campaign of terror attacks against the West and its allies.

Let’s not kid ourselves that Khamenei is just a ‘mad-mullah’ – he did give the ‘rationale’ behind this decision. Here it is: this is simply in retaliation for supporting the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria! See, there is a ‘reason’!  Coughlin reports that;

…he gave the order to the elite Quds Force unit following a recent emergency meeting of Iran’s National Security Council in Tehran held to discuss a specially-commissioned report into the implications for Iran of the Assad regime’s overthrow.  Damascus is Iran’s most important regional ally, and the survival of the Assad regime is regarded as vital to sustaining the Iranian-backed Hizbollah militia which controls southern Lebanon.

Apparently,

…he concluded that Iran’s national interests were being threatened by a combination of the U.N. sanctions imposed over Iran’s nuclear programme and the West’s continuing   support for Syrian opposition groups attempting to overthrow the Syrian government.

Intelligence officials say the report concludes that Iran “cannot be passive” to the new threats posed to its national security, and warns that Western support for Syrian opposition groups was placing Iran’s “resistance alliance” in jeopardy, and could seriously disrupt Iran’s access to Hizbollah in Lebanon.

……..

The extent of Iran’s support for the Assad regime was exposed earlier this month when 48 Iranians were captured and taken hostage by Syrian opposition fighters…(it’s said they) include senior Revolutionary Guard  officers (who) claimed they were conducting “reconnaissance missions”,  and their capture by Syrian opposition fighters was deeply embarrassing for Tehran,

For more details read Iran’s supreme leader orders fresh attacks on West.

Well at least this latest lunacy is not because of what Israel may or may not be up to. If the Iranians simply cannot remain passive in the face of provocation, why should one expect the Israelis to stay passive, especially when faced with explicit declarations of extirpation?

And I could add many more comments. Couldn’t you…?