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Fragile Ceasefire
Written: 11-16-08
Rapture Forum Staff: Chris
Welcome to this edition of the Rapture Report. We will be looking at developments in the Middle East and in particular with the State of Israel. From the current reports coming out of Israel, it appears the ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians could fall through. In a Haaretz newspaper article Israeli PM Olmert is reported to have said that Israel will not continue to tolerate the current rockfire into Israel.
"Israel views missile fire and attempts to carry out terrorist attacks from the Gaza Strip as a fundamental, gross violation of the understandings that led to the truce," Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said after consulting on Friday with Defense Minister Ehud Barak, IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi, Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin, and other senior officials in the defense establishment. "Israel has no intention of reconciling with these events," Olmert said, adding that the government will not permit a segment of Israel's civilian population, particularly those living on the outskirts of the Gaza border, to return to a state of uncertainty that preceded the cease-fire.
Olmert is apparently ratcheting up the rhetoric in order to try to pressure the Palestinians to stop firing rockets into Israel. But despite these comments coming from Israel, it is unlikely the Palestinians will cease firing rockets into Israel. Israel has seriously eroded their deterrent power through the continued jaw-boning with the Palestinians. Israel has made so many "threats" in the past and not followed through with them that it is little wonder the Palestinians don't listen to them.
In addition, it was reported today buy a current IDf reserves commander that Israel has no plans to carry out a Gaza excursion anytime soon. Am Israel National News report reports:
Chief of the Defense Ministry's Security-Diplomacy Office Amos Gilad said Sunday morning that at the present time there is no plan in place for Israel to conduct any large ground operation in Gaza. Gilad is a high-ranking officer in the IDF reserves.
In other news a Jerusalem Post news article quoted an Israeli defense minsiter as saying that Israel would not allow Iran to go nuclear.
Israel will not tolerate a nuclear Iran, Maj.-Gen. (res.) Amos Gilad, the head of the Defense Ministry's Diplomatic-Security Bureau, has stressed to The Jerusalem Post in an unusually hard-hitting interview. For now, Israel is backing diplomatic and economic efforts to thwart the Iranians, Gilad added, but it doubts these will work and it is keeping all options open.
Gilad further commented:
Asked about the complexities of any resort to military action, particularly since Iran has built its facilities to withstand a repeat of the IAF's 1981 destruction of Saddam Hussein's nuclear reactor at Osirak, Gilad replied, tellingly, that domestic critics 27 years ago said the Osirak raid "couldn't be done. And the fact is, it succeeded."
These articles would seem to point to a time in the near future where Israel will have to act both in the immediate area as well as in the region to stop current threats. Threats from the continuing firing of rockets into Israel, as well as the more serious threat of Iranian nuclear weapons. It does not appear that the current strategies of diplomatic talks are making any progress on either fronts. As we've discussed previously in the Rapture Report, Israel's enemies only seem to respond to the language of force. It appears that a day of reckoning is coming soon in the Middle East.
Israeli Transportation minister shaul Mofaz is also reported to have commented today on the eroding deterrence factor of Israel. The Jerusalem Post also quotes him saying that:
The current security situation proves the erosion of Israel's deterrence, Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz said Sunday evening. "The current reality, in which we're foiling terror attacks and then [terror groups] dare to launch Grads at Ashekelon and Kassams at Sderot, is intolerable," he said. Mofaz said that "the agenda in the State of Israel must be determined by the Israeli government, and not the terror organizations."
To make matters worse for Israel, there have been numerous articles lately showing that tougher times are coming for Israel in regards to the future political climate. The good support Israel enjoys from the the past and current American political administration is currently under serious threat from the newly elected Barack Obama. There have been recent reports showing that Obama is currently holding secret or private meetings with most of Israel's enemies. Meetings between the Hamas, Syrians, etc. pprovide hints that things will be much tougher for Israel in the future. This is not good.
A current Israel National News article reports that Obama is currently favoring the Saudi initiative as well as the dividing of Jerusalem.
United States President-Elect Barack Obama will support the Saudi Initiative for peace between Israel and Arab nations, the British Sunday Times reported Sunday. Obama told Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, "The Israelis would be crazy not to accept this initiative," according to the Times. The initiative calls on Israel to withdraw completely to its 1949 borders in exchange for normalized relations with Arab League countries. It includes a full retreat from the eastern half of Jerusalem, including the Temple Mount, and from the strategic Golan Heights in northern Israel.
As we can see, the Saudi initiative calls for Israel to retreat to the 1949 borders as well as from east Jerusalem and the strategic Golan Heights region. These demands are not favorable to Israel and will only strengthen her enemies who still desire the destruction for the Jewish state of Israel. The future wil definitely get tougher and darker for Israel as she faces a future Obama adminsitration.
Please join me in praying for the Peace of Jerusalem as Israel needs this now more than ever. Israel's enemies continue to plot and plan the destruction of the Jewish state while continuing on with the land for peace deception. Until next time, keep watching and praying as we move closer and closer until the blessed hope that is promised to the church.
God bless.
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