Final status negotiations paving the way for the establishment of a Palestinian state began in earnest today, as Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni met with former Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei in Jerusalem. Following the Annapolis peace conference in November, the two sides agreed the form the meetings would take, and that they would commence final status negotiations following President Bush's visit to the region last week. Topics under consideration include the division of Jerusalem, the Israeli withdrawal from Judea and Samaria, and the right of return for Palestinian refugees. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had previously hinted that he would be willing to cede Arab-majority communities of Jerusalem to a future Palestinian state. It has also been reported that the Israeli government is planning to disengage from Judea and Samaria in several stages. And most recently Olmert is reported to have agreed to the absorption of some 50,000 Arabs displaced by the Arab-initiated War of Independence and Six Day War.

Quote: "Channel Ten reported Thursday night that in a private meeting between Olmert and Palestinian Authority Chairman Abu Mazen, the two agreed that in the final-status agreement, Israel would withdraw from 92% of Judea and Samaria, including all the non-Jewish neighborhoods in eastern Jerusalem. It was also agreed that 50,000 "refugees from 1948" would enter and live in the State of Israel. Staffers in Olmert's office did not deny the report, and even hinted that it was at least partially accurate.

Israel has already handed control of several key towns to the Palestinian terrorist organizations. Jericho - the first Canaanite city conquered by Israel under the command of Joshua, and Shechem - where the Jewish patriarch Joseph is buried. Shechem is the place where God made a covenant with Abraham that his seed would inherit the land of Canaan for an eternal possession (Genesis 12:6). The conquering of Jericho was the beginning of the realization of this promise. In handing control of these cities to their enemies, the present Israeli government has shown absolute disdain for Israel's historial and Biblical heritage, and its lack of faith in a God who has brought His people back to their land after 1900 years of exile. Now Abbas wants to get his hands on Jerusalem - the city of the Great King (Psalm 48:2), and Israeli politicians are only too willing to give it to him if peace can be achieved. Today Israeli President Shimon Peres stated that the peace process must go on, and must not stop for one moment.

Quote: ""We have a year, and that's very little time. We cannot spend this year talking. We have to negotiate, both openly and secretly, and we must not stop for one moment. I believe that moving from the opening positions to the interim positions will take a long time, several months. "US President Bush was here and said, 'I am your best friend. I'll do whatever you tell me, but I am here to tell you that there is not much time. Just talking will yield nothing. If you think it's time to move forward, then it's time to move forward. Time is the most crucial thing.'"

But the Scriptures state in 1st Thessalonians 5:3 that there will be no peace. In Ezekiel chapter 13, God chastises the prophets and leaders of Israel who proclaim peace for Jerusalem, when there is no peace. Reading the chapter is almost like reading a news report of current events in Israel. The prophets see "visions" of peace for Israel. Today the international community has largely based its present Middle East peace initiative on President Bush's "vision" of two states. Ezekiel mentions a protecting wall that the people had built with untempered mortar. Former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon built a wall in an attempt to bring peace to Israel, which the international community is demanding be dismantled. God promises Israel's wall will be Divinely destroyed, while Ezekiel 38 seems to indicate that there will be a massive Arab invasion of Israel during a time when the land is unprotected by walls.

Ezekiel 13:15-16
Thus will I accomplish my wrath upon the wall, and upon them that have daubed it with untempered morter, and will say unto you, The wall is no more, neither they that daubed it; To wit, the prophets of Israel which prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and which see visions of peace for her, and there is no peace, saith the Lord GOD.

Peace can come to the Middle East. Not through wars or walls, but through the Lord Jesus Christ. Isaiah 52:7 says, "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!" We are bringers of good tidings. Our good tidings are that Jesus Christ has died, and though faith in the finished work of Calvary, all may have forgiveness of sins. Jesus Christ has made peace between God and men through the blood of His cross (Colossians 1:20). This is the salvation that we publish. This is our chief aim, to go into all the world and preach the good tidings to every creation (Mark 16:15), and to be witnesses to the Jewish people that their Messiah reigns. Have you made peace with God? Jesus Christ is our peace (Ephesians 2:14). Trust in Him for salvation today.

Source YNet News, Arutz 7, YNet News

SOS Israel, a Jewish organization that is opposed to the establishment of a Palestinian state in Gaza, Judea, Samaria and east Jerusalem, held a rally marking President Bush's visit to the country. President Bush has spoken in his strongest terms yet in regards to the establishment of a Palestinian state, calling for an end to the Israeli "occupation" that began in 1967. He said "painful political concessions would have to be made by both sides". Regarding the status of Jerusalem the President said that this would be one of the most difficult challenges on the road to peace, but that this was the road they had chosen to walk. President Bush said he believed that a peace treaty between Israel and the Palestinians would be signed by the end of his term in office.

Quote: ""I believe we need to look to the establishment of a Palestinian state and new international mechanisms, including compensation, to resolve the refugee issue," said Bush, in a statement summing up two days of meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders. "There should be an end to the occupation that began in 1967," continued Bush. "The agreement must establish Palestine as a homeland for the Palestinian people, just as Israel is a homeland for the Jewish people." "These negotiations must ensure that Israel has secure, recognized, and defensible borders," he said. "And they must ensure that the state of Palestine is viable, contiguous, sovereign, and independent."

Around 200 people gathered in Jerusalem's Zion Square tonight for what was billed as an emergency rally to protest against President Bush's support for the division of the land. Several prominent rabbis were in attendance at the gathering, including Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, founder of the Temple Institute. Advertisements for the meeting noted the prophetic nature of events now unfolding in the Middle East, quoting Psalm 2 which prophesies of the battle of Armageddon and the coming of the Messiah. 

Quote: "Advertisements announcing the rally referred to the pressure being put on Israel to cede more territory, destroy communities in Judea and Samaria, and divide Jerusalem as direct fulfilments of Biblical prophecy. The fliers quoted Psalms 2: "Why do the nations rage, and the peoples meditate a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against Y-h, and against His anointed." Rally organizers said this scenario was being realized in the recent freeze on construction in Judea and Samaria. This order and others, they claimed, are in fact edicts against the G-d of Israel, the Land of Israel and the Torah.

Chairman of SOS Israel, Rabbi Dov Wolpe, also mentioned the prophetic nature of the events in his address to the gathering, stating that only the coming of the Messiah could save them, now that the government of Israel had turned its back on the people.

Quote: "Wolpe continued to say that "only the coming of the messiah can save us, not the High Court (of Justice), which is collaborating with the Arabs."

I find this news extremely interesting, that unbelieving Jews are realizing the significance of the days we are now living in. The nations of the world have indeed "imagined a vain thing", in pursuing President Bush's vision of "two states living side by side in peace and security". But many of these religious Jews, who are legitimately longing for the rebuilding of the Temple and the coming of their Messiah, are still so blinded as to His identity. It's ironic that SOS Israel should quote Psalm 2, referring to "the Lord and His Anointed (Messiah)", the very One they crucified (Acts 2:23). Judea and east Jerusalem will be taken by the Gentiles following the breakdown of the peace agreement in the Middle East (Zechariah 12:2, Zechariah 14:2). And at the close of the seven year period, all nations will gather together in the plain of Megiddo, just north of the "West Bank", to do battle against Jerusalem. Only when the Jewish nation has no-one else to turn to, will they finally look unto Him whom they pierced (Zechariah 12:10). Jesus Christ is coming again. These news articles are solid proof of that fact. Are you ready to meet Him? Have you trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved (Acts 16:32).

Malachi 3:16-17
Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him

Source Haaretz, Arutz 7, YNet News

President of the United States of America George W. Bush arrived in Israel today on a three day visit to the country as part of an effort to encourage progress in negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Following his meetings with Israeli and Palestinian ministers, the President is expected to make stops in Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt over the next week. Middle East analysts are expecting no real breakthroughs as a result of the visit. That has also been my own feeling. The press have so far concentrated on the President's arrival to Israel, how his presence in Israel is affecting the traffic, how expensive his hotel is and what gifts he has been given by the Israeli government. The President hasn't really said anything new in regards to the peace process, apart from reiterating his vision of "two states living side by side in peace and security", calling on both sides to defeat terrorism and commenting on the recent Iranian attack on the US fleet. Well you might be forgiven for thinking that the world would at least have the courtesy to give President Bush a chance to do his bit in the Middle East before butting in. But it seems that the European Union is already preparing for the failure of America's Middle East peace drive, and is ready to step in with its own.

Quote: "The European Union is ready to get involved again in the Mideast peace process if the current US-led drive fails to make progress, the EU's current president, Slovenia, said Wednesday. Speaking after meeting the Palestinian information minister, Riyadh al-Maliki, here, Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel said the EU was ready to resume a key role if the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, set in motion in Annapolis last year, grind to a halt. The Middle East diplomatic Quartet, comprising the European Union, Russia, the United States and United Nations, had "stepped back to see what can be achieved through the agreement reached in Annapolis," Rupel told a news conference here. "But if there is no progress, the EU will involve itself in the process again, as far as it can."

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki told the Slovenian Foreign Minister that the Palestinians were ready to promote peace, and wanted the help of the European Union to bring about the creation of a Palestinian state.

Quote: ""We want the EU to be active in actions taken in creating an independent Palestinian state," Malki said in Ljubljana, as reported by the state-run news agency STA. Palestinians are ready "to take all kinds of steps" to promote peace with Israel, STA quoted him as saying.

So it seems that as President Bush is in Israel doing his bit, the European Union is waiting patiently in line. I'm not against America and I'm not against President Bush. And I'm not boasting because I live in Europe. If I had lived in America I would be saying exactly the same thing. As the news reports over the last few years have indicated and as the prophecies of Daniel have predicted, I believe it will be the European Union that will be the one to strengthen a peace agreement in the Middle East. And it will be specifically the Antichrist, the prince of the people that destroyed Jerusalem in 70AD (Daniel 9:26), who will divide the land for gain (Daniel 11:39). There is no doubt that this conflict affects the whole world. We know that the nations of the world, including America and Britain, will become involved in it to such an extent that they will gather together against the city of Jerusalem to do battle (Zechariah 14:2). With the Leader of the Free World in Jerusalem today, it is clear to see that this day is fast approaching. The Lord has a controversy with the nations that divide His land and disperse His people. Praise God that Jesus Christ will return to defend Jerusalem, the city where He has chosen to place His name (1st Kings 11:36), and to set up His Kingdom which shall never be destroyed (Daniel 2:44). Do you know Him as your personal Saviour? Do you have the joy of sins forgiven? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation today.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Source Telegraph, The Australian, YNet News, EU Business, Jerusalem Post

Three prominent Jewish organizations are planning to hand a letter to President Bush upon his arrival in the Middle East, requesting that he recognize the Jewish people's Divine right to the land of Israel. The President is due to arrive in the region on the 9th of January to support final status negotiations which commenced following the peace conference in Annapolis. The document has been signed by the President of the Sanhedrin Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz, head of the Temple Institute Rabbi Chaim Richman, and Dr. Gadi Eshel of the recently formed New Jewish Congress. The letter takes the form of a scroll, and is addressed to President Bush as the "Chief Prince of Meshech and Tubal" and "Leader of the West". You can view the contents of scroll here, and view an online presentation by Rabbi Chaim Richman here. In the letter, the leaders of the Jewish organizations urge President Bush to be remembered as King Cyrus, who was responsible for the rebuilding of Jerusalem following the Babylonian captivity, rather than King Nebuchadnezzar who was responsible for its destruction. The letter includes passages from Torah explaining how God promised the land of Israel to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their seed for an eternal possession. The letter calls upon President Bush to make a choice between supporting the state Israel and paving the path for world peace, or supporting the division of the land and facing the consequences...

Quote: "The proclamation also takes a foreboding tone: "Or – Heaven forbid – you can choose the second option – to wilfully aid in the destruction, under the guise of peace! You certainly know what the G-d of Israel did to Egypt and Assyria and to all Israel's enemies from time immemorial: Do you imagine that you will be able to save yourself if you have come to implement a plan that intends to steal the land of "the people that survived the sword" (Jeremiah 31:1), and to cut off those who survived the Holocaust, to rob the land that was given to them by the Creator?" "All of the peace treaties and initiatives which have been based upon the decisions of the government of Israel, indeed the entire Oslo process, and the 'Disengagement,' and the establishment of a terrorist state within the Land of Israel known as 'Palestine' – regrettably, all of these agreements are the result of a lack of sufficient faith in the Divine promises that the Lord made to the patriarchs of our nation, and all that is written in the Torah of Israel. "Understand this well: the nations of the world cannot excuse their actions and their decisions on account of the weakness of Israel and her government. G-d ordained that the role of the nations of the world is to strengthen the nation of Israel. This will benefit all humanity and bring about world peace, as the prophets have foretold.

Just a few days ago, the same organizations sent a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, demanding the right for Jews to pray on the Temple Mount. There is no doubt we are living in tremendous days. Who would ever have thought we would see the day when the nations of the world would gather to discuss the division of Israel? And who would ever have thought we would see the day when an Israeli government was willing to contemplate dividing Jerusalem? This, coupled with recent prophetic developments, including the reformation of the Sanhedrin for the first time in 1600 years, blueprints for the construction of the Third Temple and more, can mean only one thing. We are now living in the last days. Like a giant jigsaw puzzle, the prophecies concerning the end times are rapidly falling into place. It is no longer a question of if these things comes to pass, but when they will come to pass. The Scriptures have proven to be 100% accurate in all that has taken place.

Rabbi Chaim Richman's conviction is admirable, but sadly like many Israelis today he does not believe Yeshua is the Messiah. He believes that the nation of Israel can experience peace through rebuilding the Temple and possessing the land God promised them. God will defend His chosen people, that I do not deny. I believe that according to Scripture the Temple will be rebuilt, but no peace will come. Instead, the Antichrist will defile the Temple (Daniel 11:31), cause the sacrificial system to cease (Daniel 9:27) and proclaim himself to be God (2nd Thessalonians 2:4). And then the greatest period of persecution the Jewish people have ever seen will commence (Daniel 12:1, Matthew 24:21). What did the Lord say when He left the Temple for the last time prior to His crucifixion? "Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord", Luke 13:35. Peace will not come for Israel until the nation is willing to recognize their rejected Messiah (Isaiah 53:1). For Israel as a nation the blindness will continue (Romans 11:25), until that day when the only place left they have to look to for help is up (Zechariah 12:10). Then the nation of Israel will mourn for their Messiah, and for the hardness of their own hearts. But what about you? You have no excuse. You read about Jesus Christ and what He has done for you on the cross, yet like the nation of Israel you still refuse to recognize Him as Lord and Saviour. Someday you may mourn the hardness of your own heart. But then it may be too late.

Zechariah 12:10
And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

Source Arutz 7, Temple Institute, Universal Torah

Two Jewish organizations have sent a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warning that they intend to take legal action against him if the status of Jerusalem is discussed at upcoming negotiations with the Palestinian Authority. Olmert recently commented that all of Israel's friends recognize the 1948 armistice lines as defacto-borders, and that it was inevitable that Israel would have to relinquish its hold on the eastern half of the city in exchange for peace with the Arab nations. It was reported that the Israeli Prime Minister also discussed the division of Jerusalem with King Abdullah II of Jordan, during a surprise visit to the Hashemite Kingdom last week. 

Quote: "Reportedly, during the meeting which was aimed at coordinating positions ahead of a visit by US President George W. Bush slated for next week, Abdullah told Olmert that the latter had to stand up to commitments he made in the past, and begin making public statements regarding the division of Jerusalem.

And it seems that is exactly what Olmert has been doing. But according to Israeli law, the city of Jerusalem is the "eternal and undivided capital" of the Jewish people. So when Vice Premier Haim Ramon announces that Israel will cede Arab areas of Jerusalem to the Palestinian Authority, and Olmert questions why Arab communities were considered part of the holy city in the first place, they are violating Israeli law.

Quote: "The first clause of the law in question, passed in 1980 under Prime Minister Menachem Begin and President Yitzchak Navon, states, "Jerusalem, whole and united, is the capital of Israel." Clause 5 stipulates the precise area of Jerusalem, while Clause 6 states, "No authorities relating to the area of Jerusalem and that is in the legal purview of the State of Israel or the Municipality of Jerusalem shall be transferred to any foreign political or governmental element, whether permanently or for a set period." Clause 7 states that Clauses and 5 and 6 may not be changed except if another Basic Law is accepted by the majority of the Knesset. 

And a lawyer working on behalf of the organizations Victims of Arab Terror and Twenty-Four Shifts intend to remind the Prime Minister of that fact. The only way for Olmert to legally negotiate the status of Jerusalem is to repeal those laws, and he can only do that with the backing of the Knesset. If Olmert fails to respond to the letter, the two organizations are prepared to file for a court order to prevent him from dividing the city. And all this is happening as Israel prepares for the arrival of the President of the United States of America on a three day visit to the country this week. The Israeli government has announced it has created a special committee to oversee the negotiations with the Palestinian Authority, and the division of Jerusalem is one of the issues that will be discussed. The Israeli government intends to begin formal negotiations following President Bush's visit to the country, which runs from the 9th to the 11th of January.

Quote: "Negotiations over the core issues - refugees, Jerusalem and borders - will begin after U.S. President George W. Bush's visit to the region this week, while the remaining issues will be discussed in other committees. The agreement being finalized between Livni and Qureia changes the format of negotiations over the core issues which, until talks stopped in 2001, were discussed in three different committees. A senior political source said yesterday that the special committee will allow the two sides to engage in a real dialogue. "This way it will be possible to carry out negotiations without pressure - neither political nor through leaks - and we will be able to make more progress," the source added. 

It's interesting that this impasse over the status of Jerusalem has cropped up. For the Scriptures seem to indicate that some sort of agreement will be formulated 3.5 years prior to the division of Jerusalem. Clearly the Arab nations, and especially the Palestinian terrorist organizations, are not going to settle for anything less than full control over Gaza, Judea, Samaria and east Jerusalem. And that's just to begin with. But something (or someone) will happen which will enable a peace agreement to be signed without Arab control over east Jerusalem. Could this be the Basic Law which prevents the division of the holy city until then? Or could it be the arrival of the Antichrist who convinces the Arab nations to play his game until the time is ripe? In any case prophecy is being fulfilled just as the Bible predicted. Following the division of the city, the Lord Jesus Christ will return to earth with His saints for the final battle over Jerusalem. Do you belong to Jesus Christ? Will you be with the Lord on that day? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation today.

Zechariah 14:1-3
Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.

Source Jerusalem Post, Arutz 7, Haaretz