World leaders gathered in London today for the follow-up meeting to the Palestinian Donors Conference, to review the progress that has been made so far in regards to the Middle East peace process. The first Palestinian Donors Conference was held in Paris following the Annapolis peace conference last November, at which Israel, the United States and the Palestinian Authority committed themselves to work together towards the establishment of a Palestinian state. Over $7 billion in aid was pledged by the international community to strengthen the Palestinian economy and establish governmental institutions. This figure was much greater than President Abbas had initially requested, but so far most of that money has yet to materialize. The Arab League pledged around $717 million to support the creation of a Palestinian state, but so far only $153 million has actually been received. Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Algeria are the only Arab League members that have honoured their pledges.   

Quote: ""The Quartet called for all donors to follow through on pledges made...The Quartet encouraged the Arab states to fulfil both their political and financial roles in support of the Annapolis process," the statement. The statement voiced "deep concern" over humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip which has been under a stringent Israeli blockade, imposed by Israel since the Islamist Hamas movement took over power there in June 2007. Israel says the blockade is aimed at stopping Hamas rocket attacks into Israel. "The Quartet called for continued emergency and humanitarian assistance and the provision of essential services to Gaza without obstruction. The Quartet expressed its continuing concern over the closure of major Gaza crossing points given the impact on the Palestinian economy and daily life," it said. It also called on Israel to freeze all settlement activity and to dismantle outposts erected since March 2001, which the Palestinians and other countries say are an impediment to the peace process.

The Arab League's lack of enthusiasm towards the Palestinian 'cause' may seem surprising, but since the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, Arab nations have done little or nothing to accommodate Arab refugees. And Arab leaders have stated that they were opposed to creating a Palestinian state in east Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and Gaza in the 19 years that they controlled the territories, for fear of causing instability in their own countries. If a Palestinian state is to be created, they say, it must be done on Jewish land. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also attended today's conference, and warned that the window of opportunity for implementing the two-state solution is closing fast. She urged both sides to agree on final status borders as soon as possible. 

Quote: ""Ultimately the best answer is to determine what's going to be in Israel and what's going to be in Palestine," Rice said before meetings with negotiators and leaders on both sides in London and the Mideast. Determining final borders is "the best thing we can possibly do," Rice said, suggesting she has heard Palestinian, Arab and other complaints that there is little momentum and less clarity in peace talks that are supposed to frame an independent Palestinian state before Bush leaves office.

Yesterday Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia had angrily rejected a map drawn up by Israeli negotiators of the proposed borders of a Palestinian state, exclaiming, "we know what our rights are and will fight for them using all means and ways. We reject any demand, any position, or any Israeli statement regarding territory outside the 1967 borders". Despite the months of negotiations, the Palestinian Authority position remains essentially unchanged. President Mahmoud Abbas had previously stated that he is opposed to leaving a "single stone of the Israeli settlements on the 1967 borders". We are not told in the Scriptures exactly how it will come to pass, but it seems that Israel will be forced into disengaging from Judea, Samaria and east Jerusalem, in a last drastic attempt to find a resolution to the conflict. During the tribulation period, the Bible states that the Antichrist will divide the land of Israel for gain (Daniel 11:38), and Judea and east Jerusalem shall go into captivity (Zechariah 12:2, Revelation 11:2). Hundreds of thousands of Jews will be airlifted into the desert, where they will remain until the three and a half years have run their course (Revelation 12:14). The very fact that the Israeli government is contemplating these things shows how close we may be to the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to this earth.

As we have seen with recent news updates, the time of the Lord's coming is drawing near. I believe the Lord is revealing the signs of His coming to all those who "love His appearing" (2nd Timothy 4:8). Do you love the Lord's appearing? Or do you fear His coming? At one time I feared His coming. Before I was saved, I knew that I was a sinner, and that if Christ came I would be left behind. I knew that Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins. My sister asked me if I wanted to be saved, and I said I did. And she told me to ask the Lord to forgive my sins, and thank the Lord Jesus for dying for me on the cross. I did, and immediately I knew that I was saved, and I ran in to tell my mum what had happened. The same can happen to you, if you will just trust in the Lord Jesus for salvation.

John 1:12
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name

Source Reuters, YNet News, YNet News

Syrian President Bashar Assad has said that Syria is interested in closing a peace deal with Israel, but is demanding a written guarantee that it will receive the entire territory of the Golan Heights in return. Following the Second Lebanon War in 2006, contacts between Israel and Syria increased and Turkey became involved in mediating the negotiations. Last week Syrian sources revealed that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has expressed his willingness to hand the territory back to Syria. But so far Israeli leaders have been unwilling to countenance the prospect of a peace deal with Syria, so long as the state continues to support and arm terrorist organizations like Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Last week the United States published its photographs of the Syrian nuclear installation, which was bombed by Israel last year. The Israeli strike was met with an angry response from Iran, Syria and North Korea at the time, and it was later revealed that North Korea was heavily involved in the project. Syria has officially stated that the photographs are fraudulent, and President Assad has questioned the effectiveness of nuclear weapons to fight a Middle East war. 

Quote: "Assad told the newspaper on Sunday that the time has not yet come for peace because "the Israeli side has still not given its guarantee." The Syrian president also said Damascus was not interested in producing nuclear weapons, adding that he predicted regional wars would remain conventional even if Iran did acquire nuclear capabilities. "Where would we use them?" he was quoted as saying, in reference to nuclear arms. "In Israel it would kill the Palestinians... that's not logical." He added that Iran had a similar outlook on the matter.

But there is no doubt Syria has a very unhealthy interest in North Korea's weapons programme. Just last year it was revealed that North Korean engineers were killed while trying to fit a chemical warhead to a Scud C missile in Syria. And while a nuclear warhead on Jerusalem may kill many Arabs, Tel Aviv remains a prime target for those who are seeking to wipe Israel off the map. And if they couldn't use it for fear of international retaliation, the very fact that they possess a nuclear weapon could be enough to hinder Israel's response in any future attack. Regarding peace between Syria and Israel, I personally can't see it happening, not so long as Assad and Iranian President Ahmadinejad remain in power. And that is why I didn't comment much on the Syrian peace initiative last week. The Bible also seems to indicate that Damascus may be completely destroyed in a future war with Israel, and previous Israeli governments have said they would consider using nuclear weapons on Damascus if Syria launched a chemical weapons attack on Israel. But there is good news for Middle East. Jesus Christ is coming back. And when He returns, the Bible says He shall "judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more", Micah 4:3. Is your citizenship in heaven (Philippians 3:20)? Are you a child of the King? Trust in Jesus Christ for salvation today.

1st Timothy 1:17
Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Source Haaretz, YNet News, YNet News

Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal has stated that his terrorist organization would be willing to accept the establishment of a Palestinian state on the 1948 armistice lines if an agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority was reached. But they are still unwilling to recognize Israel's right to exist. He made the comments following his meetings with former US President Jimmy Carter in Damascus last weekend. Meshaal's comments are being portrayed by the media as a "softening" of the group's position, but in reality Hamas' stance has not changed at all. Hamas was always willing to recognize the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel. That is not a problem, so long as they aren't required to recognize Israel's right to exist. To Hamas, the borders of any future Palestinian state are only considered 'transitional', and can be expanded at a later date to cover all of 'Palestine' once the state of Israel is destroyed. As was the case with the ill-fated Palestinian Prisoners document, you need to interpret Hamas statements in light of their racist ideology, and not with our amiable Western mindset. Hamas believes that the whole land of 'Palestine' belongs to Allah and that the Israeli 'occupation' will be ultimately destroyed. So no wonder Carter now thinks Hamas had agreed to something completely different than what they are now proclaiming.

Quote: "Abu Zuhri also noted Hamas would see any future Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as "transitional". Speaking later to reporters, Carter said Hamas leaders whom he met "didn't say anything about transitional". Unlike Abbas, who sought a Palestinian state side-by-side with the Jewish state, Abu Zuhri said Hamas's outstanding position not to recognize Israel's right to exist remained unchanged despite its acceptance of a state in 1967 borders.

As we can see, for the Jewish state, any agreement with Hamas is an agreement with hell itself. Once Israel withdraws to pre-1967 borders, the whole country will be in range of Hamas and Hizbullah rockets. And if Israel is not destroyed militarily, she will be destroyed demographically, as the Palestinians insist on a "right of return" for millions of Palestinian Arabs to Israel proper. The Bible states that during the tribulation period, the Gentiles will be in siege against Judea and Jerusalem, and these territories will be given into their hand for three and a half years (Zechariah 12:2, Revelation 11:2). And towards the end of this period, the nations of the world will come against Jerusalem to do battle (Zechariah 12:9, 14:2). As we can see, Hamas agrees to the establishment of a Palestinian state within these territories mentioned in Bible prophecy. And so the fulfilment of these prophecies may be close at hand. The Bible says of the tribulation period in Joel 3:4, "Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision". The day of the Lord is near. What decision will you make? Will you call upon Christ for salvation, or will you be calling on the mountains and rocks to fall on you and hide you from the face of the Lamb (Revelation 16:6)? Trust in Jesus Christ for salvation today.

Psalm 86:5
For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.

Source Reuters

A spokesman for Hamas has stated in an interview with WorldNetDaily's Aaron Klein that they hope former US President Jimmy Carter's upcoming meeting in Cairo will prompt other delegations to come clean about their secret contacts with the terrorist organization. Hamas rose to prominence after its landslide victory in the Palestinian elections of January 2006. Following their refusal to adhere by the conditions laid down by the Quartet (EU, US, UN, Russia), namely to recognize Israel's right to exist, to renounce violence and to abide by previous agreements negotiated between Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization, the group was placed under an international economic and political embargo. But the isolation of Hamas was never watertight. When it became clear that the terrorist organization had no intention of amending its charter which calls for the destruction of the state of Israel, some ministers such as Britain's former Foreign Secretary Jack Straw sought to water down the Quartet's three principles. Straw said that Hamas should not be compelled to recognize Israel's "right to exist", rather the terrorist group need only recognize the "fact" of Israel's existence. Although the British government distanced itself from those remarks, several other governments have considered ending or amending the Hamas boycott. Some ministers in the European Union suggested staggering the three principles, to try and give Hamas more time to change. And there were attempts made by the mainstream media to make it look like Hamas had implicitly recognized Israel's right to exist. Those attempts failed after Hamas categorically denied the claims. There were allegations made that senior ministers in the British government covertly met with Hamas officials. Those rumours later proved to be true. And not only was Britain guilty of breaking the Quartet's rules, but Norway went one step further, sending their Deputy Foreign Minister to Gaza to meet with the former Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh. Just a few months later Hamas would launch a bloody coup in Gaza, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians and the ousting of President Abbas' party from power in the region. As you can see, it is not the economic embargo or the political isolation of Hamas that has brought about this dire situation, it is the international community's failure to abide by its own principles that is encouraging the terrorist organization to persist in its defiance of Israel. And now Hamas is using Carter's plans to meet with their leaders in Cairo as a publicity stunt, to help break the resolve of the Quartet and to catapult the organization towards its ultimate goal, the destruction of the Jewish state.  

Quote: "Barhoum told WND that prior to Carter's visit Hamas "met a delegation from the European Parliament, and they are supporting the Palestinian legitimate rights and Palestinian democracy; and they emphasized their full support for Hamas, because Hamas is the democratic choice for the Palestinians. "There was a delegation from France, the government, and from Italy and Norway and from the EU parliament and from Carter," Barhoum said, speaking from Gaza. "All of these are supporting Hamas, and they have a plan to support Palestinian rights and interests." The Hamas spokesman said there were "several meetings between Hamas and Europe, and they want finally to support Hamas."

The situation does seem utterly hopeless. Following the signing of a peace agreement between Israel and the surrounding nations, the Bible states that there will be a time of relative peace in the Middle East, but it will be short-lived. Zechariah prophesies that during the tribulation period, Israel's enemies will be in siege against Judea and east Jerusalem, and Revelation predicts that these territories will be handed over to them for a period of three and a half years (Zechariah 12:2, Revelation 11:2). During this three and a half year period, the nation of Israel will experience the greatest period of trouble they have ever witnessed (Daniel 12:1). With Hizbullah massing tens of thousands of rockets in the north, Hamas threatening Israel's destruction from the south, and Iran and Syria seeking to construct nuclear weapons in the east, it doesn't take much to imagine what this period of trouble could be like for the Jewish people. The irony is, Western leaders still believe that if they just talk to these people, they will somehow lay down their weapons and embrace Israel with open arms. It will never happen. The events spoken of in the Bible will take place, just like God said they would. The question is not if, but when these things will come to pass. The nations of the world are bent on obtaining a peace agreement in the Middle East by the end of this year. They may not be successful. But then again, as was the case of Northern Ireland, peace can come when you least expect it. And as we can see from today's news, representatives from the European Union are already involved in mediating a solution to the present crisis, just as the Bible predicted (Daniel 9:26-27). Where do you stand in relation to eternity? Where does your hope for the future lie? When everything around you gives way, what will you have left to cling on to? Trust in Jesus Christ for salvation today.

Hebrews 6:17-20
Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed [it] by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which [it was] impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which [hope] we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, [even] Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. 

Source WND