A settler Rabbi and a Hamas journalist have drafted a document aimed at resolving the stand-off between Israel and the Hamas terrorist organization. Rabbi Menachem Froman of Tekoa, and Khaled Amayreh from Hebron, came up with the plan after several months of deliberations. Froman has been engaged in interfaith dialogue with Muslim groups for several years, to try and bring about peace in the Middle East. The plan has been submitted to both the Hamas leadership in Gaza and the Israeli government. According to the two men, the plan was accepted by Hamas, but the Israeli government has not responded to the initiative. The document calls for the release of Corporal Gilad Shalit, who was kidnapped by Hamas shortly before the outbreak of the Second Lebanon War. It also calls on both sides to put an end to violence, and for Israel to allow free movement in and out of the Gaza Strip. But it stops short of requiring Hamas to recognize Israel's right to exist, which is one of the requirements set by the Quartet (EU, US, UN, Russia) for any Palestinian government. 

Quote: "The Hebrew and Arabic document contains verses from the Koran and the Bible and states, "God is the greatest of all and He alone can bring an end to the problems between the noble Palestinian people and the distinguished Jewish people in the Holy Land."

Of course how you interpret that statement will differ whether you are Jewish or Muslim. The Qur'an states that the resurrection day will not come until the Muslims make war on the Jewish people, so ultimately 'Allah' will bring an end to the problems between Palestinians and Jews - by their destruction. 

Quote: ""The Day of Resurrection will not arrive until you make war on the Jews, until a Jew will hide behind a rock or tree, and the rock or tree will say: Oh Muslim, servant of Allah, here is a Jew behind me, kill him!'"

The Palestinian leadership are telling their people that this conflict with the Jews is nothing to do with borders, rather the problem is the existence of the Jewish state. They believe that all the land from the Jordan river to the Mediterranean sea is holy to Islam, and that it is against Sharia law to divide it. Hamas preaches this openly, while Fatah does so in a more guarded fashion. This is why Fatah continues to broadcast maps of the Middle East without the state of Israel on them, even on the day after the Annapolis peace conference had taken place. That is why Fatah and Hamas constantly broadcast programmes calling for the liberation of Israeli cities such as Tel-Aviv and Haifa. They do not and will not recognize Israel's right to exist, period. And so we can see that any peace process that the Israeli government engages in with the Palestinians is ultimately doomed to fail. Truly, only God alone can bring an end to the problems between the Palestinian and Jewish people. And He will. As the armies of the world gather to do battle against Judea and Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:2), Jesus Christ will return to defeat the armies of the Antichrist (Revelation 19:2) and to set up His millennial kingdom (Psalm 2). The Palestinian people, I believe, will live amongst the Jewish people in peace (Zephaniah 3:12), not in their own state but in the eternal state. The Jewish people will recognize their Messiah, the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6-7), and there will be true peace on earth and goodwill to all men. Jesus Christ came into this world 2000 years ago. He gave Himself as a sacrifice for your sins, so that you could have peace with God. Trust in Him for salvation today. 

Source Haaretz, Palestinian Media Watch

The Jerusalem Affairs advisor to Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Saleem Fayad has confirmed that the division of Jerusalem is being discussed by Israeli and Palestinian negotiating teams. In an interview with the Jerusalem Post, Hatem Abdel Qader stated that the issue of Jerusalem is "not only on the table, it's also under the table", a reference to the purported secret negotiations that are being held in parallel with the open talks. The Palestinian negotiating team, which is headed by the Palestinian Authority Prime Minister, has reportedly given the Israeli government an ultimatum, demanding they withdraw from all of eastern Jerusalem or they would scupper the peace process. Qader also said that the Palestinian team were not prepared to accept any partial solutions for the city, stating that as far as they were concerned, "Jerusalem must be one geographic, political and religious unit". Presumably the religious aspect includes Israel handing control of the Temple Mount over to the Arabs.

Quote: ""Jerusalem is one of the main core issues," Abdel Qader, who is also a top Fatah leader, told the Post. "Although we haven't reached the stage of a breakthrough in the negotiations on Jerusalem, we can say that the talks are continuing. The Israeli government knows that there will be no solution without solving the problem of Jerusalem." Abdel Qader dismissed the idea that Israel would retain control of some parts of east Jerusalem. "Our position is, 'Take it all or leave it,'" he said. "We have also made it clear to the Israelis that we won't accept any partial solutions for Jerusalem. As far as we are concerned, Jerusalem must be one geographic, political and religious unit."

It is said that at the centre of the world lies the nation of Israel, at the centre of Israel lies the city of Jerusalem, and at the centre of Jerusalem lies the Temple Mount. Geographically speaking, Israel is at the centre of the world, lying on the crossroads between the continents of Africa, Asia and Europe, and dividing east from west. Spiritually speaking, the nation of Israel is also at the centre of God's plans for mankind. For the nation of Israel is the apple of God's eye (Zechariah 2:8), Jerusalem is the city where God chose to place His name (1st Kings 11:36), and in times past the Holy of Holies was the place where God chose to meet with His people (Exodus 25:22). When Jesus Christ returns, it will once again become the place where the Lord will chose to dwell amongst His people forever (Ezekiel 43:7). The prophet Zechariah foretold that prior to the Second Coming of Christ, the city of Jerusalem would become a "burdensome stone" for all people, and that the time would come when they would be "in siege both against Judea and Jerusalem" (Zechariah 12:2-3). As we can see with today's news, the issue of Jerusalem is indeed becoming a burdensome stone for the whole world. In trying to wrest control of Jerusalem from the Jewish people, Satan is doing his very best to prevent Christ's promised to return to earth to set up His everlasting Kingdom. Satan knows that Christ's return will spell the end of His 6000 year escapade (Revelation 12:12). In times past the Lord met with His people above the mercy seat, whenever the High Priest entered into God's presence with the blood of the sin offering. Today the Lord meets with us by faith through the virtue of the precious shed blood of Jesus Christ, who died upon the cross to make atonement for our souls (Leviticus 17:11). What a future is in store for the believer in Christ! Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved (Acts 16:31). 

Source Turkish Weekly

Links from my friends Darrel and Donald. A Palestinian official speaking on the condition of anonymity has claimed that the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority are presently engaged in secret negotiations regarding the status of Jerusalem. The official, who did not want to be named for fear of contradicting previous statements made by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, has said that some progress has been made in the secret meetings. Last month Olmert had announced that he was postponing negotiations on the division of Jerusalem until the end of the talks, fearing that the sensitivity of the issue could destabilize the process. But just a few days ago, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni confirmed that "all core-issues" were being discussed, including that of Jerusalem. Yesterday's revelation caused somewhat of a storm in Israel, with the ultra-Orthodox Shas party threatening to withdraw from the coalition government, if the revelations proved to be true.

Quote: ""The main progress has been achieved during the secret talks, particularly on the issue of Jerusalem. Today we can say that Israel is prepared to withdraw from almost all the Arab neighborhoods and villages in Jerusalem. Israel is prepared to redivide Jerusalem and this is a positive development," the Ramallah official said. "The negotiations are moving too slowly," he said. "There are still too many difficulties, although one can say that some progress has been achieved."

Just last month, Israeli President Shimon Peres had stated that the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians "must not stop for one moment", and that the two sides needed to negotiate both openly and in secret in order for a peace agreement to be reached. Peres has also confirmed in the past that secret negotiations are being held between Israel and Syria on the issue of the Golan Heights. Following his tour of the Middle East last week, Quartet Special Envoy Tony Blair has stated that Israeli and Arab views on what a Middle East peace agreement should look like are very similar, and based on his talks with Arab leaders, he believes the Arab nations genuinely want this conflict settled now.

Quote: ""I spend a lot of time talking to the Arabs," said Blair. "I have a genuine belief, and this is not shared by everyone in Israel: The Arabs genuinely want this settled now. There were Arab leaders, I don't want to say which, talking to me recently about the type of settlement, the type of agreement which they would accept. I would say it is very close to what Israel is wanting and on some of the most sensitive questions."

And today European leaders are meeting with members of the Arab League on the island of Malta, to analyse the conflict in the Middle East and discuss ways of resolving the present situation in Gaza. High Representative for the European Common, Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana, will give the opening address of the two day summit. Arab League Secretary General Amer Mousa will also be in attendance, along with leaders from several European and Middle Eastern states.

As we can see, it may be only a matter of time before a peace agreement is finally made. The Scriptures prophesied that a covenant of peace would one day be made between Israel and many nations (Daniel 9:27). The Bible also predicts that this process will eventually lead to the division of God's land and the city of Jerusalem (Daniel 11:39, Zechariah 12:2, 14:2, Revelation 11:2), bringing about the greatest time of trouble the world has ever seen. Jesus Christ is coming back, to take those who have trusted in Him for salvation to heaven (John 14:3), and later on, to judge the world in righteousness (Revelation 19:11). God will judge the world in righteousness by that Man He has ordained (Acts 17:31). Will you accept Him as your Saviour today, or meet Him as your Judge tomorrow? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved (Acts 16:31).

Source Jerusalem Post, Arutz 7, Jerusalem Post, EU Business

Sorry, I made a mistake with my calculations on the previous article relating to the timing of the tribulation period in relation to the Jewish calendar. I had said that Rosh Hashanah would occur 1260 days prior to the Passover, but this actually happens roughly 1290 days prior to the Passover. I am not sure whether the extra 30 days has anything to do with the extra month in a leap year or not. I need to do some more thinking about this...

Well I have done some studying into the 1260 days and the 1290 days. It seems I haven't made a mistake in the theory that the seventieth week could begin with Rosh HaShanah and end with Yom Kippur, although I should have taken 1290 days from the date of Passover in order to reach the Feast of Trumpets at the start of the seven year period. I have done some studying into the Jewish calendar system, and it seems that the Jewish leap years vary over a 19 year cycle, and this can affect the length of Daniel's seventieth week depending on when this period begins. At present I am trying to formulate a conclusion to all of this. Thanks.