Quote: ""Hamas does not want peace with Israel," he pointed out. "It is continuing its terrorist activities, and moderate Palestinians are unable to do anything about [the situation], even though they want peace." Yadlin added that he does not believe a political agreement with the PA is in Israel's best interest. "If Israel withdraws from the West Bank," he warned, "what happened in Gaza will happen there."

This news comes as Israeli Prime Minister Olmert boasts that he has created the prospect of peace from the overthrow of Fatah in the Gaza Strip. During his summit in Egypt with Palestinian, Jordanian and Egyptian representatives, the Israeli Prime Minister promised to release 250 Fatah prisoners from jail as part of a gesture to the maligned President Abbas. He also released over $350 million in tax revenues to help bolster the Palestinian Authority government.

Quote: ""Within eight days Olmert has managed to turn the downfall of Fatah in the Gaza Strip into an opportunity for peace. He's got the backing of the United States, the Quartet and now the moderate Arab states as well," said a senior aide to the prime minister after the summit.

Some Israeli politicians criticized the move, claiming it will do nothing to strengthen Abbas, and will make Israel's security situation worse. And living in a state which has had its own share of prisoner release schemes, courtesy of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, I can understand that view completely. The Bible states that during the tribulation period, the situation in Judea will grow much worse. The Lord said of it, that then there would be "great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be", Matthew 24:21. We are not told the exact circumstances of what brings this about. But as the international community presses Israel to divide God's land, and Islamic extremism continues to fester in Gaza and other regions, it seems the situation can only grow worse.

Psalm 2:1-6
Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, [saying], Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

Source Arutz 7, YNet News

As Egypt, Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority prepare for tomorrow's regional summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Israeli Prime Minister Olmert is coming under increasing pressure to be seen to be advancing peace with the Palestinians. Following Hamas' violent coup of the Gaza Strip two weeks ago, the international community is hopeful real progress can be made on peace with Palestinian "moderates", in order to shore up President Abbas' weak government, and to further isolate Hamas. Ahead of the summit, Israel has announced plans to release $350 million in tax revenues to the new Palestinian Authority government. Egypt has urged Israel to make several concessions to Palestinians living in Judea and Samaria...

Quote: "In advance of the Monday talks, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit phoned Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and called on Israel to take a series of steps aimed at strengthening Abbas. Aboul Gheit asked Israel to "act towards the Palestinian Authority in a way that achieves calm and creates the atmosphere for resuming the peace process," according to a ministry statement. "This requires halting settlement operations, ending construction of the separation wall, stopping raids on cities and removing the checkpoints," he said.

King Abdullah II of Jordan has also warned Israel that Monday's talks must result in an agreed date for the resumption of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. Abdullah has previously warned that unless a Palestinian state is established by 2008, the region would descend into a decade of war. Meanwhile, the US government is continuing to pressure Israel into disengaging from yet more territory, in the hope that peace with the Palestinians can be realized. President Bush has committed himself to achieving a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians by the time he leaves office. US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice reportedly pressed Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert into commensing final status negotiations with President Abbas, during his visit to Washington last week.

Quote: "The secretary and her boss have virtually obligated themselves to tie down an agreement by the end of 2008. Having a final status solution already signed and sealed - if not delivered - would pretty much resolve them of having to do anything more. For Israel, however, such an agreement would constitute a second-to-final nail in the coffin as any future Israeli government would be almost required to honor what was agreed upon.

And the Bible states that is exactly what will take place, the disengagement from Judea and Samaria will be a final "nail in the coffin" for the Jewish state. We don't know whether a further disengagement from these lands will happen by 2008, but the Lord Jesus Christ prophesied of this event during His ministry on this earth. The Lord warned His Jewish disciples of the events that would take place in Israel, shortly before His Second Coming to earth.

Matthew 24:15-21
When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

Revelation 11:2
But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty [and] two months (3.5 years). 

Zechariah 14:2
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.

Luke 21:24
And they (Israel) shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. 

The disengagement from Judea and the division of Jerusalem is coming, just as the Bible predicted. And with it a time of immense trouble for Israel, and a time of judgement for the nations. Prime Minister Olmert believes he can make peace with the Palestinians, if only he can give up enough of God's land. The international community are urgently seeking a resolution of this conflict. And the European Union is waiting expectantly for a man who will be able to give them peace. But the Bible says there will be no peace. Have you trusted Jesus Christ for salvation? Are your sins forgiven? When Christ returns to judge the world in righteousness, will you be found in Him, or will He have to say, "Depart from Me, I never knew you", Luke 13:27. Only you can make that decision.  

Source The Australian, Haaretz, Israel Insider

Quote: ""I'll be meeting with President Mubarak, King Abdullah and Abu Mazen on Monday, and together we'll try to create a fresh start for us and for the Palestinians," he said. "We'll have the hand of the US guiding us. President Bush wants to see the vision of a Palestinian state co-existing peacefully alongside Israel realized before he leaves his presidency. "The United States is Israel's dearest friend and is committed to our security... the visit to Washington has resulted, among other things, in increased US aid to Israel over the next ten years," added Olmert.

The US has promised to increase aid to Israel, and has lifted the economic embargo on the new Palestinian government. President Bush is also planning to send yet more weapons to Fatah, despite previous arms shipments destined for Abbas ending up in the hands of Hamas terrorists. During the takeover of Gaza, Hamas seized some 16 armoured personnel carriers,  rocket propelled grenades, ammunition, machine guns and mortars. The group also obtained intelligence information on Israel and the PA's dealings with other nations.

Quote: "Hamas has captured the intelligence files of the Palestinian Authority, which include evidence of significant cooperation with Israel, the United States and Arab countries. Hamas hauled away the files from the two leading security agencies under the control of PA President Mahmoud Abbas. "If these files are thorough, then Hamas will know just about every secret," a Palestinian security source told the Middle East Newsline. "That means, the requests of foreign nations, funding, meetings, joint operations, you name it." With the capture of Abbas's security headquarters, Hamas was believed to have obtained at least 14 years of intelligence files. Hamas will undoubtedly share these files with its chief allies, Iran and Syria.

Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit has already laid the blame of the Hamas' coup at the feet of the Iranian President. And with financial and logistical support for Hamas coming from both Teheran and Damascus, the Hamas victory in Gaza represents a significant step towards their ultimate goal - the destruction of the "Zionist regime". Hamas' strategy has proved extremely successful - daily rocket attacks against Israeli towns, pushing for democratic dominance in Gaza following disengagement, smuggling arms to gain strength militarily, and finally staging a coup to take ultimate control.

Quote: "Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit accused Iran of having encouraged Hamas to seize Gaza. "Iran's policies encouraged Hamas to do what it has done in Gaza and this represents a threat for Egypt's national security because Gaza is a stone's throw from Egypt," the minister said in comments carried by the Al-Masri Al-Yom newspaper. "The Iranian influence in Iraq also represents a threat for Egyptian and Arab national security. This obliges Cairo to restrict its relations with Tehran," he said.

All this leaves Israel in a perilous position. Israeli Prime Minister Olmert will not intervene to change the situation in Gaza. If he does so, he may at best be accused of destabilizing the peace process in the region, and at worst risking a regional war with Syria and Iran. The only option available to him is to leave Hamas "in power" in Gaza, and hope that the terrorist organization can be "contained" through international efforts. And we know, according to the Scriptures, what the end result of that will be.   

Source YNet News, The Bulletin, The Age

Quote: "The German paper proposes that the new treaty is called "The Reform Treaty", accepts that the EU will not have a "foreign minister", and provides countries with a chance to opt out of EU policies in the area of policing and criminal law.

And as has already been reported, Solana's role in the Middle East may also be swallowed up by Britain, with the proposal of US President Bush to make Prime Minister Tony Blair the new Middle East peace envoy for the Quartet. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has announced that he would be supportive of Blair filling the position, and according to the BBC report, President Abbas has also expressed his approval...

Quote: "The White House officials told the BBC that the talks were preliminary, and did not have any comment on Mr Blair's reaction to the suggestion. But later, the administration sources told the BBC's Jonathan Beale that both Israel and the Palestinians had signed up to the proposal. Beale said: "Most important of all Tony Blair, or aides of Mr Blair, have signed up to this. "It looks like this is going to be Tony Blair's next job and it looks like Tony Blair wants this job... that is the message I am getting from officials in Washington."

I wrote to the Prime Minister several years ago, during a time of violence between Israel and the Palestinians, asking him to press for peace in the Middle East. I also begged him not to make Britain a partaker of those nations that will divide God's land, and explained to him the reason why these things are happening according to Scripture. I also explained the Gospel to him. Whether he read the email or not, I don't know. Of course one thing that will go against the Prime Minister filling this role will be the US-UK "war on terror". The Arabs may not see Blair as a truly independent negotiator, having pressed for the war in Iraq. According to Daniel's prophecy, we believe it will be a leader of the EU that will strengthen a peace agreement in the Middle East. And perhaps the EU, which is still seen by Israelis and Palestinians as having a balanced approach to the region, may still be the one to make that "peace". Whether that will be Solana or not, remains to be seen.

Isaiah 40:1-2
Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD'S hand double for all her sins.

Source BBC, BBC