Around 10,000 Israeli citizens living on the wrong side of the West Bank barrier have received letters urging them move house as soon as possible, or they risked putting their lives in danger. The letter, from an organization calling itself the One House movement, offered to help those Israelis who wished to move before they are forcibly evicted from their homes to pave the way for the creation of a Palestinian state. The Palestinian Authority Maan news agency recently published a draft of the so-called Declaration of Principles, in which Israel has reportedly agreed to evacuate from Judea and Samaria in set stages, immediately following the November peace conference. The Israeli government has denied that any such document exists, and has stated they are only aiming to issue a joint-declaration of intentions at the conference. But Israeli President Shimon Peres said in a recent interview that he believed secret negotiations were being held by Israel and the Palestinian Authority, and that they must be held if any agreement is to be reached.

Quote: "Are you [Shimon Peres] satisfied with the marginal role being played by the Bush administration in the peace process?
"In the diplomatic lane, unlike the economic one, there is no place for foreign eyes. The prime minister must check constantly what is happening at home so as to keep his coalition. The same goes for Abu Mazen. That is why the negotiations must be clandestine, so they don't turn into public wrangling. Had people known about the Oslo [talks] in advance, there would not have been an Oslo [agreement]. Olmert is right to keep his cards close to his chest. He has to deliver the final product to the nation, and not something partial."
Are you hinting that we are secretly negotiating with the Palestinians?
"I assume that we are, and I think that's justified. That is the nature of negotiations. Did anyone know what was happening between Moshe Dayan and [Egyptian vice premier Hassan] Touhami before Sadat's visit to Jerusalem?"

The letter issued by the One House movement cited the disengagement from Gaza in 2005 as an example of what may happen when the government declares Jewish occupation of the West Bank illegal. Over 8000 Jews were evicted from Gaza in 2005, and many of them still have no permanent place of residence and many are unemployed. The only Jews that remain in Gaza are hostages, and non-Muslims are facing increased persecution following the Hamas coup.

Quote: ""We have already learned that military power cannot promise security for those stuck within Palestinian sovereignty. The terror threat that hovers over the heads of thousands of families will only increase," said the letter. It added that settlers' lives outside of the fence were at a greater risk because of the growing unrest in the Palestinian Authority. Time was of the essence, the letter warned, because "work on the fence will be completed in a number of months but no solution has been found for the families that live outside of it," said the letter.

This article is the first that I have noticed warning of physical danger to Israelis living in Judea and Samaria. What is more surprising is that the One House movement is a left-wing organization, which presumably supports the government plan to evacuate around 70,000 Israelis from the Biblical heartland of the nation.

Quote: "The letter, he said, reflected the alarm that he felt for their fate. From where he sits, there are only two possibilities with respect to the fate of the close to 70,000 settlers who live on the Palestinian side of the fence. In the first scenario they will be evacuated as the result of a political agreement worked out with the Palestinians. In the second, should diplomacy fail and a third intifada were to break out, they would be at risk of violent attacks from Palestinians. From Hamas's point of view, the easiest place to attack Israel is in the territories, said Vilan. The settlers there are like "hostages," he added. If they want to leave they should know that there is an organization that is working to make it possible.

I have often wondered what it will be like to be living in Judea at the time of the Antichrist's division of the land and his persecution of Israel. The Lord's warning in Matthew 24 to those Jews who found themselves in this situation is profoundly severe. Daniel says there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation (Daniel 12:1). Jesus Christ warned the Jewish people that when they saw the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place, to flee to the mountains. He said for those who are on the housetop to not come down into their house to pack their bags, or those working in the fields return to collect their belongings. The Lord also cautioned the Jews to pray their flight was not on a sabbath day - which would restrict their movement, or during the winter time. These Scriptures give us a glimpse into the suffering the nation of Israel must go through before the return of the Messiah. And as we see Israel and the Palestinians gambling over the division the land, we know that these prophecies must soon come to pass.

Matthew 24:21
For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

Source Israeli Insider, Haaretz, Jerusalem Post

This link from my friend Kevvie. Details of the Declaration of Principles, a framework agreement being formulated by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, have been leaked to the public by the Palestinian Authority's Maan news agency. Prime Minister Olmert had been expected to address the Israeli people on the progress of his discussions with President Abbas within the next few days. The document sheds new light on how the disengagement from Judea and Samaria may take place. Following the upcoming Middle East peace conference, supposing that a consensus is reached, Israel will begin evacuating communities in Judea and Samaria immediately. 

Quote: "1. Israel will end the occupation of the West Bank within an agreed-upon time period. The retreat and the evacuation of the settlements will occur gradually and in several stages. Each area that is evacuated will be transferred to the Palestinian Authority, which will instil law and order there. The existence of a regime in Gaza that is willing to be part of the peace process will enable Israel to view Gaza and the West Bank as one political entity. 
2. An unarmed Palestinian state will be established, whose permanent borders will be based on the pre-1967 borders. The precise border will reflect security, demographic and humanitarian needs. An exchange of territory will be enabled on a 1:1 basis, to preserve settlement blocs in Israeli hands and to guarantee Palestinian contiguity and economic development. 
3. There will be two capitals in Jerusalem, that of Israel and that of Palestine, and they will be sovereign over the Jewish and Arab neighborhoods, respectively. The two municipalities will cooperate for the enhancement of the quality of life of all the residents. 
4. Special arrangements will be emplaced to preserve free access to all the holy sites of the various religions. A special administration will be established to maintain the two nations' bonds with the holy sites in the Old City of Jerusalem. 
5. Palestine will be recognized as the national home of the Palestinian nation, and Israel will be recognized as the national home of the Jewish nation. 
6. A fair and agreed solution will be found for the problem of the Palestinian refugees, with consideration and recognition of the suffering that was caused to them, and with the understanding that the implementation of national self-definition will be the main aspect of the solution. 
7. The two sides will declare their willingness to end the conflict and to act to increase public support for the agreement as much as possible. The two sides will act with all their force, together and separately, against any manifestation of violence and terrorism that is directed from the area of either state to the other. 
8. The two sides see this agreement as a significant manifestation of the principles of the Arab League's peace initiative, and call upon the members of the League to take operative steps to bring about its full implementation. Similarly, the sides call upon the entities represented in the Quartet and international community to guarantee and help, in various ways, to promote and actualise this agreement.

The agreement ends with this paragraph:

A document based on principles of the above type must be reached before the international summit in November, must be presented during the summit, and must be anchored in international decisions after it. Immediately following the summit, parallel with the negotiations for a detailed agreement, Israel will begin withdrawing its forces and evacuating settlements from areas in the West Bank. Completion of the various stages of evacuation will be done parallel to the completion of the negotiations.

Abbas has been pushing Olmert to agree to a strict timetable for the implementation of this deal, but Olmert has been reluctant to concede fearing that Israel will be pressed in to handing over territory to a Palestinian President who cannot persuade his own people to stop terrorism, never mind Hamas. With the disengagement from the Gaza Strip in 2005, Israel has already proven Palestinian terrorist groups have no intention of ending terrorism. Former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was warned what would happen to Gaza after Israel left. The experiment failed with catastrophic proportions. Now Prime Minister Olmert is handing a massive amount of territory to Israel's enemies, from which all Israel will be in range of Palestinian rockets. It doesn't even bear thinking about. Clearly Israel is heading for a time of trouble, "such as never was since there was a nation" (Daniel 12:1). And it will all begin with a peace agreement much like the one we see before us today.

Daniel 9:27
And he (Antichrist) shall confirm (strengthen) the covenant with many (nations) for one week (seven years): and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

Source Arutz 7

Israeli Vice Prime Minister Haim Ramon has advised Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to move quickly to implement a final peace deal between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, while they still have the opportunity. Ramon has held meetings with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayad to put together a Declaration of Principles, which will be presented at the upcoming international peace conference in November. According to reports, the agreement will entail Israel handing over roughly 93-97% of Judea and Samaria to the Palestinian Authority for the establishment of a Palestinian state. This will include Arab majority areas within East Jerusalem.

Quote: "According to the report, the border between Israel and the future Palestinian state will roughly follow the route of the separation fence leaving major Israeli settlement blocs and between 3 and 8 percent of the West Bank in Israel's hands. This means that Ariel and Maale Adumin will stay within Israeli area, while settlements like Karnei Shomron, Beit El, Ofra, the haredi town of Tel Zion and many other communities will be evacuated and their territory handed over to the Palestinians. In return, Israel will cede the same amount of land inside Israel to the Palestinians to make up for the annexed territory - possibly including a land corridor between the West Bank and Gaza, long a central Palestinian demand. The agreement will also require both sides to immediately implement stage A of the Middle East road map: The Palestinian will disarm all armed groups in their territory, while Israel will withdraw its forces from the Palestinian towns and evacuate all illegal outposts.

"Palestine" will become a demilitarised zone for both Israel and the Arabs. Ramon has previously suggested that a NATO-like force could be stationed in the region to help keep the peace. Holy sites within Jerusalem would come under the control of their respective religious authorities. Ramon also suggested that upon signing the agreement, Israel would immediately hand over three outer Jerusalem neighbourhoods to the Palestinian Authority as a good will gesture. Friends, at times I find it hard to believe what I am reading, for the Scriptures foretold that all these things would come to pass and we are witnessing the prophecies unfolding before our eyes. Previously, there was talk of an underground tunnel linking Gaza and the West Bank. But I have been wondering about that phrase, "land corridor". Read Joel 3:2 again...

Joel 3:2
I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and [for] my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.

Is it possible that the parting of God's land doesn't just relate to the division of Jerusalem in accordance with Zechariah 14:2, and the handing back of the Gaza Strip, the Golan Heights and Judea and Samaria to the Gentiles, but that perhaps Israel will be physically divided in two by this "land corridor"? This is how Strong's Concordance defines "parted"...

2505. chalaq (khaw-lak')
a primitive root; to be smooth (figuratively); by implication (as smooth stones were used for lots) to apportion or separate, deal, distribute, divide, flatter, give, (have, im-)part(-ner), take away a portion, receive, separate self, (be) smooth(-er).

If Israel isn't physically divided between north and south during the tribulation period, the Scriptures do seem to indicate that the parting of God's land will be done through bartering, which we can see happening today. Israel and the nations are literally gambling over which portions of the land they will control. The Bible states that a NATO-like force will occupy Israel during the time of Jacob's trouble, and that the Antichrist will become "strong with a small people", Daniel 11:23. Could this be a reference to a small "peace-keeping" force which would have international backing following an agreement? Daniel says the Antichrist's power shall be mighty, "but not by his own power", Daniel 8:24. Could this be a reference to the Antichrist's role as a diplomatic envoy to the Middle East? Daniel's prophecy also tells us that the Antichrist's forces will occupy the Temple Mount and stop the Jewish sacrifices in the middle of the seven year period (Daniel 11:31). As tensions continue to rise over the destruction work being carried out on the Temple Mount, it is clear to see that any peace deal between Israel and the Arabs must address this sensitive issue. Ignorant Israeli leaders have chosen to ignore God's Word, and they are unwittingly fulfilling it.

Psalm 76:10
Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.

Proverbs 21:1
The king's heart [is] in the hand of the LORD, [as] the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.

Source IHT, YNet News, IMRA, Bible Browser

Israeli leader of the opposition Binyamin Netanyahu slammed Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's proposed Declaration of Principles document today, which see the transfer of most of Judea and Samaria to the Palestinian Authority. Netanyahu criticized the decision to disengage from the territories paving the way for the establishment of a Palestinian state, despite no assurances that Israel would receive anything in return. He pointed to Israel's retreat from Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, which rather than bringing increased security and peace, resulted in the outbreak of the Second Lebanese War last year, and daily Kassam barrages from Hamas-run Gaza. Netanyahu warned that Olmert's plan to disengage from Judea and Samaria would result in Iran gaining a foothold in the region, and could bring about a situation in which Israel faced strategic threats from the north, south and east.

Quote: ""This government just gives and gives," Netanyahu railed, "and receives nothing - and this will place us in dangers much greater than we have known before, as we see in Sderot; the risks in the Galilee continue as well. Our country will end up endangered by rockets from three directions..." "One diplomatic mistake made by government leaders, 1,000 generals cannot fix," Netanyahu said. "Two of our leading politicians [Defense Minister Ehud Barak and PM Olmert] have made terrible mistakes. Barak's hasty retreat from Lebanon brought Katyushas to the Galilee and Olmert's major role in the Disengagement from Gaza brought Kassams to the Negev. We warned in the past about Iran's rockets, and about Hizbullah, and about Hamas, and that Olmert is blind to the dangers, and that we must not let him be in charge of our country - and then just a few months later, our predictions came true when the war in Lebanon broke out."

His comments come just a day after a barrage of Kassam rockets landed near a Sderot kindergarten as pupils returned to school, causing 12 children to suffer shock. Sderot parents had been urged by the Israeli government to send their children to school despite the town coming under continued attack from Palestinian terrorist organizations in Gaza. Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack, calling it a "present for the start of the new school year". Israeli President Shimon Peres vowed to... ummm... call the situation intolerable, and... to... ummm... plead with the UN to do something about it.

Quote: "In their meeting in Jerusalem, the president told the chancellor, "Israel left Gaza completely. There is not one Israeli citizen in its territory. Today I ask myself why? Why is Hamas shooting? What is its goal? "There is only one answer. Hamas is a religious-fanatic organization that does not want a Palestinian state for its people, but wants to impose the dangerous radical religious hegemony that is taking over the entire Middle East and gives a green light to kill innocent people in its name."

...Hamas is shooting because they know Israel is on the run. They have Gaza thanks to Sharon, they are about to get Judea and Samaria thanks to Olmert and Peres and they believe that within a short time they will witness the complete destruction of the Zionist regime. Perhaps Peres doesn't read the news. If he did, he might remember a little conference the UN had last week, in which they blasted Israel as a racist, apartheid state. The UN has a track record of not intervening to defend Israelis or innocent Palestinians, and they look to be in no danger of breaking that now.

Source Arutz 7, YNet News, Jerusalem Post, Jerusalem