Latest Prophecy Commentary
US: Palestinians don't have to recognize 'Jewish state'; Hamas can play part in Palestinian state; US-Israeli ties diminishing as Obama courts Israel's enemies
CAN Israel still call the United States its best international friend? Apparently not, if you believe the tone of the local media.
Watching the drama unfold inside Israel, the increasingly tense dialogue between US President Barack Obama and new Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is taking on all the trappings of a duel.
Almost every day brings news of another sore point between the two countries, a source of yet further inflammation of their once warm relations.
One could be forgiven for thinking that the more immediate threat to Israel's national security lay across the Atlantic rather than from closer to home.
It is bad enough that President Obama uses almost every opportunity he can to set the parameters of a final peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. Now US officials are openly using Israeli anxiety over Iran's fledging nuclear program as a bargaining chip to force Israel's hand on giving up control of the West Bank Palestinian territory.
Then on Thursday came the news that Mr Netanyahu's planned first meeting with President Obama in Washington next month had been called off.
Washington sources added that the Obama Administration would not be continuing the tradition that had developed during the Bush years of hosting Israeli prime ministers whenever they showed up in town, sometimes with just a phone call's notice.
It might have been no more than coincidence, but yesterday Israeli defence officials told the liberal daily Haaretz that Israel's $US15 billion ($A21 billion) purchase of 75 US-made F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets was now under review due to "the unexpected high cost and disagreements with the manufacturer". Theage.com
There's no question that Israeli and US relations are beginning to cool. A few weeks ago, a high-ranking former US military consultant said that President Obama was in the process of betraying Israel. Based on the information reported from the above article it looks like the betrayal or blackmail is in full swing. Can Israel still call the United States its best international friend? I think they can for the time being, but their continued friendship will be based upon whether or not they agree to deep concessions and their adherence to a two state solution.
If the friendship is to continue, there are two new bitter pills Israel will be forced to swallow. The Obama administration has dropped their objection to Hamas playing a part in the future Palestinian government. In the past, that would automatically be grounds for breaking off any further negotiations with the Palestinians. But those days are long gone. From here on out Israel will be forced to sit down at the table with whomever is representing the Palestinian state...even if it's a known terrorist group.
Here's pill number two that just came out today. The Palestinians no longer have to recognize Israel as "the Jewish state" for peace talks to resume. Israel Today The next steps to overcome will be the Shaba Farms (Lebanon), Golan Heights (Syria), Palestinian refugee right of return, eliminating Jewish settlements in the West Bank, and finally, Jerusalem. I look for each of these dominoes to fall shortly with Jerusalem remaining the sole sticking point (Zechariah 12:2-3), but a Palestinian state will be created regardless. Negotiations on the status of Jerusalem will be ongoing once the agreement is signed.
"As Passover comes to an end, so comes to an end, it seems, the days of grace granted to the Netanyahu Government by the American Administration," says one Israeli commentator. Theage.com
In the coming weeks and months, it will be interesting to see whether or not the Netanyahu government stays strong or folds under the pressure of US and world demands.
Personally, I do not believe the Obama administration will allow future Israeli-Palestinian negotiations to move along at the same lackluster pace as in previous administrations.
Report: The Obama Administration is pressuring Israel to hold parallel talks with both the Palestinians and Syrians. Palestinian leaders are calling on the US to exert pressure on Israel to agree to the two-state solution. US President Obama is scheduled to visit Israel in June and is expected to apply a tremendous amount of pressure on Israel to move forward with an agreement. With that said, reports are beginning to surface that Israel may plan an early strike against Iran's nuclear facilities before the Obama administration visit. But that could turn out to be a disastrous move for Israel (If not for the Lord). It is clear that President Obama is now cozying up to any and all rogue leaders from Castro and Chavez in the West to Ahmadinejad and Assad in the Middle East. In a recent Debkafile article, this is what was reported regarding the state of Israeli-US relations:
Netanyahu will find when he meets Obama in Washington early next month, Israel is no longer a prime factor in US global policy, because America has fundamentally reshuffled its Middle East allegiances and alliances. Even Tzipi Livni at the helm in Jerusalem would not divert Obama from his détente with Ahmadinejad, Assad and Chavez.
To gain points with his new friends, Obama's White House is not above nudging Israel to please them. This week, his chief of staff Rahm Emanuel told Jewish leaders whom he met in Washington that if Israel wants America's help for thwarting Iran's nuclear program, it must first start evacuating West Bank settlements. Debkafile
Frankly, the US has already decided that they can live with a nuclear Iran. Israel will have to come to the same conclusion if they are to survive as a global partner. In the coming months, look for Mr. Obama to move further away from Israel in an attempt to please his many new friends...most of them enemies of Israel.
If you get a chance, click on Debkafile and read the entire article. It will open up your eyes to the connections between the leaders mentioned and what the Obama administration wishes to accomplish through Middle East peace in the coming months.
Are you ready to meet the Lord? If not, your time is running out!
Terry Malone
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