Good morning on this Saturday, June 6th. Biblical prophecy experts are keeping a close eye on what is happening in the Middle East in the relationships between Israel and its enemies, and Israel and the United States. The media, after reporting that Israel was on the verge of attacking Iranian nuke sites, later reported that the U.S. had dispatched Leon Panetta, the C.I.A. Director, to Israel to warn them not to launch the attack or they would face "big trouble." Shortly afterward, Benyamin Netanyahu, Israel's Prime Minister, traveled to Washington to meet with President Obama who apparently reinforced that message to the Israeli leader. Later the administration stated that "Iran should have the right to access peaceful nuclear power if it complies with its responsibilities." Now Israel is forced to consider that a strike on Iran's nuclear sites will jeopardize its future relationship with the United States, its long-standing primary source of support. When President Obama delivered his highly publicized speech to the Muslim world in Cairo, Egypt, he seemed to signal a change in direction regarding Middle Eastern policy. After reading the reaction of many Israeli analysts, I have found a growing concern among them that Israel will have to increasingly "go it alone." Writing in the Jerusalem Post, Efraim Zuroff opined that the real problem in the Arab-Israeli conflict is not Israeli settlements, nor Holocaust denial, but is the refusal of the overwhelming majority of Muslim world to "accept the legitimacy of a Jewish state in the Daral-Islam." He went on to say, "What will bring a true change to our region, and to relations between Jews and Arabs, will be when the later recognize the history of the Jewish people and their connection to Egetz Yisrael and the legitimacy of a Jewish state in Dar-al-Islam. That should be the objective of all American governments, since it will mean the end of the religious conflict between Jews and Arabs, which is basically insoluble, and the beginning of steps toward a peace agreement, which hopefully can one day be achieved." His analysis is absolutely correct. In next week's blog, we'll address the significance of these issues.
Tomorrow's sermon is the fourth in the series on relationships and is entitled, Building Relationships. I'll see you there.
Mel Brown