As you will likely know Yasser Arafat, the PLO leader has already died. There will now probably be a better chance of peace with Israel and the Palestinians possibly including an arrangement to share the Temple Mount between Jews and Muslims. In such an agreement the Muslims could have the Al Aqsa Mosque at the south end of the Temple Mount and the Jews could have the location of the previous Jewish temples where the Dome of the Rock is especially if there is another earthquake nearby. This mideast peace involving a Jewish Temple and the Temple Mount could lead to the peace prophesied in the Bible in the last days at the beginning of the tribulation negotiated by Israel with the Antichrist or Beast out of the Sea Daniel 9:27. The Al Aqsa mosque is where the Court of the Gentiles was before and could be the part given to the Gentiles, which includes Moslems, in Revelation 11:1-2 of the Tribulation or Third Temple. See also my web pages about the third temple, the feast of trumpets and God's call of the Jews back to the land or for the Church of the rapture to Heaven and also the webpages about the Antichrist, False Prophet, 144,000 witnesses and 2 special witnesses and the multitude saved in the tribulation about what the Bible says could now definitely happen very soon.
Although it was the least significant of the regions occupied by Israel in 1967, other regions being the West Bank or Judaea and Samaria, the Golan Heights Bordering Syria and East Jerusalem that includes the Temple Mount and other parts of the Old City the withdrawal of Israel completely from the Gaza Strip is still a very significant event in the recent history of the Middle East. This is also something that many people especially some Muslims and other people with a negative or cynical view of Israel thought would never happen even though the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has been promising and taking measures in the Israeli Parliament the Knesset and probably in the Israeli courts for some time. This event was accomplished in only about a week even though about six weeks were alotted to accomplish it up to the end of September 2005. This was largely due to the ability of the Israeli government and armed forces and perhaps public and media to persuade the Jewish settlers in the Gaza Strip to refrain from violence against the soldiers who were fellow Jews who were assigned to remove them. The Gaza Strip is even by more limited measures in the Bible part of the land given by God to Israel with their border even by limited interpretation being the Wadi Al Arish as the River of Egypt as in Genesis 15:18, Numbers 34:5, Joshua 15:47, 2 Kings 24:7 and 2 Chronicles 7:8. All the Gaza Strip will be restored permanently to Israel in the 1000 year Messianic Kingdom under the Lord Jesus the Messiah as in Zephaniah 2:1-7 although most if not all of the current so-called Palestinians are actually Arabs from surrounding Arab nations such as Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan are not Phillistines although they are in some of the same territory.
The pragmatic and main reason Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon conceded the Gaza Strip and to a lesser extent some of the West Bank settlements was because the Palestinians and other Arabs have a much higher birth rate than the Jews. This has led the Jews in the Holy Land to have a struggle outnumbering the Palestinians or Arabs in Israel and Israeli controlled territories with the most extreme case being the Gaza Strip. In the Gaza Strip the Palestinian or Arab population was doubling about every 25 years with the Jewish population only growing if at all very slowly leading to populations just before the withdrawal of about 8000 to 9000 Jewish settlers among 1,300,000 to 1,400,000 Palestinian Arabs. This resulted in the Israeli armed forces being increasingly unable to guarantee or feeling very compelled to look after the Jewish settlers in the Gaza Strip. Also world opinion as well as even the majority population of Israeli Jews had come to be against keeping the Jewish settlers in the Gaza Strip. From a Biblical viewpoint because most of Israeli and other world Jews are still secular and not reading or obeying the Bible or Torah the first five books of the Bible God doesn't promise to bless Israel fully now although they still are entitled to all the promised land now and in the future but won't get it until they as a nation turn back to the Torah and the Bible. God also expects the Jewish people to believe in their Messiah when Jesus comes from Heaven to set up God's Kingdom with Israel as the focus and His rule with God the Father the LORD or Yahweh or Jehovah ruling in Jerusalem at the end of the tribulation or 70th week of Daniel.
The probable immediate effect of the successful withdrawal of the Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip and the 4 West Bank settlements is that the Palestinians and other Arabs and other Muslims around the world and most other people in the world that includes many people other than Jews and evangelical or literal Bible believing Christian will demand that Israel also withdraw from other land taken by them in the 1967 was such as the West Bank (Judaea and Samaria) and East Jerusalem including the Temple Mount where the previous 1st (Solomon's) and 2nd (Zerubbabel's and then Herod's) Temples stood and is clearly the most holy place on Earth to the Jews and where they want to build their next Third Temple although it is also considered holy to Muslims as their third holiest sight with the Al Aqsa Mosque and the Mosque of Omar of Dome of the Rock on that sight due in large part to a revised and historically inaccurate reference to the mosques on the Temple Mount as the far distant mosque in the section of the Muslim holy book The Quran called The Children of Israel even though this far distant mosque was originally used in reference to another mosque in Mecca and the mosques in Jerusalem weren't built until several decades after Mohammed wrote the Quran in 622 to 632 AD and died in Medina in Saudi Arabia in 632 AD. However the Gaza Strip has been a major diversion in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process especially in the last year or two and now it is mostly dealt with. We can therefore expect attention to shift to the competing claims of the Jews and Israel on one side and the Palestinians and Muslims on the other for the West Bank and East Jerusalem especially the Temple Mount. This is starting to happen somewhat already although it will intensify in the near future although I can't personally say exactly how soon. However when there starts to be more Israeli and Palestinian and international attention on the final status of Jerualem and the Temple Mount look for the Antichrist or Beast out of the Sea to step onto the world stage and the preceding rapture of the Church of born of the Holy Spirit Christians to occur quickly. The Antichrist according to Daniel 9:27 and Revelation 11:1-2 will probably make a peace pact with the Jews and Muslims to share the Temple Mount that will allow the Jews to build their Temple on part of the top of the Temple Mount probably on or near the location of the current Dome of the Rock. This is where most Jews and Bible believing Christians say the previous Jewish Temples were located. I saw a report I saw I think from Olive Tree Ministries that the timing of the two events could be related. In particular the devastation of New Orleans and other parts of Louisiana and Mississippi and American oil refineries and oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico could be God's judgment on America for pushing Israel to give up some of their land.
The current leader of Israel Ariel Sharon has promised to withdraw from some West Bank communities especially if the Palestinian leader and other Palestianian Authority leaders can control Palestinian militants of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other groups and the peace process progresses. However Ariel Sharon could also be reluctant to give up larger West Bank settlements such as Ma Adulam near Jerusalem or East Jerusalem that is very holy to the Jews but that the Palestinians want for their capital and which includes the Temple Mount. There will probably be a leadership contest for the ruling Israeli party Likud in this November 2005 and the main challenger and former leader of Likud and former Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu is already campaigning and is ahead in most polls at least of Likud supporters although he is not as popular with the wider Israeli public. Benyamin Netanyahu is more hard line and against concessions to the Palestinians than Ariel Sharon and would probably not give up any more West Bank settlements without the Palestinians dismantling Hamas and other Palestinain militant groups. Giving up the Gaza Strip to the Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs could also encourage use of the Gaza Strip as a militant base for attacking Israel perhaps with inviting Al Qaeda and other Islamic militant groups from other parts of the world. Benyamin Netanyahu would probably never give up any of East Jerusalem certainly not the Temple Mount to Palestinians or Muslims. The Gaza Strip withdrawal under Ariel Sharon went ahead and was completed on or even before schedule quite peacefully. It also looks as if most of the transportation issues for Palestinians and Israels for the Gaza Strip have been resolved except a possible Palestinian Arab airport in the Gaza Strip. Ariel Sharon easily won the the leadership contest of the Likud Party with Benjamin Netanyahu his main challenger and, the new leader of the Labour Party Mr. Peretz has vowed to and is in the process of taking the Labour Party out of the coalition government with Likud and forcing Ariel Sharon to call early elections in February or March 2006 earlier than the planned November 2006. There will also be a leadership contest for Likud in April 2006 or earlier perhaps with Benjamin Netanyahu again and possibly Ariel Sharon although he might still start a more moderate right wing party with his loyal supporters in Likud and perhaps members of parliament the Knesset from other parties. All these events or processes could affect the peace process with the Palestinians as well as the Palestinian's own election scheduled for January 2006. The results of the Palestinian elections could hinder the peace process if many members get elected from Palestinian militant groups like Hamas.
The current peace agreement called The Road Map included Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip as part of it's early steps as well as reining in Palestinian militants. The Road Map is authored, sponsored and overseen by four groups: The United States; The European Union; the United Nations and; Russia. My basic conclusion from the successful Gaza withdrawal is that this brings the focus of Israeli and Jewish and also Palestinian and Muslim as well as world attention that much more clearly and intently on Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. It also further sets the stage for the end of the present Church Age or Age of the Holy Spirit or Age of Grace with the rapture of the Church of born again believers in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour and the immediately following revelation of the Antichrist. The Antichrist will accomplish a satisfactory solution to the Middle East peace process including Jerusalem and the Temple Mount involving building in the first 3 1/2 years of the tribulation a Jewish Temple there and animal sacifices as in the Old Testament. However the Antichrist will take over 3 1/2 years later half way through the tribulation or 70th week of Daniel and compel people all over the world to worship him there for the second half of the tribulation until the Messiah Jesus comes with God the Father, the holy angels and the Church and at least some Old Testament saints to set up God's Kingdom on Earth based in Jerusalem where Israel or the Jews will be exalted as the primary nation on earth in all their promised land including all of Jerusalem and the West Bank and Gaza Strip and most of Lebanon and part of Syria to the Euphrates River.
As has been going on for some time, the Muslims have announced plans for further substantial destruction of Jewish heritage structures on the Temple Mount to make way for more Muslim mosques there. All this activity is carried out by the Muslim group called the Waqf which overseas the Muslim presence and claims to the Temple Mount. The Muslim Waqf also helps prevent Jewish, Christian and other non-Muslim prayer and other religious activity such as reading the Bible or singing religious songs on the Temple Mount which whole area is considered an Islamic mosque to many Muslims. I believe this word Waqf means "religious endowment" which is an appropriate description of the Waqf. Anyway I just learned there is a group headed by a radical and charismatic Muslim leader and preacher called Sheikh Raed Salah called Islamic Movement in Israel. Positions of this group include denial of the existence or acceptance of a Jewish state at all in Israel or the Middle East and raising funds for building Moslem mosques throughout Israel and on the Temple Mount through fundraising throughout the Islamic world. As may be expected this man, Sheikh Raed Salah, has been in trouble on different occasions with Israeli authorities and was recently released on some conditions he refrain from anti-Jewish or anti-Israeli incitement or propaganda. However it remains to be seen how much he will follow these limitations. Anyway the prophetic significance from the Bible of all this is that this will probably result in even more popularity, at least for the first half of the tribulation, especially with the Jews but also with moderate Muslims and many other people on earth then when the Antichrist achieves a Middle East peace between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs and probably other Arabs and Muslims. This peace will probably allow the construction of the Jewish Temple on part of the Temple Mount but reserve other parts of the Temple Mount for the use of Muslims and their mosques as some of the Gentiles.
Recently Ariel Sharon departed from the more right wing Likud Party that he helped found and moved to start and lead a more centre or centre right party that would be more cooperative in approving his plans to withdraw Jewish settlers from the West Bank (Judaea and Samaria) or at least parts of it between the new security barrier and the Jordan River. This has put Israeli leader Ariel Sharon at the forefront of a groundshaking change in Israeli politics. From its founding in 1948 Israeli politics has been dominated by two parties the more left wing Labour Party and the more right wing Likud Party. However there are also several other smaller but still significant secular, religious or other parties that usually must be taken into account in forming governments in Israel since these usually require coalitions. Anyway, about 15 to 20 Members of the Israeli Parliament, the Knesset, followed Israeli leader Ariel Sharon in his forsaking the Likud Party to form his new Kadima Party. The new Kadima Party was largely formed around Ariel Sharon's personal attraction, personality or charisma and has not yet had much time to develop its own policies or other leaders. Shimon Peres, the former leader of the Labour Party who recently lost the leadership of the Labour Party to new leader Amir Peretz, who wants to downplay foreign relations including with the Palestinians in favour of domestic social issues, has also joined the Kadima Party with Ariel Sharon. The victory by former right wing former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu of what is left of the Likud Party will solidify its right wing focus and its opposition to giving up Jewish settlements in the West Bank or making concessions with the Palestinians regarding East Jerusalem including the Temple Mount among other things.
The stunning and to some shocking second more severe stroke of Israeli leader Ariel Sharon makes the Israeli and Middle East political situation even more precarious and chaotic. Although it seems he will survive this stroke which at some times seemed doubtful, there will probably be some severe adverse affects to his ability to move or think. These infirmities could both be insurmountable obstacles for Ariel Sharon to resume the duties of Prime Minister of Israel or even continue a meaningful role in Israeli politics. As of this writing, January 9 2006, doctors are continuing to attempt to bring him out of his deep coma. It won't be until this process has been completed that the extent of his injuries both to his body and ability to move and his thinking process can be determined. However it has been already mostly concluded that whatever the outcome he won't be well enough to resume his Prime Minister duties or probably any meaningful political duties. The deputy leader of the new Kadima Party Ehud Olmert, the former mayor of Jerusalem, has taken over transitional leadership of the Kadima Party and the country until the national Israeli elections scheduled to go ahead at the end of March I believe on March 28, 2006. This is all still under the assumption that Israeli politics and his Kadima Party will go ahead without Ariel Sharon although so far he seems to be responding well to coming out of the coma. Ariel Sharon as the former architect of the Jewish settlements and former Israeli army general and hardline politician can command respect also from right wing or idealistic Jewish settlers as well as other groups when he tried to and succeeded without much incident in withdrawing Jewish settlers from all the Gaza Strip and a couple communities in the West Bank. However this withdrawal of the Jewish settlers could have failed with a less charismatic or weaker leader and, the more controversial and more difficult withdrawal he planned from much of the West Bank or Judaea and Samaria might be difficult or impossible to realize without strong respect spanning across the political spectrum Ariel Sharon commanded. The probably absence of this respect in any other Israeli leader who would be willing to make concessions of land for attempts to make peace with the Palestinians or other Arab or Muslim countries could be a major problem in continued Israeli effort to give land to the Palestinians for peace. Just before Ariel Sharon had this second severe stroke he or his government ordered the rounding up and evacuation of a couple hundred Jewish settlers in the heart of Hebron among about 120,000 Palestinians. The problem, probably also with God, is that Hebron is often regarded as the second holiest Jewish city after Jerusalem itself for at least two reasons. One is that it contains the Tomb of the Patriarchs which includes the tombs of Abraham, his wife Sarah, his son of promise Isaac, his wife Rebekah and I think his son Jacob who was renamed Israel. However the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron also contains the tomb of Abraham's other son Ishmael and so it is holy to Muslims and Arabs as well as Jews and Israelis and has been under shared access to both recently. Also Hebron was the capital of Israel under the first couple years of the Kingdom of Israel under King David until he moved the capital to Zion (Jerusalem). Withdrawal from important historical places like Hebron or places with significant Jewish populations in the West Bank could be more difficult under new Israeli leadership other than Ariel Sharon. This would be due to probable greater opposition from Jewish settlers and more deep seated unpopularity with the general Israeli public. Probably God will oppose giving up more of the land of Israel to the Palestinians since He has given all the land of Israel to the Jewish people to the Jordan River but also with the understanding they obey him which included regarding and obeying his word literally and from the heart. This obedience to God's Word from the heart isn't the case from the majority of secular Jews or some religious Jews.
As has been well publicized and many people are now aware the Islamic militant Palestinian group Hamas won a decisive victory with an outright majority in the recent January 2006 Palestinian elections, the first to be held in about 10 years. Although many things could be and have been said about this decision I will try to describe the effects and signficance with respect to some key world powers concerning this election and of the Palestinians in general.
One thing should be pointed out at the beginning that I think most people can agree for the most part namely what the Palestinians say was the main reason for the Hamas 2006 Palestinian election victory. This is that it was in large part a protest vote against the long-standing corruption in the ruling Fatah party associated with the late Yasser Arafat. This corruption wasn't decisively dealt with by the current Palestinian Authority and I think Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas in his several years of leadership or by other Fatah leaders. Most Palestinians saw Hamas as the only viable alternative and many said they voted for them because their social arm helped people that were in situations of poverty and that they thought that Hamas as religious people would be less corrupt that the secular Fatah party members. However the problems really begin when we recall that Hamas since its beginning several decades ago has not only stated it was in favour of the destruction of Israel as a Jewish state and that it wanted to continue to decline from recognizing Israel as a Jewish state but that Hamas had also carried out a couple dozen violent attacks against Israel or Jewish settlements. Hamas no doubt planned many moreattacks on Israel that were averted by Israeli intelligence and armed forces although Hamas has been quite faithful in refraining from attacking Israeli or Jewish targets in the last year or so when a ceasefire was established with Israel in return for the halt of Israel's policy of targeted killings of militant Hamas leaders and suspected weapons centers. Unfortunately some Palestinians for major or minor reasons decided to use Hamas' confrontation with Israel as what they thought as a source of strength as a reason for their vote for Hamas in addition or instead of the more innocent reasons such as to support Hamas' relative cleanness from corruption and social work among Palestinians. A further problem that is now clear to anyone that has been following this story is that in their first participation in a Palestinian election Hamas wildly surpassed even their own most generous expectations of number of seats in the Palestinian legislature. They not only formed a strong opposition to Fatah with perhaps 40 seats of the I think 130 or 150 seats of the Palestinian legislature to Fatah's perhaps 48 seats but, Hamas actually achieved an outright majority of the Palestinian legistlature with 72 to 76 seats. This means it is the priveledge and responsibility of Hamas to form the next Palestinian government and attempt to get experience in governing the Palestinians in their day to day affairs not just to suggest or criticize government policies from the opposition position. It is thought or hoped by moderate Palestinians that this responsibility to govern the Palestinian people as well as the requirement of dealing with other world governments will moderate Hamas although some more militant Palestinians hope it will give Hamas more power against Israel. The Hamas victory has also resulted in fighting between supporters of Hamas and Fatah among the Palestinians in the streets and many Fatah supporters turning against their own leadership. This uprising in Fatah is for what some of their members feel is their leaderships's inability or unwillingness to deal with Fatah led government corruption in the last 10 years since the last Palestinian election which continued corruption led to Fatah's loss of this most recent Palestinian election. The fact that almost everybody agrees the elections were at least mostly free and fair and that their was a large turnout for the election means that there is not really any chance of discrediting the election results and rise to power of Hamas on technical or democratic process grounds.
The general reaction in Israel to the dramatic Hamas outright majority victory in the Palestinian elections was that of shock, dismay, alarm and anger. Although most Israelis were accepting of the need to allow the Palestinians to elect their own government there was still a sizable contingent of voters especially among the right wing that didn't want Hamas to be allowed to participate in the election. This reluctance to allow Hamas to participate in the Palestinian elections was because it has a reputation as a terrorist organization dedicated theoretically and practically to the destruction of Israel as a Jewish nation and hadn't renounced this before the election. As of this date of writing at the end of January 2006 Hamas still has shown no signs of changing their charter calling for the destruction of Israel and the use of violence against Israel to try to take over Israel for a greater Palestinian state. The voters or politicians most opposed to the participation of Hamas in the 2006 Palestinian election were in the Likud right wing secular party and the couple smaller right wing religious parties in Israeli politics and their supporters including of course the Israeli settlers who are still resentful of the Israeli government for the Gaza withdrawal and from a couple West Bank settlements in 2005. Now that Hamas not only achieved a good showing but has won the right to form the next Palestinian government even the centrist Kadima party now led by Ehud Olmert, who replaced Ariel Sharon after his severe stroke led him into a continuing coma, has said he will not recognize or deal with the new Palestinian government led by Hamas as it is also their policy not to deal with Hamas as long they fail to renounce terrorism and their committment to the destruction of Israel. The Israeli government has also said it will refuse to transfer money it collects at Gaza and perhaps other border crossings into the Palestinian territories on behalf of the Palestinians back to the Palestinians as long as Hamas is in control of the Palestinian government and fails to renounce terrorism against Israel or its call for the destruction of Israel. Israel especially doesn't want to give money to the Hamas led government as it feels some of that money could be used in violence or measures against Israel by Hamas decisions or operations. The current Israeli government has also said it won't let Hamas members, even those now elected to the Palestinian government, cross Israeli territory freely. This would be necessary for Hamas members of the government to carry out their duties between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank especially the Palestinian parliment buildings in Ramallah in the West Bank. Some Israeli were also resentful and suspicious of the Palestinians and their intentions in allowing especially Hamas to campaign or have part of their elections in East Jerusalem that includes the Temple Mount. This is because the Temple Mount in East Jerusalem is where the previous Jewish Temples stood and where some Jews want to build the Third Temple but where there are also now standing some mosques holy to Muslims and which part of Jerusalem is passionately contested between Jews and Israelis on one side and Palestinians and Arabs and Moslems on the other side. It is also very important to note that the early Israeli elections are still scheduled to go ahead on March 28 in now less than two months' time. The stunning Hamas victory in the Palestinian election and their so far refusal to recognize Israel will only lend more support to the more right wing candidaties and parties of Israel such as the Likud Party under Benjamin Netanyahu or the right wing religious parties of Israel. These parties already distrust the Palestinians and in some cases think the Israeli leadership under Ariel Sharon and now Ehud Olmert are too condescending to the Palestinians and world opinion sympathetic to Palestinains such as the dismantling of Jewish settlements in Gaza or the West Bank or relinquishing Israeli control over East Jerusalem. However the Temple Mount in East Jerusalem is still effectively controled by the Palestinians through their agents the Waqf and the Muslim Jerusalem Grand Mufti or Islamic leader. Their will likely to be a continuing feeling among even moderate Israelis and other Jews around the world that the Palestinians aren't interested or serious about peace even though Israel has already withdrawn from the Gaza Strip and some West Bank settlements since the Palestinians still clearly voted in favor of a Palestianian Party dedicated to the destruction of Israel.
Although not as clear cut as from Israel much of the western reaction to the victory of Hamas in the Palestinian election has also been one of shock, dismay and anger. However there are also some sections of the western public either from Muslims or usually left leaning people generally who are not sympathetic to Israel and in some cases outrightly anti-semitic that think Israel deserves this for still in their mind occupying some Palestinian territory in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The governments of the European Union which is generally quite sympathetic to the Palestinians and the United States have each come out against the new Hamas led Palestinian government and are still threatening to cut off their financial and other aid to the Palestinian Authority and people. This is because the European Union and United States have long standing policies of not financially supporting or dealing with terrorists which they think with good reason Hamas and a Palestinian government led by Hamas is a good example of. Canada and likely Australia and other western governments are also against support of the new Hamas led Palestinian government. Currently there is talk of maintaining the Fatah and previous Palestinian government leader Mahmoud Abbas sometimes called Abu Mazen as a channel or representative who is viewed as more moderate with regard to Israel and with whom the west could deal with a Hamas led Palestinian government but this is still up in the air and under discussion in diplomatic circles. It is generally hoped by many people in the West as well as in western governments that the responsibility of leading a government will persuade Hamas to renounce its call to violence against Israel and for the destruction of Israel as a Jewish state and to try to achieve more moderate aims politically although this remains to be seen. The situation remains very uncertain and tense and many things are under discussion at this point.
Although there is generally a negative response to the Hamas victory in the west there is a wide range of reaction in the Muslim world. Some moderate governments in Islamic countries like Egypt and Jordan and perhaps also Saudi Arabia, Persian gulf states or Oman, some North African countries and Turkey will be alarmed that free and fair elections in their countries for which there is increasing pressure for both from the west and some of their own people would result in signicant gains for Islamic parties. This could also result even in the rise to power and unseating pro-western more moderate parties in Islamic countries. More militant or fundamental Muslims or Muslim governments like those in Iran, Syria or perhaps Yemen see the Hamas victory as vindication of their regarded rightful stand of Hamas against Israeli strength and what they regard as the occupation of Palestinian land by Israel. Some Muslims including Muslim terrorists such as Al Qaeda would say or have said that this is part of taking over the Middle East for Allah as part of desired world subjugation to Islam as they interpret the duty for Muslims to pursue against Israel and other western or non-Islamic countries. There will probably be pressure from Hamas to try to make up any shortfall in donations from United States, the European Union or other western countries on which it has come to rely on increased donations from more hardline Muslim countries, regarded Islamic charities or organizations or individuals.
Although the recent 2006 Israeli election campaign has been one of the most important in the history of modern Israel, a probable main reason that there wasn't more media coverage of it in the western press was because it was perceived as quite dull. There are at least two reasons for this. One is that the Kadima party founded by Ariel Sharon has been clearly in the lead in the polls from the beginning of the campaign. Of course this means there is not as much competition or uncertainty in the election campaign and so not as much drama, suspense or excitement that makes it more interesting to many people and more appealing for media enterprises to cover. The other reason there probably wasn't as much western media coverage was that Ehud Olmert, the leader of the Kadima party since taking over its leadership after the stroke and falling into a serious coma or their former leader and founder Ariel Sharon, said his policy would be to finish the disengagement from the Palestinians begun by Ariel Sharon. This policy of disengagement was begun with the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and some small West Bank settlements that were formerly under Israeli jurisdiction since 1967 until last year (2005) around August. Kadima leader Ehud Olmert pledged in the recent Israeli election campaign that if he and the Kadima party were elected he would do his best to withdraw all Israeli or Jewish settlements and settlers to the east of the new Israel west bank security fence to the Jordan River. This will be quite annoying and upsetting to the often quite militant remaining Jewish settlers in the west bank that number about 60,000 to 70,000 in the territory that was formerly part of Israel in Old Testament days that is between the security fence and the Jordan River. Trying to restrain these West Bank settlers or integrate them into some other place to live in Israel will be a main test of Ehud Olmert's leadership. The other part of Ehud Olmert's plan is fine with most Israelis but quite annoying to Palestinians or other Muslims or some other people in the west or other parts of the world. This part of Ehud Olmert's disengagement plan call for Israel keeping and integrating into Israel the land claimed by Palestinians and given to them by the United Nations between the security fence and Israel's established pre-1967 borders including eastern Jerusalem that includes the Temple Mount. The Temple Mount is the location of the former 1st or Solomon's and 2nd or Herod's Jewish Temples but claimed by Muslims as their third most holy site since about 700 AD when the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa Mosque were built on the Temple Mount.This was about 70 years after Mohammed died in Medina in Saudi Arabia . Some Jewish groups like the Temple Mount Faithful and the Temple Institute and other Orthodox Jews with the support of evangelical or Bible prophecy believing Christians want to build a Third Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount shortly. This is the part of the Israeli election campaign that was particularly annoying to the Palestinians especially now with their militant leadership under the Islamic militant or terrorist group Hamas. This disengagement plan of Ehud Olmert and formerly of Ariel Sharon and the Kadima Party set the agenda that the other parties had to respond to in the recent Israeli elections and they had trouble producing a viable alternative or getting much attention to other issues especially with the international media.
At first there was a competition for second and third place in this 2006 Israeli election campaign between the two former main parties the left wing now very socialist Labour Party and the right wing Likud Party much depleted by many prominent members moving to the Kadima Party with Likud now led by the outspoken and controversial Benjamin Netanyahu (Bibi). The Labour Party's campaign went well and they picked up votes especially near the end with people who might be poorer or not well off in Israel and who wanted more social or economic help. This domestic emphasis on social issues has been and will likely continue to be a focus of the Labour Party under its new leader Amir Peretz. The Likud Party didn't do as well with Benjamin Netanyahu's confrontational style and his standing against any territorial concessions to the Palestinians not going over well with the Israeli public as well as the fact that he formerly I think when in power wasn't totally supportive of the Jewish settlers. There also turned out to be two parties with breakthroughs into significant parties. These parties are the Gil party which focuses on gaining economic and other support for senior citizens in Israel and the Israel Beiteinu party that is led by a Russian immigrant Jew and that called for among other things I think the expuslion of Israeli Arabs and insisting that they pose a danger to Israel's security although most of them have been quite peaceful in coexisting with the Jews in Israel. Other prominent parties include Shas and United Torah Judaism that try to advance Ultra-orthodox (and perhaps some Orthodox) Jewish rights and priviledges in Israel such as their control over marriage and other laws and their being exempted from military service in the Israeli army and being allowed to study at Jewish scripture or Torah and Talmud schools or Yeshivas instead. Finally another significant party is the united National Union/National Religious Party which is the main party promoting and protecting the rights of the Jewish settlers in the West Bank and previously also in the Gaza Strip and I think is the main Orthodox Jewish party in Israel. There are also some small parties that promote the interest of Arabs in Israel and that are usually primarily supported by Israeli Arabs. Although these issues of all these parties were important to some segments of the Israeli public they were eclipsed by the focus on the disengagement plan of the Kadima Party under Ehud Olmert especially in the international media.
Although these figures could change slightly, as of late March 29 a day after the election the election results for the different parties in Israel are now fairly well established. They are Kadima 26 seats, Labour 20 seats, Shas 13 seats, Yisrael Beitenu 12 seats, Likud 11 seats, National Union/National Religious Party 9 seats, Gil (senior citizens) 7 seats, United Torah Judaism 6 seats, Metetz 4 seats, United Arab list 4 seats, Balad 3 seats, Hadash 3 seats. There are 120 seats available altogether in the Israeli parliament called the Knesset for which a majority 61 are needed for a party or coalition to establish and maintain a government. At first it will be easy to gain some coalition partners for Kadima with the Labour Party that will add about 20 seats and the Gil party another 7 seats and the Meretz party that I think is also primarily left wing with another 4 seats. This gives 59 seats, 2 short of the needed majority of 61 seats. Right now the other party most likely to also join the coalition would be the Shas right wing Ultra-Orthodox religious party and perhaps the United Torah Judaism which together with the other parties would give Kadima a coalition of well over the needed 61 seats. Kadima leader Ehud Olmert or other Kadima party members wouldn't want the Arab parties in the coalition because they would oppose his efforts to hold on to East Jerusalem and the West Bank between Israel's 1967 borders and the security fence in the West Bank. Ehud Olmert probably wouldn't want the Yisroel Beitenu party on his coalition because of their position against Arabs in Israel. Ehud Olmert also wouldn't want the National Union/National Religious Party in his coalition because they protect the Jewish settlers in the West Bank's interest as well as still being angry at the evacuation of the Jewish settlers in the Gaza Strip and would not be cooperative in Kadima's plans to evacuate many more Jewish settlers from even more sensitive places in the West Bank such as Hebron. Although the actual coalition hasn't been chosen yet and I will write about this when I find out what I have mentioned here is what has been mentioned as most likely and the direction for the coalition building at present. Even if Ehud Olmert is able to establish a coalition with a majority status of more than 60 seats without much problem he will still have to hold it together when opposition arises from the Jewish settlers when Jewish settlements are attempted to be dismantled and settlers removed. Ehud Olmert will also have to keep his coalition together in the face of opposition from the Hamas led Palestinian government and some international groups like the United Nations and the European Union if Israel tries to solidify their grip on East Jerusalem that included the Temple Mount and the West Bank between the security fence and Israel's pre-1967 east border.
The number of seats of the respective parties, including those that will at least initially form the coalition government of Ehud Olmert starting in May 2006 is as follows: Kadima: 29 seats; Labor: 19 seats; Shas: 12 seats and Gil: 7 seats for a total of 67 seats making a majority of the Knesset the Israeli Parliament that has a total of 120 seats. Kadima is a centre right part and Labor is very left wing while Shas is a right wing Ultra-orthodox religious party and Gil is a new party specifically created to promote the interest of persioners and other senior citizens. However none of these parties would want to deal with the Palestinians when they are currently under the leadership of the militant Hamas group that still refuses to recognize Israel while on the other hand still calling for Israel's destruction as a Jewish state. Although Ehud Olmert and his Kadima Party campaigned on his disengagement plan that would attempt to withdraw Jewish settlers from most of the West Bank (Judaea and Samaria) they would still attempt to hang on permanently to a small part of the West Bank between the recently built security fence and the previously established eastern border of Israel. This part of the West Bank includes most of Israel's most populous settlements and the Israeli goverment under Ehud Olmert and Kadima would attempt to hang on to authority over East Jerusalem including some authority over the Temple Mount. However the Israeli government will for the time being at least continue to allow the Islamic Waqf that operates in association with the Palestinian Authority to maintain control of the top of the Temple Mount as a Moslem site and deny Jewish (or Christian) worship there on a day to day basis. The Gil and Labor party would probably go along with this plan but the Ultra-orthodox Shas party could be reluctant to support the part of the disengagement plan that calls for the pullout of Jewish settlers and Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) troops from most of the West Bank especially when the government of Ehud Olmert actually attempts to carry out these withdrawals. This could be especially true if the settlers or even IDF troops put up more forceful, dramatic, sustained or effective resistance to withdrawal from these Jewish settlements in the West Bank than the fellow settlers did in 2005 in the Gaza Strip. This is especially true since the West Bank is considered a more strategic location to Israel, there are many more Jewish settlers there (than in the Gaza Strip) and there are more places of historic or religious especially Biblical importance to Israel and the Jewish people in the West Bank than in the Gaza Strip. These historical places especially include places like Hebron that is probably the second most holy city to the Jews after Jerusalem because it contained the Tomb of the Patriarchs (Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah and I think also Jacob) and was the captial of the Kingdom of Israel for the inital period of King David's rule.
In around June 2006 an Israeli soldier was kidnapped when some Palestinian militants came from a tunnel they dug under the Israeli border. These Palestinian militants then stormed an Israeli checkpoint just inside the Israeli border with the southern part of the Gaza Strip. A couple Israeli soldiers were killed and one was kidnapped and probably brought into the Gaza Strip probably into Gaza City. Israel considered this an unprovoked attack and soon began a major incursion with tanks into the Gaza Strip after the Hamas led Palestinian government refused to give up the Israeli soldier without obtaining Palestinian militants held in Israeli jails in exchange. Over the last couple weeks among other things Israel has bombed the offices of the Palestinian Interior ministry and the office of Hamas Palestinian leader Ishmail Hanniya although he wasn't in the building at the time. Part of the reason for the severe Israeli response was that they were also losing patience with the continuing bombardment of Israel border towns from Kassam rockets from Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip. They were also frustrated with the Hamas led Palestinian government's continuing refusal to recognize Israel's right to exist or renounce the Hamas goal of violence against Israel. Among other things Hamas has responded by sending some rockets with greater range and hitting the Israeli city of Ashkelon for the first time. This situation is still unresolved as of mid July 2006.
About July 11, 2006 the Islamic militant group Hezbollah that is based in Lebanon but has substantial support from Syria and Iran as well as bases and personnel in Syria succeeded in raiding some Israeli soldiers stationed on Israel's northern border with Lebanon in a unprovoked attack. 2 Israeli soldiers were kidnapped. In an attempt of Israeli troops to rescue these soldiers about 8 more Israeli soldiers were killed including some in a tank that went over a mine when they went across the border into Lebanon. The Hezbollah Islamic militant or terrorist group has proposed like Hamas that they give Israel back the kidnapped soldiers in exchange for Hezbollah militants held in Israeli jails. Israel has also refused to accept this offer but insists the Israeli soldiers be returned unconditionally. Lebanon has neglected to secure the southern part of its territory and it is mostly still under the control of the militant group Hezbollah not the civil national government of Lebanon. Israel has announced it holds the government and nation of Lebanon responsible for the actions of Hezbollah from its territory although the government of Lebanon does not want to accept this respon- sibility. Israel has now taken measures to try to force Lebanon to return its soldiers including bombing the runways of the international airport of Lebanon's capital Beirut and forming a naval blockade of Lebanon's coast with the Israeli navy. Israel has also bombed many bridges in Lebanon for the stated purpose of preventing Hezbollah from moving Israel's kidnapped soldiers in Lebanon or moving them to another country that would probably be Syria or Iran. Hezbollah has responded by sending many rockets into Israel including some that have hit the Israeli port of Haifa which is by far the longest range Hezbollah has sent rockets into Israel before.
Although things are still in the early stages as of July 13, 2006 there can already be some evaluation of present events and trends. Israel has already made it clear it also views Syria as supporting and harboring Hezbollah (as well as Hamas) militants and providing bases on its territory and has suggested it could also be a target. Iran through their militant and idealistic leader Mahmoud Ahmedenajad has now said that if Israel attacks Syria the Iranians will consider this an attack on the whole Islamic world in other words that the Iranians would feel justified in avenging. Russia and France and the European Union have criticized Israel for using disproportionate force to Hezbollah's initial attack. The Persian Gulf state of Qatar has introduced a motion in the United Nations condemning Israel for using excessive force which was only defeated through a veto by the United States. Both the United States and Canada have said Israel has the right to act in self defence and that Hamas and Hezbollah should prevent actions from escalating that could bring in other countries by giving Israel back its soldiers safe and sound. Although things are still in flux as of July 13 things look to stay unsettled for the next little while and perhaps get worse or perhaps be resolved. The price of oil has also increased by about $1.75 today to a record $76.70 U.S. a barrel due to so called geopolitical concerns especially regarding the conflict with Israel and Hezbollah. If this continues to escalate and brings at least Iran and perhaps Russia into this against Israel this could be at least a partial fulfillment of the battle of Gog and Magog but that is defused by the Antichrist to be part of the means of his achieving the false peace with Israel of Daniel 9:27. This false peace will start the tribulation and allow Israel to build her Third Temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem but it remains to be seen if things will proceed that far. However I still expect the real and actual fulfillment of the invasion of Gog and Magog (Russia) and its allies including Persia (Iran) to happen fully as part of the Battle of Armageddon at the end of the tribulation that I believe is at least 7 years from now. The invasion of Gog and Magog is in Ezekiel 38 and 39.
Although the actions of Israel seem harsh to some especially those who aren't Christians and don't understand that Israel has been ordained from God to resume their state in the promised land that God promised them in the last days, much of Israel's seeming random use of force against Lebanese civilians is due to the cowardly common tactic of the militant group Hezbollah of using "human shields" that is hiding their militant members of fighters and their rocket launchers and bases among Lebanese civilians. This is done on purpose with the knowledge that Israel would be less likely to attack the Hezbollah guerillas and arms centers if it means that Israel would have to kill or injure some innocent Lebanese civilians to accomplish these things. Hezbollah also does this because they know if Israel does attack these places they will suffer adverse publicity due to the collateral deaths and injuries to innocent Lebanese civilians although Israel is now making more of an effort to warn Lebanese civilians to leave areas like Tyre, Sidon or parts of Beirut or southern Lebanon before Israel attacks to give Lebanese civilians an opportunity to flee to safety. Israel is trying to inflict a price to Hezbollah on their fighters to reduce their power in Lebanon. One of Israel's main goals is to clear a buffer zone in south Lebanon probably up to the Litani River that is clear of Hezbollah fighters and rockets and rocket launchers so Hezbollah and their rockets and fighters won't be a threat to Israel in the future. This is also meant to prepare this part of Lebanon for a United Nations or other international force and ideally eventually a more powerful non-hostile Lebanese national army to occupy and maintain power in this part of Lebanon instead of Hezbollah with their military network that had gained support of many people in south Lebanon because it also provided educational, medical and other social services to the people of southern Lebanon in exchange for the support of Hezbollah's military programs or goals including against Israel. At least a significant part of the reason for Israel's destroying the airport and roads of Lebanon was to reduce or preferably stop reinforcements of Hezbollah's rockets, rocket launchers and other weapons from comming from Syria, some of which would also originally come from Iran.
Hezbollah both of their own accord and with support from Syria and Iran would like nothing better than to have a part in the destruction of Israel as a Jewish state and establish an Islamic one their instead. As they don't currently have the power to do that especially themselves they import arms and technology from Iran and to some extent from Syria who to some extent are also fellow Shiite Muslims that are now inspired by the very anti-semitic and idealist Islamic Mahdi preparing Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmedenajad. Iran views Hezbollah as their puppet or proxy fighters that can do some of their fighting that is somewhat difficult for Iran to do themselves because of distance and some coutries like Syria, Jordan and Iraq in between. Hezbollah that means "party of God (Allah)" has been in operation in Lebanon since 1982 and was established by Iran for this purpose. Hezbollah and Iran (and probably Syria) apparently currently believe their most effective weapons against Israel are the missiles or rockets they have been launching into Israel recently with 100 or 200 a day so far up to about 80 kms into Israel. These rockets have hit Haifa a major northern city of Israel and many smaller towns and can now reach the northern part of the West Bank. Hezbollah has now also been threatening that if Israel doesn't halt its operation in Lebanon immediately it will launch rockets (made by Iran) that can hit Israel's largest city and main financial center Tel Aviv. Hezbollah has recently been saying they would halt their rocket attacks of Israel immediately if Israel withdrew completely and stopped its operations in Lebanon. However this probably isn't such a good will gesture as it might appear but is probably due at least in part to Hezbollah's fear that as time goes on Israel will succeed in weakening Hezbollah more and clearing southern Lebanon of its fighters and rocket launching installations and make it harder for Hezbollah to retain a presence and power their when an international force and ceasefire or peace agreement is finally reached.
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