Obama’s New “Trial by Error” Mideast Foreign Policy

By Bill Salus

The nation of Israel celebrated its sixty-first birthday by sending their new Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on May 18, 2009 to Washington. Conspicuously absent upon his arrival were the welcoming parades, "Star of David" banners, and blue and white birthday balloons, evidencing that this was no festive occasion.

With his marching orders in hand he came on a mission to deliver his people’s urgent message to the international community through a meeting with its most powerful modern day king, president Barrack Obama. Positioning himself upon the world’s highest platform, he gave the world official notice that ISRAEL WILL SURVIVE!

Sitting side by side the two powerful kings, Netanyahu and Obama, posed for the press, shared some political niceties, and answered a few seemingly scripted questions. However, when one filters through the nominal pomp and circumstance, what can the “Joe the plumbers” of the world walk away with from the experience?

According to all the verbal and meta-communication, it became quite obvious that Israel not only wants to exist, but insists upon possessing the right to as well! Understandably, the Jews are concerned that within seven decades of the holocaust another genocidal campaign may be disastrously headed their way.

While most world leaders are clamoring for a one-world banking system to bail themselves out of their sinking economies, Israel has far greater problems. Netanyahu wants the world to wake up and take notice that Israel’s enemies not only continue to maintain and ancient hatred toward them, but are about to possess the wherewithal to destroy them!

Iran, whose president Ahmadinejad has declared his intent to “wipe Israel off of the map”, might produce its first nuclear weapon by years end, and on or about the same timetable the Taliban and / or their dangerous Al-Qaeda friends could have some of the sixty to one-hundred Pakistani Nukes lining their terrorist quiver as well. These predominately Islamic populations along with the Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinians, and several of the Arab nations sharing common borders with Israel don’t believe Israel has the right to exist and continue collectively to plot against the restoration of the Jewish State.

In his attempt to be presidential, Barrack Obama unveiled his new trial by error Mideast foreign policy called “Engagement”. He informed Prime Minister Netanyahu that he hopes to convince Israel’s neighbors to accept Israel’s right to exist as the Jewish State, and sideline Iran’s nuclear aspirations through what he believes will be a “persuasive argument”.

America’s charismatic president suggested that isolating Israel’s enemies and refusing to talk to them has been problematic. He cited Israel’s ongoing problems with the Hezbollah and the Hamas as defining examples. Instead, through a process of elimination he proposes a policy of “Engagement”.

It is a diplomatic approach involving important high-ranking discussions between America and Israel’s adversaries that are intended to bring about a peaceful resolution to the burgeoning Middle East problem. To the layman it appears to resemble a sort of Rodney King, “can’t we all just get along,” approach.

“Engagement” is the result of a process of hypothetical political deduction. Obama reasons that if one method hasn’t worked, in fairness the reverse method should be tried. In essence Israel has become the political test tube for Obama’s new experimental Mideast foreign policy.

Remember that Obama’s aspiration to talk Israel’s enemies down through persuasive arguments is not a new concept. His predecessors before him have attempted this method unsuccessfully. Israel’s enemies, with the exception of Iran, have been persuasively talked to in the past. Peace plan after peace plan has been presented to the Palestinians and their Arab cohorts. In fact, only through defeat in several wars did Egypt and Jordan resort to trying a diplomatic peace plan approach with Israel. However, the Palestinians, Syrians, and several other predominately Arab populations have refused to do the same.

The most embarrassing example occurred in July of 2000 at Camp David under the Clinton Administration whereby the then Prime Minister Ehud Barack of Israel offered PLO chairman Yasser Arafat unprecedented concessions for peace. Israeli’s were astonished to see Arafat refuse the broad sweeping proposal and do everything but spit in Ehud Barack’s face.

Today many Israeli’s look to that momentous event as a hard lesson learned. The al-Aqsa intifada that immediately followed in September 2000, coupled with the Hezbollah war in the summer of 2006 and the daily barrage of Hamas rockets into Israel proper, are a sobering daily reminder that not all Arabs want peace with Israel.

Iran’s present leadership has stated on numerous occasions that it wants to destroy Israel. This evidences that Iran embraces the similar Anti-Semitic sentiment as those Arab populations listed above who have not been previously persuasively argued into a peace-pact with Israel. Therefore, unless Obama’s forthcoming persuasive argument will contain some new content, then further talks hold no future promise of peace.

Talking takes time and in light of the existential threats to their national existence, time is no longer a commodity Israel possesses. Many analysts believe that Israel will strike Iran sometime this year in fulfillment of a Netanyahu campaign promise that Iran will not become a nuclear nation. Obama’s engagement timetable will likely begin after the June 7 elections in Lebanon, and the June 12 elections in Iran. Hezbollah, Israel’s vowed enemy, currently possesses veto power and eleven parliamentary seats. They are expected to hold onto those and pick up more of the nineteen remaining seats as a result of the Lebanese election.

Additionally, most experts think that Ahmadinejad, also a vowed enemy of Israel, will win the upcoming Iranian elections as well. Thus another month will go by before Obama can twist some Middle East arms with his persuasive argument. More importantly such a delay puts Iran one month closer to producing its first nuclear weapon.

President Obama said that he expected to know by the end of the year whether Iran was making “a good-faith effort to resolve differences” in talks aimed at ending its nuclear program. Furthermore he attempted to comfort Netanyahu by declaring that all options still remain on the table.

Will engagement work? As pointed out in my book Isralestine, The Ancient Blueprints of the Future Middle East, the Bible foretells that at least a temporary peace in the Middle East will be achieved militarily rather than politically. Psalm 83 forewarns that the ten ancient predominately Arab populations listed below alongside their modern day equivalents will come to wipe Israel off of the map. Surprisingly Iran is not among them. Why not? Does Israel strike Iran and render them temporarily of little utility to the Arab attackers?

Fortunately these generally Islamic populations inclusive of their terrorist sympathizers fail. Israel survives, but the looming question is does Israel go it alone? If they do, it evidences the disconnect of world leaders from God’s longstanding divine foreign policy contained in Genesis 12:3. This passage informs us that those who bless Abraham and his Jewish descendants will be blessed, but those who curse the Jews will be cursed.

It is entirely possible that Obama’s process of elimination policy of engagement could be the epitome of stupidity. It should be obvious to most onlookers that the only thing facing elimination is the existence of the nation Israel. Daniel 2:21 informs us that God puts kings in their places and it could be that Netanyahu, who has prioritized the national security of Israel above all else, is the man God wants to lead Israel in the midst of the coming Psalm 83 war.

If this war is coming soon, it hints of several things: an Israeli strike upon Iran could be the catalyst of the Psalm 83 war, that Obama has been put into office at such a time as this to evidence the dangerous depravity of a world unmindful of God’s Genesis 12:3 foreign policy, and that God is about to do a mighty work through the Israeli Defense Forces in order to remind the world that He is not now, nor will he ever be, done with the Jews!

Jordan Chaviv video "We Will Survive"

Does Israel Invade Iran in Bible Prophecy?

LISTEN NOW to Prophecy Update Radio - Bill Salus discusses current Mideast Events involving Netanyahu's upcoming visit to Washington, Taliban's attempt to take over the Paki Nukes and much much more.......

Is Israel about to Invade Iran?

By Bill Salus

Recently a dear friend very knowledgeable in Bible prophecy sent several eschatologists, including myself, an interesting email. In summary the crux of his email stated that he hasn't located an Israeli strike against Iran anywhere in Bible prophecy and was questioning if we had.

Many experts believe that Israel will have to strike Iran soon in order to detrimentally damage, if not destroy, Iran's developing nuclear program. Since my friend hadn’t located an Israeli strike against Iran anywhere in Bible prohecy, he suggested that today's hints of such an Israeli strike may amount to nothing more than a rumor of war in accordance with Matthew 24:6. Below is my email reply to him.

My dear friend ________ it is not necessary in order for an Israeli strike on Iran to take place that it be foretold in prophecy. Such a strike does appear highly likely and it is strongly being suggested will occur by the end of this summer. I recently interviewed Jonathan Bernis of Jewish Voice TV for an upcoming KWBB 105.5 Prophecy Update radio program and he had just spoken with a high ranking member of the Knesset who informed him that Israel is fully ready to strike Iran, but will likely wait until the end of this summer to ride out a few final months of diplomacy.

Presently the Israeli - Iranian rhetoric is indeed just a rumor of war, however in my estimation such an Israeli strike sets the stage for both the Psalm 83 Arab – Israeli war and the Russian – Iranian led invasion of Israel described in Ezekiel 38 & 39. In fact it could be the very ingredient that makes Iran of little Psalm 83 utility. (Persia / Iran is not listed in the ten member Psalm 83 confederacy). It could also further strengthen already strong national ties between Russia and Iran in their bid for Mideast and world dominance, which is foretold to occur in a post Psalm 83 world.

I would suggest that you stay open to the very real possibility that this year Israel may strike Iran. I believe that in accordance with Daniel 2:21 God has allowed the most powerful man in the world, president Barack Obama, to come into his present leadership position. His liberal pro-Palestinian sentiment demonstrates to humanity the depraved, ignorant, and dangerous condition of Middle East foreign policy currently being proposed and / or supported by many world political and religious leaders. Israel just celebrated it's Sixty first birthday meaning that six decades have come and gone and the international community has done nothing to change the Arab - Israeli situation and there is nothing new on the diplomatic table to suggest that they ever will.

Additionally, I believe God has put Israel’s new Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu along with his cabinet in place to fend off the pending existential threats to the existence of Israel. Both Psalm 83:4 and Ahmadinejad call for the destruction of the Jewish State.

Furthermore, Syrian and Iranian ties are strengthening and, come June 2009, Hezbollah, which has tens of thousands of rockets pointed toward Israel, will possibly have more than their present 11 seats in the Lebanese government. Additionally the Taliban are on the march, Al-Qaeda is on the recruit, terrorists are targeting Paki nukes and the Middle East, in my humble estimation, is being positioned for WAR not peace!

God's program for Israel is about to move full Godspeed ahead. This is further evidenced by the fact that Israel's enemies not only possess the attitude but the wherewithal to wipe Israel off of the map. Although the destruction of the Jewish state is the mandate of the Psalm 83 confederacy as well as the stated intention of the apocalyptic minded Ahmadinejad, it is not part of God's last day's plan for Israel.

In fact just the opposite is prophesied to occur. As I point out in my book Isralestine, The Ancient Blueprints of the Future Middle East, the Israeli Defense Forces will soundly defeat the Psalm 83 confederacy. Furthermore Iran ultimately experiences bitter defeat subsequent to the Psalm 83 event as described in Ezekiel 38:5, 39:1-7 for their participation in the Magog invasion of Israel.

When we consider all the above scenarios it is important to recognize that the world will likely be, at least temporarily, a better place in the aftermath of the fulfillment of Psalm 83, which I believe is about to occur very soon. However, in the midst of the fulfillment of Psalm 83, Americans had ought to ready themselves for higher gas prices, further economic downturn, dangerously low Wall Street closing levels, potential terrorist attacks upon American interests inside and outside of American soil, and a general national condition of desperation, such as was witnessed in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina. My advice to Americans specifically and humanity in general, is to hope for the best but prepare for the worst, and that likely means WAR in the MIDDLE EAST!

Has Time Run Out For Mideast Peace?

By Bill Salus

Astoundingly 61 years have come and gone and the international community is still attempting to figure out a political way to achieve peace in the Middle East. Ever since the rebirth of the nation Israel in May of 1948, world leaders have struggled unsuccessfully to reconcile the irreconcilable differences between the Arabs and the Jews.

Former Clinton special Mideast envoy Dennis Ross has written an 848 page book called “The Missing Peace” on the subject and upon reading it, although it is not the intention of the book, one arrives at the obvious conclusion that there is absolutely no political way to broker a lasting peace between the Arabs and the Jews. Ross’s book evidences that the ongoing conflict has reduced world leaders to the intermediary role of Real Estate Brokers and predictably both the Palestinians, supported by their partnering Arab neighbors, and the Jews want possession of the precious Promised Land.

Unfortunately it appears that the only way this matter will find ultimate resolve will be via the military option. The Arabs and the Jews are likely going to have to “duke it out”! The military venue should come as no surprise to those eschatologists familiar with the Bible prophecies recorded in Psalm 83 and Ezekiel 38 & 39. Both of these prophecies clearly foretell the coming of two last days’ wars between Israel and their Arab and Persian nemesis’s. Undoubtedly it is the least preferred option, however in the end analysis the radical Islamic contingencies within the surrounding ancient Arab and Persian populations that most closely surround modern day Israel will bring it to that fatal point.

Presently all political ploys are being put on the table because time has run out. There can be no more procrastination because the Iranians, formerly known as the Persians, are threatening to pull the trigger on their own developing nuclear weapons program, and the Pakistani’s are in danger of losing control of theirs into terrorist hands. From Israel’s vantage point it is a matter of national survival and they realize, comparatively speaking, that the stakes have risen rapidly from DEFCON 3 during the former Bush Administration to DEFCON 1 in Obama’s early days in office.

In case you haven’t noticed, in the midst of the financial crisis and the pandemic H1N1 pandemonium, Middle East geopolitical temperatures have risen to fever pitch. Israeli President Shimon Peres has come to America in early May in order to pave the way for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to arrive in Washington with his laundry list of Mideast peace demands for Obama on May 18, 2009. Having previewed this list I see no reason why the Hamas and Palestinians specifically, and the Arab nations generally, will accept Israel’s conditions

In anticipation of Netanyahu’s arrival, President Obama previously requested King Abdullah of Jordan at the end of April 2009 to spearhead the concoction of a plan amongst the Arabs that will once and for all appease Israel. Abdullah is presently hard at work with some of his Arab counterparts trying to deliver this proposal. Meanwhile he has recently issued statements like "In the next 18 months, if we don't move the process forward, and bring people to the negotiation table, there will be another conflict between Israel and another protagonist". Furthermore Obama has invited Egyptian and Palestinian leaders to promptly visit him in Washington. Then in June of this year President Obama plans to personally visit Israel.

Isn’t it interesting that in the midst of the domestic problems facing him at home, that Obama is working double time in attempt to slap a peace agreement together between the Palestinians and the Jews? He can be applauded for the noble idea of seeking peace, but he is committed to the failed Two-State solution plan introduced in the Bush “Roadmap Plan” of April 2003. This three-phased plan has never gotten beyond phase one and six years and two Arab-Israeli wars have come and gone since it’s crafting.

Meanwhile Iran’s president continues almost daily to slander Israel and threaten the future existence of the Jewish State. Considering the fact that Iran will likely have the nuclear wherewithal to destroy Israel by the end of the summer, this has the international community’s back up against the wall. Obama, still reveling in his charismatic rock star like rise to fame, thinks he can engage in diplomatic efforts to simmer down the Mideast cauldron.

Engagement is another name for diplomacy, and that has not worked! It’s all or nothing and the Obama administration seems to sense this. That is why the Mideast peace process is moving blindly “full speed ahead”. The problem is that the international community fueled by the illusive dream of a Two State Solution, has run out of time and been reduced to saber rattling and muscle flexing on the sidelines.

Israel will be inevitably pushed into the corner and told that if they want broader Arab recognition for their right to exist as a sovereign Jewish State, they must forfeit land, place part of Jerusalem into Palestinian hands, and allow the return of millions of displaced Palestinian refugees into Israel. In essence, they will be told to commit suicide for the good of the International community.

Daniel 2:21 reminds us that God puts leaders in their place and it very well could be that He has put the present Israeli leadership in place to enable the self preservation of the nation at this critical point in time. Newly appointed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has prioritized Israel’s national security above all else and it is doubtful that all the kings' horses and all the kings' men of the world will be able to huff and puff and blow Israel away this go round. Israel looks like it is about to celebrate its 61st birthday with a big bang in the Middle East.