Watchman of Zion

You may view the 5 minute update this week via audio:

1) Listen to the audio

In this week’s 5 minute update, we focused on:

1) The current status of the Israel / PLO peace process
2) The prospects for war with Syria and Iran

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas sent a letter to US President Barack Obama insisting that the Palestinian bid to submit an application to the UN General Assembly to vote on a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital is non-negotiable and is not a unilateral move that is in opposition to a two-state solution.  During a meeting with Brazilian Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota and US general consul Michael Ratney, Erekat said the UN draft resolution emphasized the illegality of settlements and noted that an Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories should be based on 1967 borders. Nimer Hammad, political adviser to Abbas. said that the UN statehood bid is intended to “solidify the right of the Palestinian people to their land which is under occupation and not ‘disputed territories.’” Hussein al-A’raj, director of Abbas’s bureau, said that the move was mainly designed to “put an end to Israeli claims that the occupied Palestinian territories, including east Jerusalem are disputed territories.”

In response, the US said that a Palestinian bid to upgrade its U.N. status to a sovereign country would jeopardize the peace process with Israel and make it difficult to get the two sides to return to talks on a two-state solution. Britain urged the Palestinian leadership to delay its bid for upgraded status at the United Nations general assembly warning that the move is likely to be detrimental to US re-engagement with the peace process following next month’s presidential election.

Meanwhile, the Arab League, the non-aligned movement and Russia expressed support for the Palestinian efforts at the UN General Assembly. Egypt’s U.N. Ambassador Mootaz Ahmadein Khalil, speaking to the council on behalf of the Arab group of countries, said it fully supported the Palestinians bid. He said, “We expect the General Assembly to adopt a resolution during its current session to upgrade the status of Palestine to become a ‘non-member observer state,’ as a first step towards reaching full membership.” Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said: “We believe that the initiative to gain broad international recognition for Palestinian statehood … complements efforts to achieve a negotiated solution to the conflict with Israel rather than serve as an alternative. In no case should they be used by Israel to tighten the screws in the occupied territories or exert any other pressure on the Palestinian authority.”

Meanwhile, the president of the U.N. General Assembly said that said Abbas is consulting with U.N. member states and is expected to call for a meeting on the Palestinian issue as early as next month after the November 6 U.S. presidential election. He said, “Most people expect that it is going to be the second half of November.” He warned the US against cutting U.N. funding over the issue.

Israel granted final approval to a plan to build 800 homes near Gilo in annexed east Jerusalem. European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton opposed the decision saying  “Settlements are illegal under international law and threaten to make a two-state solution impossible.” She added that Jerusalem’s continued expansion of Jewish settlements like Gilo and Har Homa “continue the process of separating East Jerusalem from the rest of the occupied Palestinian territory.” Ashton reiterated that talks “continue to represent the best way forward in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” and called on both parties to immediately return to the negotiating table.

Israel Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman rebuked the EU by saying that they needed to ‘mind their own business’ and stay clear of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He went on to say that “Jerusalem is not a settlement. Gilo is a Jewish neighborhood. Today there are 32 to 33,000 Jews living there. It’s an integral part of Jerusalem.” Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “Israel are not imposing any restrictions on construction in Jerusalem. It is our capital. Just as other nations build in London, Paris, Washington and Moscow, we will continue to build in Jerusalem.”

Finally, Israel has agreed to hold general elections for January 22, 2013. According to the current polls, Netanyahu is expected to remain as Prime Minister.

An agreement to divide Jerusalem and establish a PLO state is a tribulation event.

The link to these articles are as follows:

1) Abbas defends UN statehood bid in letter to Obama
2) Abbas letter to Obama stresses statehood bid “final decision”
3) Erekat: UN bid to aid two-state solution
4) Palestinian status bid jeopardizes peace process: U.S.
5) Palestinians urged by Britain to delay ‘non-member state’ bid at UN
6) At United Nations, NAM Demands an End to Israel’s Impunity
7) Palestinian push for U.N. upgrade likely to succeed: Jeremic
8.) Israel OK’s 800 new settlements
9) EU chief slams Gilo neighborhood expansion plan
10) Israel to EU: Jerusalem Not Negotiable
11) Lieberman: EU’s Ashton should mind her own business, not the settlements
12) Israel’s PM: No limits on Jerusalem construction
13) ‘We’ll build J’lem like they build London, DC’
14) Netanyahu chooses date of next Israeli general election

Hezbollah, the militant Lebanese Shiite Islamic party, is helping Syrian government forces of Bashar Assad on the ground in their fight against the rebel Free Syrian Army.  Furthermore, Hizbollah has begun depleting line of rockets and fighting units it has facing Israel and moving them to the Syrian front line. On October 17, Russia has announced the deployment of advanced S-400 interceptor missile batteries in Russia’s southern military region opposite Turkey.

A war with Syria where Damascus is destroyed (Isaiah 17) is a tribulation event.

The link to these articles is as follows:

1) Russian S-400s relocated near Turkey. Hizballah shifts units, rockets into Syria
2) Hezbollah Offering Direct Help to Syrian Army, Rebels Say

The EU has agreed to impose further sanctions against Iran’s banking, shipping and industrial sectors hoping that Iran will negotiate more seriously over suspending its nuclear program. Before the approval of these sanctions, Iran managed to install the last four clusters of 174 centrifuges each inside in “Fordo’s B Chamber.” Irans nuclear program’s high-speed uranium enrichment plant has now been entirely sequestered in the fortified underground Fordo site near Qom. The Iranians are preparing to change the “active formation” of the Fordo centrifuges and adapt them for refining uranium up to the 60 percent level, a short step before the weapons grade of 90 percent. The conversion is expected to be ready to go in the second half of December or early January, 2013. DEBKA reports that the latest US intelligence info reveals that Iran will have enough enriched uranium for 4-6 bombs by March 2013. France’s foreign minister said that Iran appears on track to reach the ability to produce a nuclear weapon by the first half of 2013. Iran is not expected to give into international sanctions which desires to cause Iran to end its nuclear program.

The link to these articles is as follows:

1) EU agrees to new, wide-ranging Iran sanctions
2) All of Iran’s advanced enrichment centrifuges now removed to Fordo
3) Obama to Israel: Iran is piling up fissile material for 4-6 bombs – in Natanz too
4) France: Iran appears to be on track to nuclear weapon by mid-2013

From a Biblical prophetic perspective, the reason why the God of Israel would allow these events to happen is because it will result in the end of the exile of the house of Jacob and the reunification of the 12 tribes of Israel (Ephraim and Judah).

We will to be “watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem” and we will not rest until the God of Israel makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth (Isaiah 62).

Shalom in Yeshua the Messiah,

Eddie Chumney
Hebraic Heritage Ministries Int’l

This week’s update is now posted.

You may view the 5 minute update this week via audio:

1) Listen to the audio

In this week’s 5 minute update, we focused on:

1) The current status of the Israel / PLO peace process
2) The prospects for war with Syria and Iran

Palestinian executive committee member, Hanan Ashrawi said that the Palestinians expect the UN General Assembly to vote on their application for statehood on November 29. This date is the anniversary of the UN Partition Plan for Palestine vote of November 29, 1947. It is also the date that the UN celebrates the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinians. Ashrawi said that the PA leadership was determined to achieve the non-member status of a Palestinian state in the UN after consulting with regional organizations and member states.  United Nations General Assembly President Vuk Jeremic told reporters:  “I think that come the middle of November there will be an international debate on the Palestinian issue. ” As a result, Jeremic went on to say: “I am blocking out November. I am not going to go for vacation in November.”

In response, the United States called on European governments to oppose the Palestinian Authority’s bid to upgrade its status to “non-member state” at the UN saying the move is “extremely counterproductive” and warned of “significant negative consequences” for the PA including financial sanctions. Deputy Greek Foreign Minister Dimitris Kourkoulas said that the European Union is advising the Palestinian Authority to “be careful” regarding its stated plan to ask the UN for non-member state observer status at its General Assembly. He went on to say: “The EU is advising them to be careful but the decision is theirs.”

As a result of being unable to agree on an economic budget that would pass the Israeli Knesset, Israeli law requires early elections. Therefore, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced early elections. The election is expected to take place on January 22, 2013.

An agreement to divide Jerusalem and establish a PLO state is a tribulation event.

The link to these articles are as follows:

1) PA expects UNGA vote on statehood by November
2) UN: Palestinian statehood bid likely in November
3) ‘US calls on EU to oppose PA statehood bid at UN’
4) ‘EU warned PA of negative costs of UN bid’
5) PM chooses January 22, 2013 as date for elections

Turkish air force jets forced a Syrian 35-passenger Airbus A320 bound from Russia to Damascus  to land in Ankara on Oct. 10 on suspicion it was carrying arms. At the same time, the Turkish foreign ministry released this statement: “All civilian flights in Syrian airspace have been stopped since it is not safe.” As a result, it is seen that Turkey is taking a first step toward creating a no-fly zone over Syria. Tension between Syria and Turkey are extremely high and dangerous.

Assad and Iran are unlikely to sit still and allow Turkey to create a no-fly zone over Syria. It is because of the Turkish initiative that US military officials are concerned that Bashar Assad may be willing to resort to using chemical warfare in the face of outside military intervention in the Syrian conflict. They suggest that the Syrian ruler may judge the peril to his regime on a par with the 2011 Western-Arab intervention in Libya which caused Muammar Qaddafi’s downfall. US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said that US troops had set up a headquarters in Jordan to help monitor chemical and biological weapons sites in Syria. Similar headquarters are already present in Turkey and Israel.

A war with Syria where Damascus is destroyed (Isaiah 17)  is a tribulation event.

The link to these articles is as follows:

1) Turkish F16s force Syrian flight from Moscow to land. Ankara: Syrian air space no longer safe
2) Turkey’s army on high state of readiness, first step for Syria no-fly zone

A drone believed to have originated from Iran penetrated Israeli airspace for about 30 minutes on October 6 and was shot down. The flight by the drone may have been a preparatory step by Iran to attack Israel which triggers a greater regional war. Two days after this incident, Israel stationed Patriot missile interceptor batteries in different parts of northern Israel, including Mt. Carmel, near Haifa. In reality, the Patriot missile interceptors would be used as defense in a missile war against Syria and Hizbollah.

Despite economic pressures and Western sanctions against the Iranian nuclear program, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad promised that the nuclear program will continue. In discussions with the West over its nuclear program, Iranian officials have begun to describe what they call a “nine-step plan” to gradually suspend the production of the uranium on condition that sanctions blocking Iranian oil sales be removed. The US has dismissed this offer as being unacceptable. The United States has not put a formal offer to Iran on the table but an outline mentioned to Iranian officials is almost the exact opposite of the Iranian plan. The US perspective is that Iran would halt all production of its 20 percent enriched uranium immediately. Then, it would ship the existing stockpile out of the country and close the Fordow plant. Then the United States and its allies would offer some cooperation on Iranian civilian nuclear projects, and would agree not to add new sanctions on Iran at the United Nations Security Council. However, existing sanctions would remain in place until a final deal with Iran is reached.

On the other hand, it is being reported that high Iranian officials have said Iran could announce a temporary halt to uranium enrichment before next month’s U.S. election in a move to save Barack Obama’s presidency. In return, the US would remove some sanctions against the Iranian central bank and oil industry. These negotiations are believed to be an extension of secret negotiations between the US and Iran which started in early January.  At that time, Obama is said to have told Iran: “I didn’t want to impose sanctions on your central bank, but I had no options but to approve it since a Congress majority had approved the decision.” In any event, Iran has threatened that if talks fail between them and the West that Iran will enrich uranium up to 60 percent purity in 2013.

DEBKA reports that  President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s personal cameraman defected to the US when Ahmadinejad came to the US in late September to speak at the UN. In doing so, the cameraman brought with him up-to-date photographs and videos of top Iranian leaders visiting their most sensitive and secret nuclear and missile sites. Furthermore, he has given US intelligence the most complete and updated footage it has ever obtained of the interiors of Iran’s top secret military facilities and various nuclear installations including some never revealed to nuclear watchdog inspectors. Among them are exclusive interior shots of the Natanz nuclear complex, the Fordo underground enrichment plant and the Parchin military complex.

As a result of the sabotage of the Fordo uranium enrichment plants power lines on August 17, the Iranian nuclear program has been set back about 6 months. This development enabled Israel Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to move his original red line for Iran from late September 2012 – now – to the spring or early summer of 2013.  In commenting about the possible timing for the US to go to war against Iran, former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger said that any decision to go to war with Iran must be an American one and not subcontracted to Israel. Furthermore, Kissinger said that the US should not establish public “red lines” which might trigger a US military strike against Iran’s nuclear program. Instead, Kissinger said that the focus between Iran and the US should be on diplomacy to resolve the nuclear issue.

On the other hand, DEBKA reports that US intelligence recently warned President Barack Obama that Iran’s nuclear breakthrough point is much closer than formerly estimated, i.e. approximately 7 weeks off. In late November, therefore, Iran will enough 20 percent plus enriched uranium to build a nuclear bomb. As a result, there is speculation that the US and Israel might work together to launch an “October surprise” attack against Iran before the US elections on November 6.

The link to these articles is as follows:

1) UAV intrusion: Iranian act of belligerence against US and Israeli military targets
2) Two days after UAV, Patriots posted near Haifa and other parts of N. Israel
3) Ahmadinejad: Iran won’t relinquish nuclear program
4) Iran Offers Plan, Dismissed by U.S., on Nuclear Crisis
5) October Surprise? Obama secret Iran deal cut
6) Iran to enrich uranium to 60 percent if nuclear talks fail
7) Defecting Iranian cameraman brings CIA priceless film of secret nuclear sites
8) Fordo sabotage enabled Netanyahu to move Iran red line to spring 2013
9) Kissinger: War with Iran must be a US decision
10) US sources: US, Israel plan October Surprise. Others: Israel can do it alone

From a Biblical prophetic perspective, the reason why the God of Israel would allow these events to happen is because it will result in the end of the exile of the house of Jacob and the reunification of the 12 tribes of Israel (Ephraim and Judah).

We will to be “watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem” and we will not rest until the God of Israel makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth (Isaiah 62).

Shalom in Yeshua the Messiah,

Eddie Chumney
Hebraic Heritage Ministries Int’l