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) Analysis of the Israeli election results
2) The current status of the Israel / PLO peace process
3) The USA now is under judgment

Israel’s final election results show the following results:

1) 31 Likud-Yisrael Beitenu. Likud, the party of Benjamin Netanyahu and Yisrael Beitenu (the Russian immigrant party)

2) 19 Yesh Atid (there is a future). This is a secular centrist party, headed by former Israeli journalist Yair Lapid

3) 15 Labor. This is a socio-economic party headed by Shelly Yachimovich.

4) 12 Jewish Home. This is a nationalistic modern Orthodox party headed by Naphtali Bennett

5) 11 Shas. This is a Sephardic Ultra-Orthodox party

6) 7 United Torah Judaism. This is a Askenazi Ulta-Orthodox party

7) 6 Hatnua (The Movement). This is the party of Tzipi Livni. She is a strong advocate of peace negotiations with the Palestinians.

8) 6 Meretz (The Movement). Far left wing party.

9) 2 Kadima. This party is headed by Shaul Mofaz. He also advocates peace negotiations with the Palestinians.

In Israel, you vote for a political party. You don’t vote for a specific candidate. The leader of the political party which receives the most votes gets to form a coalition of parties to establish a government and become Prime Minister. As a result, Benjamin Netanyahu is in position to remain as Prime Minister of Israel.  In realizing this fact, following the election results, Netanyahu said, “I’m proud to be your prime minister. I thank you for giving me a chance, for the third time, to lead the State of Israel. It is a great privilege and a great responsibility.”Then, he outlined five major principles of the next government:

1) Security. Stopping Iran from getting a nuclear weapon

2) Fiscal responsibility.  Due to a large government spending deficit, cuts in government spending.

3) Political responsibility. Seeking peace with the Palestinians

4) Equal distribution of burden in society. This means drafting Ultra-Orthodox Yeshiva students into the Israeli military

5) Social and economic responsibility: Cut the cost of living and housing prices

Based upon these guidelines, Netanyahu will attempt for form a government. Since there are 120 members in the Israeli Knesset, he needs at least 61 members to form a majority government. Ideally, he would like to form a government with about 80 members. This would prevent his government from being toppled if one of the parties in the coalition becomes unhappy with one of the domestic or foreign policy decisions adopted by the government. While this may be a goal, because of the competing political interests of the various elected parties, this goal will not likely be achievable.

It would seem that Netanyahu has three viable options to form a government:

1) Right Wing coalition: Likud-Beitenu joining Jewish Home and the Ultra-Orthodox parties. This would give him a coalition of 61. However, this government could easily be accused of being against the peace process. It could result in an international economic boycott against Israel for failing to negotiate with the Palestinians. With the Ultra-Orthodox in the coalition, Netanyahu would not be able to get approval to draft Yeshiva students into the Israeli military.

2) Center-Right coalition: Likud-Beitenu joining Yesh Atid (Yair Lapid) and Jewish Home. This would give him a coalition of 62. With this government, Netanyahu could better implement his domestic policies but would be weak against international pressure concerning the peace process. So, this also could result in an international economic boycott against Israel for failing to negotiate with the Palestinians.

3) Left Wing coaltion: Likud-Beitenu joining Yesh Atid (Yair Lapid), Labor (Shelly Yachimovich), The Movement (Tzipi Livni), Kadima (Shaul Mofaz). This would give him a coalition of 73. This would be the strongest government against international pressure regarding the peace process. It would also be a government which could implement Netanyahu’s domestic policies. However, Labor (Shelly Yachimovich) doesn’t want to be in government with Netanyahu. She also would like to topple his government so she could possibly be Prime Minister. With this government, Netanyahu risks the greatest chance of losing his political power.

Netanyahu has already started the process to initiate coalition talks. Initially, he reached out to Yesh Atitd leader Yair Lapid and the leaders of Shas and UTJ, the two Ultra-Orthodox parties. He did not call the leader of Jewish Home, Naphtali Bennett. The Jerusalem post reported that Netanyahu would only invite Jewish Home to join the coalition once a majority of 61 MKs was in place, so he would not have to worry about the party remaining in the coalition following diplomatic concessions, such as the removal of unauthorized West Bank outposts. Jewish Home is opposed to a Palestinian state and had advocated annexing Area C of the West Bank. Jewish Home does not want to be in government with Tzipi Livni who supports a peace agreement with the Palestinians.

Initially, Netanyahu talked with Lapid for 2 1/2 hours before he made contact with Bennett of Jewish Home. The delay in contacting Jewish Home is seen as being significant, since the order in which negotiations take place with parties determines which party will join the coalition first, and receive the “juiciest” portfolios, and which is “left out to dry.”  Netanyahu may prefer to form a coalition without Bennett because he thinks Bennett’s hard line on Judea and Samaria (West Bank) will make it more difficult for him to get along with U.S. President Barack Obama.

Yesh Atid (There is a future) and its leader Yair Lapid has two basic conditions for joining the Netanyahu government: 1) Drafting Ultra-Orthodox Yeshiva students (those who study Torah full-time) into the Israeli military and 2) The resumption of peace talks with the Palestinians.

It is being reported that Netanyahu is prepared to offer Lapid a senior position in his government. He would have the choice between the foreign affairs or finance position. Jewish Home, the nationalistic modern Orthodox party, leader Nephtali Bennett would like to receive the Religious Affairs Ministry if he joined the government. In doing so, he would seek to change the religious status-quo in Israel which is now dominated by the Ultra-Orthodox.

Because of the threats against the Ultra-Orthodox parties, Shas and United Torah Judaism, from the proposed changes to the religious status-quo from Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid who wants to draft Yeshiva students in the Israeli army and Jewish Home who wants the Religious Affairs Ministry, Shas and United Torah Judasim are planning to unite this weekend to form a single bloc in the Knesset which would be better able to fight the reforms desired to be imposed against them.

A representative from United Torah Judaism, Moshe Gafni said, “We’ll offer Shas to form a join team that will include representatives from both sides. The people may have spoken by giving Yair Lapid 19 Knessset seats but the same people also gave the haredi parties 18 mandates. We’ll probably join forces on the basic issues. We have similar principles in that respect.” Shas party leader Aryeh Deri said that his party and United Torah Judaism will be united on the issue of drafting Yeshiva students into the Israeli military and the funding of Yeshiva institutions.

In a letter addressed to Yesh Atid leader, Yair Lapid, Ohad Shaked, a history and civics teacher, who is ultra-Orthodox, pleaded with Yair Lapid to not implement policies that would start a civil war in Israel between the non-Ultra-Orthodox and the Ultra-Orthodox. He wrote the following to Yair Lapid:

“I am sure you are a very intelligent man who understands the equal share of the burden (also called “drafting yeshiva boys”) issue very well. This is a very serious issue, and the next government will have to address it. This issue may exacerbate the religious-secular divide in Israel and lead to civil war.  Deciding on a universal draft would result in the outbreak of a civil war within a few months. The ultra-Orthodox will not relent. Moreover, as the draft becomes more coercive, the resistance to it will intensify.  Therefore, it will be your job to find a way to draft the haredim who should be drafted (particularly those who do nothing – they are frowned upon by the rabbis as well) while allowing those yeshiva boys who do study to continue to do so. You must find the right mechanism to check who among the ultra-Orthodox should be exempt from IDF service under the Torato Emunato (Torah is his profession”) arrangement and who shouldn’t. This can only be done through dialogue. Now is the time to reach an agreement between the seculars and haredim. The haredim understand that a solution is needed, but a good solution is one that comes only from the understanding that the haredi population is different; it has different beliefs and different needs. One must be very creative to find a way to combine the secular and ultra-Orthodox worlds. If you succeed in reaching an agreement on such an important tissue, you will be able to reach agreements with the haredim on other matters as well – and certainly promote your agenda. If you choose not to follow this path, you will be responsible for a civil war, should it break out.”

Meanwhile, Yesh Atid, Yair Lapid, would prefer that the nationalistic modern Orthodox party, Jewish Home be in the coalition rather than the ultra-Orthodox. Lapid believes that the Jewish Home views toward drafting Yeshiva students and economic policies are more consistent with the views of Yesh Atid and thus would be comfortable with Jewish Home being in the coalition.

In the election campaign, Likud-Beitenu attacked Jewish Home who was perceived to be their strongest threat to receiving more votes. Likud Knesset member Moshe Feiglin said that Likud’s mudslinging against Jewish Home was a catastrophe.  He estimated that Jewish Home lost 4-5 seats that went to Yesh Atid because of the political attacks.

Left wing Labor leader, Shelly Yachimovich, said that she refuses to sit in government with Benjamin Netanyahu because their socio-economic policies are radically different. She said that should it be needed that Labor would support the peace process with the Palestinians from the opposition. However, the 3rd person in Labor,  Eitan Cabel, said that if Benjamin Netanyahu was interested in having a coalition government which includes Yesh Atid, Tzipi Livni Kadima and Labor but excludes Jewish Home and the ultra-Orthodox parties that if would be difficult for Labor to refuse such an offer.

Based upon the election results and the political negotiating that is going on to form a coalition government, I believe that Israel is at a historical cross roads where it must choose between secular Zionism or nationalist / religious Zionism. In Ezekiel 37, the dry bones coming to life comes about in 2 stages. The first is a physical return (secular Zionism) and this is followed by a spiritual return (religious Zionism). With the results of the elections, it seems that Netanyahu has a choice of embracing secular Zionism (a left wing government), religious Zionism (a right wing government) or a combination of the two. However, in seeking to achieve a combination of the two, the secular Zionists are rejecting the policies of the religious Zionists and the religious Zionists are rejecting the polices of the secular Zionists. So, which government will Netanyahu choose? In the next several weeks, we should begin to know.

The link to these articles are as follows:

1) Final election count: Right bloc 61, Center-Left 59 seats
2) Netanyahu: Leading Israel is a privilege
3) PM preempts Peres by building broad coalition
4) Netanyahu Meets Lapid for 2.5 Hours, Puts Bennett on Back Burner
5) Lapid’s terms: Universal draft, peace talks
6) PM offers Lapid FM post or Treasury portfolio
7) Lapid wants Foreign Affairs, veto for Defense appointment. Bennett – Religious Affairs
8) Haredi parties consider uniting fronts
9) UTJ, Shas discuss possibility of forming haredi bloc
10) Lapid, prevent civil war
11) Lapid Prefers Bennett in Coalition
12) Feiglin: Likud Shot Itself in the Foot
13) Yachimovich to PM: Labor in opposition
14) ‘If PM formed Center gov’t, Labor would likely join’
15) Israel at Crossroads: Biblical Zion or Secular Zion?

Palestinian spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina commented on the Israeli election results and said, “We shall cooperate with any government that is committed to the United Nations General Assembly resolution on the establishment of a Palestinian state whose capital is Jerusalem on the 1967 borders.”  He further added, “What is important is that the next government will be committed to the two-state solution, halt settlement construction and recognize the General Assembly resolution.”

Nabil Shaath called on the Unites States and the European Union to increase pressure on Israel to freeze settlement building and resume negotiations leading to a Palestinian state within six months, or face international sanctions. The Palestinian Authority has said it would not return to the negotiating table without an Israeli settlement construction freeze.

In response to the Israeli election results, the United States spokesman Jay Carney renewed the call  for a resumption of long-stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. Carney said: “We believe that what needs to take place is direct negotiations between the two parties (Israelis and Palestinians) that addresses the final-status issues and results in a two-state solution.”

Jordanian King Abdullah speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland said: “The time to take action in the Middle East is now.”  He added that in the next couple of months, Jordan would be marching toward Washington alongside it’s international partners in the peace process, and saying “Mr. President, it’s time to engage in the the Palestinian-Israeli peace process.”

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

The link to these articles are as follows:

1) PA: Next government must recognize Palestinian state
2) Palestinians predict isolation for Israel after right-wing election win
3) U.S. renews call for resumption of Israeli-Palestinian talks
4) ‘Two state solution only viable as long as Obama in power’

Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Kahn, author of the best seller book, ‘The Harbinger’ warned in his book that the events of 9/11 was a prophetic warning to the USA based upon the prophecy of Isaiah 9:10 to the Northern Kingdom of Israel when they were attacked by the Assyrians yet parallels the response to 9/11 from US leaders and their call to make the USA stronger and to rebuild around Ground Zero. He was the keynote speaker at the Presidential Inaugural Prayer Breakfast meeting. His message was a warning that the judgment of the God of Israel is upon the land.

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

The link to these articles are as follows:

1)  Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Kahn: His Presidential Inaugural Prayer Breakfast Message (The USA under Judgment)

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

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) A Preview of the Israel Elections
2) The current status of the Israel / PLO peace process
3) The current status of the situation with Iran

Israeli elections are scheduled for January 22.  All the polls indicate that Benjamin Netanyahu will keep his job as Prime Minister of Israel. The main issue of debate therefore is will he establish a center-left (secular Zionist) government or will he establish a center-right (nationalist Zionist) government ? Conventional wisdom is that Netanyahu will choose his historical “natural partners” from the center-right. However, some members of his Likud political party are saying that Netanyahu prefers to form a coalition with the center-left parties rather than the nationalistic party of Jewish Home and Sephardic ultra-Orthodox party of Shas. Senior Likud minister Moshe Ya’alon said the new government would look to create as large a coalition as possible. “It is 99 percent certain Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid), Tzipi [Livnit] (The Movement), and Mofaz (Kadima) are [on Netanyahu’s list],” the Likud source said. Only after exploring those options would Netanyahu approach either the ultra-Orthodox or the national religious Jewish Home party.

However, another senior Likud official said that Netanyahu prefers to keep (Jewish Home) out of the coalition. The official, who asked to remain anonymous, said that Netanyahu has indicated in private conversations he would prefer to form a coalition with Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid (Future) party, Tzipi Livni’s Hatnua and even with the Labor party headed by Shelly Yechimovich, though she has publicly stated she would not join a Netanyahu-led government. According to this official, “Netanyahu fears a strong Bennett”, referring to Jewish Home chairman Naftali Bennett, because his party will make it difficult for him to make diplomatic moves in terms of peace negotiations with the Palestinian Authority.

Other Likud insiders were quoted as saying that Netanyahu is expected to redefine his “natural partners” after the upcoming election, shifting from a nationalist government (center-right) to a more leftist one (center-left). One of many concerns of the newly elected government is to pass a national spending budget to implement his economic policies. Netanyahu is expected to make cuts in the budget. This is not seen as being agreeable to the Ultra-Orthodox parties.  A Israeli newspaper quoted senior Likud members as saying that because of a need to focus on issues such as the economy and due to pressure that is expected to come from U.S. President Barack Obama in regards to the peace process, Netanyahu is expected to shift his coalition more towards the center-left in an effort to build as broad a coalition as possible.

In response to these things, the leaders of Yesh Atid (Yair Lapid), The Tzipi Livni Party, and Jewish Home (Naphtali Bennett) all called for a national unity government (a government with a combination of center-left and center-right). “I am a responsible person,” said Yesh Atid party head Yair Lapid. “We can build a national unity government oriented toward economic and social issues – one which is not right-wing extremist and haredi.” Lapid continued: “I guarantee that if there won’t be equality in the burden of IDF service, and if there will be higher taxes, we will not sit in the Knesset. If they sell us out, we won’t be in government.” Tzipi Livni agreed on the need for unity, saying “We require a national emergency government.” Earlier in the day, Livni warned that Israel is in a “state of emergency” and promised to work toward a national unity government that would be Centrist and [secular] Zionist in its orientation.

Therefore, Yair Lapid and Tzipi Livni were highlighting the election issues of: 1) Israel / Palestinian peace process 2) Socio-economic issues 3) The role of ultra-orthodox men serving in the Israeli military.

Jewish Home leader Nephtali Bennett also called for a national unity government which included Yair Lapid for economic reasons but not Tzipi Livni who strongly advocates a need for a peace agreement with the Palestinians which Jewish Home opposes. “I am against a Palestinian state,” said Bennett. “The land of Israel has been ours for 3,800 years.”

Last month, Jewish Home leader Naphtali Bennett called for Israel to annex Area C which is under complete Israeli control from the Oslo Accords signed in the 1990’s by Israel and the Palestinians. All the Jews in the West Bank live in Area C while only 4% of Palestinians live in Area C. However, Rabbi Shai Piron, number two on the Yesh Atid party list of Yair Lapid and serves as head of the Petach Tikva Yeshiva Institutions [which is modern Orthodox) said that he would support uprooting Israeli communities in the West Bank if Israel reached a diplomatic deal with the Palestinian Authority. He also called the plan by Naftali Bennett of Jewish Home as being “delusional”.

Tzipi Livni said that she would consider joining a coalition led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu only if Netanyahu were to truly commit to advancing the diplomatic process with the Palestinians and if his government did not implement the diplomatic platform of Jewish Home whose calls for annexing Area C in the West Bank and giving the 50,000 Palestinians living there full Israeli citizenship.

Meanwhile, the Sephardic ultra-Orthodox Shas party accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of having already forged a coalition deal with two center-left parties, Tzipi Livni’s (The Movement) and Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid.

In an interview with Benjamin Netanyahu conducted by the Jerusalem Post, Netanyahu explained his position on these issues. He was asked the following:

QUESTION: You know Bennett very well – you worked with him. In your mind, is he an extremist?

NETANYAHU: I’m not rating anyone, and I am not disqualifying anyone. But I think it’s important for people to realize that the only way we can lead the country is to have a very strong ruling party… You need a prime minister that can focus on the main issues, and that can’t be done if you have to attend the needs of sectorial parties…

QUESTION: What is your dream coalition?

NETANYAHU: The dream coalition is the one with the broadest possible Likud Beytenu chassis, if you will. Because that is really what determines what drives stability and effectiveness…

If we go the other direction, of fragmentation and sectorial parties, you’re going to have an ineffective government. I know that people say, ‘We’ll strengthen Netanyahu from the Right, we’ll strengthen Netanyahu from the religious side, we’ll strengthen Netanyahu from that side.’ We want our hands on the wheel. If you ever drove a car, you know that you have to have two steady hands of one driver on the wheel, and if you start having other people grab the wheel, pretty soon the car overturns.

The link to these articles are as follows:

1) An Israeli Election Preview by Eddie Chumney (15 minutes)
2) Prime minister eyeing deal with center-left, insiders say
3) Likud Official: Netanyahu Prefers Lapid
4) Lapid, Livni, Bennett call for national unity gov’t
5) On the Agenda: Annex Area C, Says Jewish Home’s Bennett
6) Rabbi on Lapid’s List: I’d Uproot ‘Settlements’
7) Report: Rabbi Shai Piron Second on Lapid List
8) Yesh Atid’s Rabbi Piron: Bennett’s Annexation Plan ‘Delusional’
9) Shas: Netanyahu in cahoots with center-left

In a Bloomberg article, journalist Jeffrey Goldberg seemed to have written an article expressing the feelings of the Obama administration regarding the peace process. The short term background to understanding these issues as explained in the article is as follows:

Shortly after the United Nations General Assembly voted in late November to upgrade the status of the Palestinians, the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that it would advance plans to establish a settlement in an area of the West Bank known as E-1, and that it would build 3,000 additional housing units in east Jerusalem and the West Bank. The world reacted to the E-1 announcement with strong criticism. The Obama administration response came from Tommy Vietor, a spokesman for the National Security Council, who said the following: “We believe these actions are counterproductive and make it harder to resume direct negotiations or achieve a two-state solution.”

In the weeks after the UN vote, Obama said privately and repeatedly, “Israel doesn’t know what its own best interests are.” With each new settlement announcement, in Obama’s view, Netanyahu is moving his country down a path toward near-total [international] isolation. In mostly likely expressing the view of the Obama administration, Goldberg commented by saying, “When such an issue arises again, Israel may find itself even lonelier. It wouldn’t surprise me if the U.S. failed to whip votes the next time, or if the U.S. actually abstained. I wouldn’t be particularly surprised, either, if Obama eventually offered a public vision of what a state of Palestine should look like, and affirmed that it should have its capital in East Jerusalem.”

Israel responded to the Jeffrey Goldberg article by announcing that it will build over 200 new Jewish homes in the West Bank. Tzipi Livni condemned the Israeli plans by saying, “Netanyahu is destroying Israel’s international relations and is sacrificing national interests for political considerations right before an election.”

Meanwhile, on December 4, a Palestinian official announced that Britain and France are working on a new Mideast peace plan. In the past week, this was confirmed through an Israeli newspaper who wrote that the European Union is working on a detailed plan meant to restart Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and establish an independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders with east Jerusalem as its capital. The plan will set a clear timetable for a discussion on all core issues over the course of 2013. It will likely be presented in March after a new Israeli government is formed.

According to the plan, Israel and the Palestinians will enter peace negotiations after a brief interval. The plan will likely also include a demand to freeze settlement construction. The initiative is promoted by the British and French foreign ministers, and has the support of Germany. Efforts are being made to internationalize the plan: The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton is examining the possibility of making the plan an all-European proposal. Similar efforts have been made in a Quartet meeting in Amman, Jordan, where the EU’s representatives have asked to discuss their proposed peace plan. However, the US requested to delay the discussion until after the Israeli elections and the Obama inauguration.

Several reports revealed that the plan will also include a basis for a regional Middle Eastern committee with the participation of Egypt, Jordan and the Gulf states. Such a committee will marginalize Israel, but a refusal to join it will be perceived as a general rejection of the peace process. The Palestinians have already said they will accept the invitation if issued.

“There is great movement behind the scenes,” a senior Israeli official said. “The Europeans can’t force Israel to enter into an agreement, but they can certainly put us in an awkward position. “They are drafting a document which will present the principles of the future peace accord, putting it on the table as a challenge. It is likely the Palestinians will accept it and that Israel will have some difficulty. It will drive us into the corner.”

Tzipi Livni commented on the plan saying: “In March the world will present us with a peace plan – either it will be forced upon us or we come up with our own plan.

“If we form an Israeli plan we could renew the alliance with the region’s moderates and will be able to better deal with the extremist front. It is therefore important to have a government which promotes a real peace process.”

Meanwhile the Palestinians are trying to initiate a special UN Security Council meeting on January 23, a day after the Israeli elections, to discuss settlement construction and particularly Israel’s area E1 construction plan.

French Presiden Hollande announced that “immediately after the Israeli elections you should expect a French-brokered peace initiative in the Middle East, in order to bring Israel and the Palestinians to the negotiating table.” Hollande said he hopes that an agreement to return to the negotiation table will come as early as March.

The British foreign secretary warned of the dire consequences of letting the current turmoil in the Middle East continue unabated Thursday, calling on the US to lead a renewed drive for peace of the type not seen in decades.

Hague said US President Barack Obama should take charge and launch an intense drive for peace matching that of the last major Israeli Palestinian breakthrough which brought about the 1993 Oslo Accords.

“Before long, a two-state solution could be made impossible by facts on the ground,” Hague said. “We recognize the immense obstacles to the peace process, not least of all the role of Hamas in Gaza. But still, we believe that it must be a priority for President Obama’s re-elected administration to launch a new effort to start the peace process, greater in intensity than anything seen since the Oslo Accords.”

Furthermore, Jordan is in the process of consolidating an international coalition to kick-start the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Jordan’s King Abdullah said in an interview with French publication:

“We are working closely with several parties in Europe, including France, to put some effective and workable ideas on the table that would enable the US to engage and play a leading role in the peace process soon after the start of the second term of President [Barack] Obama.” Abdullah expressed hope that Germany, the UK, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the UAE would participate in the efforts.

Israel Radio reported that Jordan’s King Abdullah believes that peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians will resume in February. Jordan is also reported to be hosting a meeting between Israeli and Palestinian representatives next month in efforts to advance the peace process.

In an interview with the Jerusalem Post, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his view on these developments:

QUESTION: King Abdullah gave an interview yesterday in which he said that after the election, the Europeans will come with a new initiative. Do you know anything about that? Do you plan to put anything of your own on the table?

NETANYAHU: I’m sure there will be many initiatives, and certainly we’ll have an important task in trying to tell the truth to the world: that the Palestinian problem is neither the core of the instability in the Middle East (people actually believed that until the Arab Spring; I think they’re a little wiser now), nor that the question of settlements is the core of the Palestinian-Israel conflict. The core of the conflict is the persistent refusal of the Palestinians to recognize the Jewish state in any boundary.

QUESTION: Can Israel withstand the pressure on the settlements? Can we build in east Jerusalem and Ma’aleh Adumim with the Europeans saying, ‘If you do we might boycott you’?

NETANYAHU: I think that many recognize that while there are differences inside Israel, there is a common acceptance that the so-called settlement blocs will remain part of Israel in any settlement, and that’s where the majority of construction is taking place.

QUESTION: But the Europeans are not saying that.

NETANYAHU: Some of them are not saying that, it’s true. But I think that there is recognition that ultimately there has to be a real and fair solution, and that certainly doesn’t include driving out hundreds of thousands of Jews who live in the suburbs of Jerusalem, and in the suburbs of Tel Aviv in the Ariel bloc. I think that is unrealistic.

There is an attempt to escape this simple reality, and we will have to get the world to focus on the real issues, the real problem – and to resist attempts to impose a solution that would deprive Israel of its security and fundamental national interest. A peace that you can’t defend will not exist; will not last for a second.

QUESTION: President Shimon Peres says PA President Abbas is a real potential peace partner, while former foreign minister Avigdor Liberman says he’s not. Where do you stand?

NETANYAHU: Well, so far he hasn’t been because he’s avoided negotiations. He’s run away from negotiations for the last four years. He’s piled on precondition upon precondition.

He went to the UN for a unilateral resolution, which is a fundamental breach of the Oslo Accords. He embraced Hamas. If he changes that and comes back to the table without preconditions, he’ll find me there, if I’m elected prime minister.

QUESTION: Would you consider alternative ideas to the two-state solution?

NETANYAHU: I don’t think it is a good idea for the Jewish state [for the Palestinians to be incorporated as citizens of Israel]. On the other hand, I don’t shut my eyes, the way some suggest, and say ‘Let’s just get out and sign a treaty – that will protect us.’ No, peace treaties don’t protect us; security protects us. And what protects us is the ability to understand that you need two things: You need a change in the Palestinian attitude toward the Jewish state so they recognize that if they want a Palestinian state, they will have to accept the idea of a Jewish state as the nation state of the Jewish people and to end the conflict with us once and for all. And the second thing is to recognize that even if the [Palestinian] leadership accepts that [a Jewish state and end to conflict], you can’t be guaranteed that this will take root in the general public. They will have to change the way they educate their children, and the national propaganda that they spew forth in their state-controlled press.

Equally, even if that happens, you have to assure yourself against the possibility that there will be a change of regime or change of policy in the Palestinian areas. And that is why you need very, very solid security arrangements that protect Israel. These are measures that were not present in Gaza. We walked out and Hamas walked in, which means Iran walked in. I’m not going to have that replicated.

There are two positions that I think are important. We don’t want a binational state, we don’t want to govern the Palestinians. But at the same time, we don’t want them to govern us or threaten our existence by irresponsible agreements that are made without a realistic appreciation of the Islamist tide that is sweeping the region and the speed in which Israel can move from relative strength to great vulnerability because we didn’t take care of our vital security needs – because we trusted a peace of paper. That’s not where I’ve been and that’s not where I’m going to be.

Finally, Hamas and Fatah agreed to implement, by the end of January, previous reconciliation agreements signed between the two parties. Azzam al-Ahmed, head of the Fatah delegation to the talks, announced that the two parties agreed, among other things, to launch consultations over the formation of a Palestinian unity government, with the hope of reaching agreement within the next two weeks.

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

The link to these articles are as follows:

1) Obama: ‘Israel Doesn’t Know What Its Best Interests Are’
2) Israel advances settlement plans after alleged Obama rebuke
3) Europe mulls new Mideast peace plan: Palestinian official
4) EU working on new Mideast peace plan
5) France Calls for Renewed Peace Talks Immediately After Elections
6) France to initiate Middle East peace plan
7) London warns of ‘perfect Mideast storm,’ calls for intense peace push
8) Jordan forming int’l bloc to spur Israeli-Palestinian talks
9) Will there be a peace push after the elections?
10) PM: Obama and I do have our differences on peace process
11) Hamas, Fatah agree to implement unity agreement

UN nuclear inspectors and Iran failed in talks to finalize a deal to resume their long-stalled talks into ending the Iranian nuclar program. The UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Iran have scheduled another meeting for February 12.

In an interview with Rick Wiles, former CIA spy, Reza Kahlili believes from his sources that Iran already has the capability to produce a nuclear bomb. He said that they also are capable of conducting biochemical warfare on US soil.

The link to these articles is as follows:

1) Diplomat: No deal seen reached in Iran-IAEA nuclear talks
2) Rick Wiles Interview with Reza Kahlili: Does Iran now have nuclear capability?

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

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

1) Listen to the audio

This week’s update is an interview with Pastor T.D. Hale regarding his prophetic dreams about Obama being reelected and events associated with his 2nd term.

Shalom in Yeshua the Messiah,

Eddie Chumney
Hebraic Heritage Ministries Int’l

I am still in Europe.  No update this week. Next update will be January 12.

Eddie Chumney
Hebraic Heritage Ministries Int’l