You may view the 5 minute update this week via 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
3) The US and European Debt Situation
Two rounds of talks between Israel and the PLO regarding the parameters for starting direct talks between them have been held in Jordan. The third round of talks will be on Saturday, January 14. A final meeting is scheduled for January 25. In September, the Quartet (US, EU, UN and Russia) established a deadline of January 26 for Israel and the PLO to agree on the parameters of direct talks. PLO President Mahmood Abbas has stated that if Israel doesn’t accept the PLO conditions by January 26 for having direct talks with them that they will stop the talks being held in Jordan and blame Israel for the failure of the talks. These conditions of the PLO are Israel’s recognition of a PLO state based upon 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital along with the demand the Israel quit building Jewish homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. If there is no agreement between Israel and the PLO by January 26 for the parameters of direct talks, the United States wants the PLO to be willing to extend this deadline. After January 26, the PLO have stated that they will return to the UN and ask the UN to recognize a PLO state. In order to try to be successful in lobbying for a PLO state at the UN based upon failure of the talks in Jordan, Abbas will visit Britain, Germany and Russia this coming week.
Israel Defense Minister Ehud Barak says that there is little hope of achieving an agreement with the PLO from their talks in Jordan. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that the PLO aren’t interested in having serious talks with Israel regarding the peace process but are only going through the diplomatic process to justify a desire to renew their efforts to achieve recognition of a PLO state at the United Nations.
In order to evaluate the situation with the peace process, President Obama has invited Jordan’s King Abdullah to the US to have a meeting between them on January 17.
An agreement to divide Jerusalem and establish a PLO state is a tribulation event.
The link to these articles are as follows:
1) Abbas meets Abdullah, hopes for more talks
2) Jordan’s Abdullah talks Mideast peace process with Abbas, Blair
3) Israel, PLO to meet Saturday, January 14
4) Abbas: Israel has not made any new offers for resuming peace process
5) Barak Says ‘Little Hope’ of Breakthrough With PA
6) Palestinians focused on UN, not talks: Lieberman
7) PA: We’ll end talks if no progress within 2 weeks
8.) Abbas to visit Britain, Germany, Russia
9) Reconciliation committee to start work ‘immediately’
10) Jordan’s King Abdullah to Meet Obama at White House on Jan. 17
11) Clinton asks Abbas to extend Quartet’s deadline for talks resumption: Palestinian official
Economic sanctions against Syria are hurting its economy. Because of economic sanctions and fighting against the government of Syria by various Syrian opposition groups, it is being projected by Israel that Bashar Assad only has 2 weeks to 2 months to remain in power. Russia is concerned that NATO’s military will want to create a no-fly zone in Syria and cause the fall from power of Bashar Assad like was done to Gaddafi in Libya. Israeli is watching the situation in Syria very closely preparing itself for a possible war with Syria. Several months ago, Bashar Assad said that before he would be removed from power that he would launch missiles against Tel Aviv. If he did so, this would force Israel to retaliate with missiles against Damascus.
A war with Syria where Damascus is destroyed (Isaiah 17) is a tribulation event.
The link to these articles is as follows:
1) Russia Says NATO, Persian Gulf Nations Plan to Seek No-Fly Zone for Syria
2) Israeli official expects Assad to fall swiftly
Iran has crossed a nuclear red line by announcing that its underground uranium enrichment site at Fordo near Qom will go stream soon. According to DEBKA, Iran is preparing an underground test of a one-kiloton nuclear device sometime during 2012. Iran has agreed to host a high-level team of United Nations nuclear inspectors around January 28.
The US is leading the international communities efforts to stop Iran from building a nuclear bomb by imposing economic sanctions against it which includes a world-wide oil embargo and well as pressuring countries to not do financial transactions with Iran’s central bank. Europe is meeting on January 23 to consider its oil embargo. 80% of Iran’s exports of oil to the European Union is received by Italy, Spain and Greece. These countries are already have critical debt problems and an oil embargo could further hurt their economies. As a result, they are expected to ask the European Union for a six-month grace period in banning oil imports from Iran. The US has lobbied Japan, South Korea and China to limit their oil imports from Iran. Japan has agreed to do so. China has refused. An oil embargo by the US against Japan in June, 1941 help to create the conditions for Japan to bomb Pearl Harbor and thus start a war with the US. It is feared that an oil embargo against Iran will cause it to launch a war against US forces in the Persian Gulf or block the Strait of Hormuz preventing the free flow of oil from the area.
Russia and Iran have agreed to no longer conduct oil sales in dollars. Since the US dollar is the world’s reserve currency and because oil is traded in US dollars, this could have a major impact on the US dollar. Within the past year, Russia and China agreed to not use US dollar in trade between them.
In truth, a US covert war against Iran is already being conducted. This past week, an Iranian nuclear scientist was killed. In the past several years, various Iranian nuclear scientists have been killed and computer viruses have been used to slow the progress of Iran building a nuclear reactor. In addition to seeking a world-wide oil embargo against Iran, a senior US official stated that the US desires to shut down the Iranian central bank.
The US is preparing for a fighting war with Iran. The US is building hospitals and other military facilities in the country of Georgia. The US has two aircraft carriers opposite Iran and 15,000 troops in Kuwait. Russia and France has warships off Syria and Iran. Saudi Arabia wants the US to make a hard-core pledge that they will strike Iran should Iran build a nuclear weapon. Meanwhile, the US wants a commitment from Israel that they will not attack Iran over concerns for its nuclear program. However, Israel is not willing to make that promise to the US. Even though the US and Israel militaries are working together to protect Israel from an attack by Iran, the US and Israel are in a disagreement regarding the strategy to accomplish this goal. The US is telling Israel that they will attack Iran at the right time to prevent them from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
A US war with Iran is a tribulation event.
The link to these articles is as follows:
1) Iran crosses another nuclear red line. Fordo soon on stream
2) Iran plans one-kiloton underground nuclear test in 2012
3) Iran to host UN nuclear inspectors amid tensions over Strait of Hormuz threat
4) EU meeting on Iran oil embargo set for January 23
5) EU firms renew Iran oil deals to win sanction reprieve
6) U.S. presses China, Japan, South Korea to trim Iran oil imports
7) Japan ‘to reduce Iran oil imports’
8.) China rejects linking trade and Iranian nukes ahead of Geithner visit to lobby for sanctions
9) Iran and Russia End Trading in Dollars
10) The history of Petrodollar warfare
11) US denies killing Iran nuclear scientist with magnetic bomb
12) Killings, blasts, computer worms: The covert war on Iran
13) US seeking to ‘close down’ Iran central bank
14) ‘US builds hospitals in Georgia, readies for war with Iran’
15) US stations two aircraft carriers opposite Iran, 15,000 troops in Kuwait
16) Russian, French warships off Syria, Iran, US drones over Iranian coast
17) Saudis Want Iron clad US Pledge to Strike Iran
18) US Refuses to Co-Opt Israel to a Military Strike against Iran
The Obama administration is on pace to borrow more money ($6.2 trillion dollars) that the US government borrowed from 1776 to 2002. This magnitude of borrowing is unsustainable. Five European countries this week had their debt downgraded by S&P. They were Spain, Italy, Portugal, France and Austria. The continuing of this trend will result in the collapse of the euro. President Sarkozy of France desires that Europe will institute the ‘Tobin tax’ which is a tax on international financial transactions. The implementation of the ‘Tobin tax’ will create the environment for a global tax on international financial transactions which would could be a financing mechanism for eventual world government.
Worldwide economic collapse resulting in a one world government with one-world currency is a tribulation event.
The link to these articles are as follows:
1) Obama on Pace to Borrow $6.2T in One Term—More Than All Presidents from Washington Through Clinton Combined
2) Sarkozy says France will lead way with ‘Tobin tax’
3) Five European Nations to Be Downgraded by S&P: Report
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