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 prospects for a political union within the Eurozone
Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Malki said that November 15 or 29 were possible dates for submission of a Palestinian bid to the United Nations General Assembly for recognition of a Palestinian state based upon 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. If approved, the Palestinians would have their status upgraded at the UN to be a non-member state. “Our status at the UN will be upgraded from a mission to a non-state member in a preliminary step to obtaining full membership after a debate in the UN Security Council that will certainly be reopened after November,” Malki said. November 15, 1988 was the date that former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat issued the declaration of Palestinian independence during a meeting of the Palestinian National Council in Algiers. November 29 was the date in 1947 when the UN General Assembly voted to establish a Jewish state, an Arab state and make Jerusalem an international city. It is also the date that the UN celebrates as the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people. “It is still premature to give a specific date,” Malki told the official Voice of Palestine radio, saying that consultations with regional groups at the United Nations, including European countries, needed to be completed before the resolution on obtaining the rank of a non-member state could be drafted. I can assure you that November is going to be a crucial month in Palestinian history,” Malki said.
Palestinians have begun a diplomatic blitz among the nations of the world in trying to seek a strong majority in the proposed vote at the UN General Assembly to upgrade their status at the UN to be a non-member state. They Palestinians only need a majority of nations to vote in favor of the resolution in order for it to pass. Therefore, the need about 97 ‘yes’ votes. Palestinian officials say that they can count on around 115 ‘yes’ votes, mostly from Arab, African, Latin American, and Asian states, and expect around 22 no-votes, led by the United States, and 56 abstentions in the 193-member organization. The Palestinians believe that they can get 12 to 15 ‘yes’ votes from the 27 nations within the European Union.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said that he would be ready for negotiations with Israel “straightaway” if the UN recognized Palestine as a non-member state. “We have resolved to go to the UN to save the two-state solution and to achieve the rights of our people as an observer state. Going to the UN is not a substitute for negotiations. We are in need of negotiations to solve the final status of issues that face us both,” he said.
Chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat said that the Palestinians must be prepared for the possibility that the US and Israel may impose severe economic restrictions on the Palestinian Authority the day after the UN upgrades the status of a Palestinian state to non-member. Erekat said he expected the US Congress and the US Administration to take a number of “retaliatory” measures in response to the Palestinian statehood bid, such as freezing financial aid to the PA, closing the PLO mission’s office in the USA and exerting pressure on governments worldwide to dissuade them from supporting the statehood bid at the UN. Erekat said he also expected the Americans to suspend funds to a number of UN agencies and organizations, first and foremost the United Nations relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees [UNRWA].
As for Israel’s expected response, Erekat said that the Israeli government may carry out its threat to unilaterally withdraw from some areas in the West Bank, freeze tax revenues belonging to the PA, instigating a “security deterioration” on the ground and imposing restrictions on the private sector and in particular and the Palestinian economy in general. Erekat said he expected Israel to also annex the Jordan valley, expand settlements and walk away from the Oslo Accords that were signed with the PLO in 1993.
Meanwhile, the PLO published a “position paper” explaining its motives behind the renewed statehood bid.
The paper said that the PLO “seeks to enhance Palestine’s status to that of an Observer State, as a significant step towards fulfilling the Palestinian people’s natural, historical, and legal rights to self-determination and independence.” According to the PLO, “This step is a continuation of the standing Palestinian application for membership at the United Nations, which was lodged on 23 September 2011.
“Together with the international community, Palestine believes that the status quo of political deadlock, while occupation, colonization and apartheid policies become further entrenched, is neither acceptable nor sustainable. The Palestinian initiative intends to protect the prospects of peace and accelerate its realization. This step reaffirms and protects the internationally-endorsed two-state solution. It is anchored in relevant United Nations resolutions, including General Assembly resolutions 181 and 194, and international law.”
The PLO paper added that “according to international law, self-determination is a universally recognized inalienable right that is not subject to negotiation. Independence has never been a final status issue and statehood has never been negotiated bilaterally.
The right of peoples to self-determination is non-negotiable and the Palestinian people will thus never negotiate this right or subject it to Israel’s whims. Enhancing Palestine’s status at the UN is a step towards justice and will be an affirmation of the international community’s commitment to the universal values of human rights, as embodied in the United Nations Charter.”
The PLO explained that the Palestinian “initiative seeks to end occupation and realize the establishment of the State of Palestine; it does not seek to delegitimize or isolate Israel. Rather, this step seeks to delegitimize the policies of occupation and colonization and to overcome the paralysis in the international community, especially with regard to ending Israel’s impunity and compelling its compliance with international law.”
The Palestinian step, according to the PLO, is consistent with the formal Palestinian recognition of Israel in 1993, and consistent with the internationally endorsed goal of the peace process — two states living side by side in peace and security on the basis of the pre-1967 borders.
“Recognition is necessary to achieve the ultimate objective of the two-state solution and expedite its realization at a time when Israel is incessantly and recklessly undermining that solution and the prospects for achieving a just peace,” the PLO said. ”
“The international community therefore has a moral and legal obligation to help fulfill this right. Currently, 132 countries recognize the State of Palestine on the pre-1967 borders. The PLO calls on all countries that have not yet done so yet to recognize Palestine on these borders and invest in peace.
“Finally, the Palestinian initiative at the United Nations does not contradict, nor is it a substitute for, negotiations. These are parallel paths that complement one another. Enhancing Palestine’s status at the United Nations to Observer State will establish the right framework for negotiations and reaffirm the internationally-agreed upon terms of reference and end game of a credible political process, to which we remain committed.”
Finally, Egypt’s powerful Muslim Brotherhood says Islamic Shariah law must be the basis of Egypt’s new constitution, and legislation must be based on Islamic penal code. The statement appeared to be an attempt to clarify the group’s position toward the country’s most contentious issue – the extent of Islamic influence in governance and legislation. The 100-member Islamist-led panel tasked with drafting the new document has been facing heavy criticism, mostly from liberals who fear Islamization of Egypt through its work.
An agreement to divide Jerusalem and establish a PLO state is a tribulation event.
The link to these articles are as follows:
1) Palestinians ready for UN statehood bid in November
2) Erekat warns of US, Israeli ‘retaliation’ after UN bid
3) Palestinians lobby for convincing win in UN vote
4) Abbas says ready for peace talks if UN bid succeeds
5) Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood calls for Shariah-based constitution
Russian warned the West against campaigning for the removal of Bashar Assad from power. Russia believes that Syria should decide for itself its future without foreign interference calling on the West and Turkey to start negotiating with Assad as well as the opposition to pave the way for a political solution to the Syrian civil war.
A war with Syria where Damascus is destroyed (Isaiah 17) is a tribulation event.
The link to these articles is as follows:
On October 24, the Yarmouk Complex of military plants near Khartoum, Sudan was bombed by four fighter-bombers. It is believed that it was Israel who bombed the plant. DEBKA reports that they were manufacturing Iranian ballistic surface-to-surface Shehab missiles for Iran.
Iran said that in order to resolve the issue regarding its nuclear program, the P5 + 1 powers consisting of the five permanent UN Security Council members (Russia, China, Britain, France and the US) plus Germany must recognize Iran’s right to have a nuclear program.
Israel Defense Minister, Ehud Barak, said that an immediate crisis over Iran’s nuclear program was avoided this summer when Iran decided to use over a third of its medium-enriched uranium for civilian purposes delaying the time when Iran would be able to build a nuclear bomb by 8 to 10 months. Barak believes that diplomacy and sanctions will fail to convince Iran to stop its nuclear program. In the final analysis, Barak insisted that Israel would decide for itself whether to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities. “When it comes to the very core of our security interests and, in a way, the future of Israel, we cannot delegate the responsibility for making decisions even into the hands of our most trusted and trustworthy ally,” he said. “But, if no one acts, we will have to contemplate action.” He added: “Basically, it’s about the question of when they come into this zone of immunity, where no Israeli surgical attack, probably somewhat later not even an American surgical attack, can delay them significantly. That’s the issue that bothers us.” As for when Iran will reach the “zone of immunity”, depriving Israel of its military option, Mr Barak forecast this would probably happen “next spring or early summer”.
The link to these articles is as follows:
1) The bombed Sudanese factory produced Iranian Shehab missiles
2) Tehran: P5+1 must recognize our nuclear rights
3) Israel says Iran has pulled back from the brink of nuclear weapon – for now
The former prime minister of Britain, Tony Blair, said there is a need for a European President as part of a political union of the European Union. In Sepember, 11 European foreign ministers held a meeting calling for a single, elected European President under a common European defense policy. This plan was supported by Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Holland, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg and Portugal.
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) Tony Blair: the EU needs a president
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