What a month! This past month has witnessed the determined strategy of Ariel Sharon, prime minister of Israel, to hand over the Gaza strip to the Palestinians. Sharon has mounted offensives within his party, the Likud, and in his own cabinet to see to it that the disengagement plan will go forward as he conceived.
After suffering the setback of a referendum defeat of his disengagement plan within the Likud party , Sharon has displayed the legendary determination that made him a heroic general on the battlefields that represented Israel's survival. Rather than lick his wounds after the referendum Sharon instead announced that he respects the Likud "opinion" but will not stop in presenting his plan to his governing cabinet.
We were on the threshold of watching the disengagement plan go down in flames in a cabinet vote when Sharon pulled another rabbit from his hat of tricks. Sharon, knowing that he would loose a cabinet vote, decided that rather than concede defeat he would just reshuffle the deck. Sharon fired two of the most outspoken cabinet ministers who oppose the plan so that the vote this Sunday will be stacked in his favor by one vote. This is a serious precedent making move that transforms the Prime Minister's government into a form of dictatorial government.
What is most important to God's children is that the two ministers who were fired were both from the National Union Party. National Union has a conservative religious foundation. The National Religious Party (NRP) and National Union had been working together within the cabinet to stop the disengagement. One of their ministers had even likened the disengagement to the sin of the spies, the event in the Bible where Moses sends a spy from each tribe of Israel into the promised land to spy it out. All but two, Joshua and Caleb, were overwhelmed with doubt and fear and reported the the land was not conquerable. At the time of this article's writing the NRP was considering pulling their minister out of Sharon's coalition government. This could prompt a collapse of Sharon's government and force him to bring the leftist Labor Party in.
It is no coincidence that the National Union and National Religious parties are largely representative of not only religious Jews, but that most of their support emanates from the settlements located in both of the Israeli territories claimed by the Palestinians, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
Why is this significant?
Two years ago, last month, I warned in the Daily WATCH that the
religious parties in Israel would be isolated and pushed out of
governing Israel ( http://www.lastday.info/watchv2i83.html
), that time has come. Sharon doesn't want to make bedfellows
with the Labor party, but with God's faithful Jews standing in
the way of his agenda he will believe he has no choice. When the
religious parties no longer have a voice in the cabinet then Sharon
and the Israeli government will have lost what little connection
with God they had left.
With an ordinary man
we would have ended our startled observations of the shrewdness
of wicked genius right here, but not with Ariel Sharon! Another
coupe has been won by Sharon on the international stage. Sharon
has been secretly negotiating with the Egyptians to police and
administrate Gaza until a Palestinian state is declared. This
is mind blowing because Israel's treaties with Egypt demand that
her troops cannot even come close to the border! No problem for
Sharon, he has proposed changing the treaty to allow armed Egyptian
soldiers to be stationed and operate within Israeli territory!
What is more is that Sharon has already profited by this move.
Egypt has advised Yassar Arafat to step down or he may be subjected
to Israeli action! Egypt was responsible for establishing Arafat
in the first place and has been his largest Middle Eastern supporter,
until now.
I just warned my readers in the last Daily WATCH (http://www.lastday.info/watchv4i5.html)
that Arafat will need to make some quick and real concessions
or his life will be of little value. Arafat seems to have gotten
the message, because he says that he is willing to meet with Sharon
unconditionally! Too little too late! Arafat can't be trusted
and Sharon knows it so he is ignoring Arafat and is orchestrating
his fall at this very moment.
For those of you who
believe that this will spell war and disaster for Israel at the
hands of Egypt, you had better think again. What we are seeing
is the king of the South (Egypt), spoken of by the prophet Daniel,
as he begins to advance his interests into this disputed territory.
This is a major and potentially unequaled brownie point for Sharon
in the eyes of even his strongest opponents around the world.
The king of the South, according to prophecy, will not be Israel's
enemy, but rather will stand opposed to the antichrist and his
forces (king of the North) that will come from Iraq/Iran and later
be backed by Russian forces and augmented by EU forces (Read:
http://www.lastday.info/watchv2i22.html
). Remember that Israel and Egypt respectfully are the two largest
beneficiaries of American economic and military support in the
world! Can we see a polarization of forces in the Middle East?!
For those who watch for the signs of our LORD Jesus' return these
events come as no surprise, but rather they fall right into place,
no speculation needed. Egypt is busy now forming a North African
alliance with Libya, Sudan and others. This alliance will stand
against the antichrist. Think again if you would suggest that
it would be a poor and ill-equipped alliance against the power
of the antichrist. Not only does Egypt enjoy American support,
but she also enjoys little publicized oil revenues as does her
North African friend Libya who has gained much good will from
America and the EU because of her cooperation on WMD's. Nigeria
is bathing in oil and Algeria has just discovered huge reserves.
Sudan has been aggressively developing its oil fields as well.
(You may want to read: http://www.lastday.info/watchv2i70.html
)
Egypt and Libya have both made public announcements of their withdrawal
from identifying themselves as Arabs and taking on the identity
of North Africans.
Expect much American involvement in North Africa in the near future. America will perceive the northern nations of the African continent as a hedge against terrorism and radical Islam and a secure source of oil. We will support them in the name of the War on Terror.
What will happen next in Israel? Within one year there will be no Jews in Gaza. Sharon has the Palestinians against the wall. If they don't come forward with real concessions then he will propose another disengagement plan, a phase two withdrawal from select West Bank areas. He will draw the lines himself without negotiations with the Palestinians. Sharon is determined to establish a Palestinian state with or without the help of the Palestinians. Sharon is on the way to fulfilling the Road Map to Peace single-handedly!
In any case the Road Map, that is, the covenant with death, is alive and well. The voice against a Palestinian state grows smaller and fainter with each passing day. And with each passing day we draw closer to Israel's rebellion against God's covenant. When that happens we will enter the seven year countdown to the coming of the LORD's glorious kingdom!
He who testifies
to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon."
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. Revelation 22:20.