MIDEASY UPDATE: 10.7.23 - Is Peace Between Israel and Saudi Arabia Inevitable?

Monumental Prophetic Implications: Is Peace Between Israel and Saudi Arabia Inevitable? – Mark Hitchcock - https://harbingersdaily.com/monumental-prophetic-implications-is-peace-between-israel-and-saudi-arabia-inevitable/ Saudi Arabia is actively pursuing a US-brokered deal that would see bilateral relations formed between Saudi Arabia and Israel. This is being called by experts a “grand bargain” and a “tectonic shift” in the Middle East. The momentum of these negotiations appears unstoppable. At this point, a treaty seems inevitable. The Economist, a well-known periodical, has an article that says, “An Israeli-Saudipact could upend the Middle East.” Four key historic events occurred within the span of a week, pointing favorably toward this Israel-Saudi peace and carrying significant prophetic implications: September 20th — Bret Baier Interviews Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman In a Fox News interview with Bret Baier, Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman made some astounding statements. “Mohammed bin Salman does little to hide his relish at the prospect of a strategic pact between America, Israel, and Saudi Arabia,” The Economist article stated. “In a raretelevision interview on September 20th, Saudi Arabia’s crown prince and the country’s de facto ruler acknowledged with a smile that an agreement is on the cards.” “Every day we get closer. It seems it’s for the first time real [and] serious,” Mohammed bin Salman said, adding that a pact “would be the biggest historical deal since theCold War.” It was a fascinating interview. The United States is brokering this peace agreement, building upon the momentum of the Abraham Accords in 2020. What we see happening now isan extension of those Accords to include the most important nation today in the Middle East. This pact could also have nuclear implications. Part of this agreement could be to allow Saudi Arabia to begin nuclear enrichment under the condition that it be done strictly for civil purposes—nuclear reactors, etc. Butof course, we know how that often expands into military use. If that takes place, it would have major ramifications for the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Iran has already warned Saudi Arabia against entering into thisnormalization of relations with Israel. Their relationship, which has not been good in the past, is now even more at odds. In the interview between Bret Baier and Mohammed bin Salman on Fox News, the two also discussed the prospect of the Iranians obtaining their own nuclear weapon. The CrownPrince said, “We are concerned of any country getting a nuclear weapon,” adding that, should the Iranians successfully develop such a weapon, “we will have to get one.” Iran is a Shiite Muslim nation, and Saudi Arabia is the leader of the Sunni Muslim world. What he is saying here, in essence, is if there’s a Shiite bomb, then there’s goingto be a Sunni bomb as well. As part of the negotiations, the US may allow Saudi Arabia to have their own nuclear enrichment—which could ultimately set up a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. September 22nd — Netanyahu Addresses UN General Assembly On The ‘Cusp’ Historic Treaty Fast forward two days to September 22nd. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, deliveringa fascinating speech laced with Old Testament biblical references. He says, “There’s no question the Abraham Accords heralded the dawn of a new age of peace. But I believe that we are at the cusp of an even more dramatic breakthrough, anhistoric peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia. Peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia will truly create a new Middle East.” “As the circle of peace expands, I believe that a real path towards a genuine peace with our Palestinian neighbors can finally be achieved,” Netanyahu continued. “Such a peace will go a long way in ending Arab-Israeli conflict and will encourage other Arab States to normalize their relations with Israel,” he explained. Netanyahu further suggested that an agreement with Saudi Arabia could improve the prospect of peace with the Palestinians and “encourage a broader reconciliation between Judaismand Islam, between Jerusalem and Mecca, between the descendants of Isaac and the descendants of Ishmael,” taking this all the way back to the beginning (Genesis 12:1-3, 15-18, 21:1-21). A normalization of relations will “bring forth the blessings of a new Middle East that will transform lands once written with conflict and chaos, into fields of prosperityand peace,” he concluded. That is exactly what the Bible predicts the condition of Israel will be in the end times; they’re going to enjoy, at least periodically and temporarily, a time when they’reliving at peace, rest, and security (Ezekiel 38:10-11). September 26th — Israeli Foreign Diplomat Makes Historic Visit As Saudi Arabian Envoy Travels To The Palestinians Now, fast forward four more days to September 26th where two significant events took place. Firstly, Israel’s tourism Minister, Haim Katz, traveled to Saudi Arabia to attend a United Nations World Tourism event in Riyadh—marking the first time an Israeli ministerhas taken a diplomatic visit to Saudi Arabia. This is a historic breakthrough. The very same day, while Israel’s delegation led by Haim Katz visited the country, Saudi Arabia’s newly appointed envoy to the Palestinians made his first visit to the WestBank, presenting his credentials to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. This is key because the main sticking point between Israel and Saudi Arabia is the Palestinian issue. They’ve got to work out some solution to that problem before they’reable to broker this final piece. These four key events all happened within one week’s time. This elusive phantom of a comprehensive Mideast peace deal, which has been sought since Israel was re-establishedin 1948, now seems to be within reach. The prophetic significance of this is monumental. This is a major step because the Bible predicts a broad Middle East peace deal during the end times that creates greatersecurity for Israel. Daniel 9:27 says that the Antichrist will confirm a covenant with the many in Israel for seven years. As Charles Dyer noted, “What is this covenant the Antichrist will make with Israel? Daniel does not specify its content, but he does indicate it will extend for seven years.During the first half of this time Israel feels at peace and secure. So, the covenant must provide some guarantee for Israel’s national security. Very likely, the covenant will allow Israel to be at peace with her Arab neighbors. One result of the covenantis that Israel be allowed to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem.” Ezekiel 38 says when Russia, Iran, and their Islamic allies invade Israel in the end times, they are at rest and living securely (Ezekiel 38:10-11). So there’s going to haveto be some counterfeit, temporary peace for Israel in the future. Remember that this peace treaty with the Antichrist is what begins the seven-year tribulation period, not the rapture. The rapture will end the church age, and then afteran indeterminate portion of time, the Antichrist will come on the scene and forge this peace deal with Israel. That’s what will begin that final seven-year period we know as the tribulation. Another point of significance is that this Saudi-Israel treaty is being brokered by an outside party—the United States, who also brokered the Abraham Accords under PresidentTrump. You now have a precedent for these kinds of deals being brokered by a third party. This is precisely what will happen when the Antichrist comes on the scene. He’s going to be the third party who will bring the two sides together. Interestingly, Daniel 9:27 says that the Antichrist will “confirm” a covenant with the many. The word “confirm” can mean to strengthen. So it could be that there’s a covenantalready in place, but he comes in to strengthen or enforce it. “Confirm” can also mean to compel or strongly establish. We see the beginnings of that now. Also, the normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia will put Saudi Arabia at massive odds with Iran. They’re already leveling all kinds of accusations andwarnings. That, too, is what we see in Ezekiel 38. Sheba and Dedan, which is the Arabian Peninsula, will be on the opposite side of Iran, and that war of Gog and Magog (Ezekiel 38:13). A Middle East peace is coming. According to God’s word, it will be temporary, a counterfeit peace, but it’s coming. This comprehensive peace plan prophesied in Scripture is going to be finalized after the rapture. So, if we can already see the initial dialogue, diplomacy, and the broadframework taking form, how close must the rapture be? This is another flashing red light on the dashboard of the ages, signaling that the rapture is near. We need to remember and heed the words of Jesus in Luke 12:35-36, “Letyour loins be girded about, and your lights burning; And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return…” ---------------------------- As Part of The Upcoming Middle East Peace Covenant, Will the U.S. Formally Recognize Palestinian Statehood at The United Nations?- by Michael Snyder - http://endoftheamericandream.com/as-part-of-the-upcoming-middle-east-peace-covenant-will-the-u-s-formally-recognize-palestinian-statehood-at-the-united-nations/ Will a �peace covenant� soon be announced that will permanently alter world history in a major way? For months, Israel and Saudi Arabia have been quietly negotiating a dealthat would normalize relations between the two nations. But they aren�t the only parties involved. Israel and Saudi Arabia both want formal security agreements with the United States as part of any agreement. In other words, if either of those two nationsget attacked, the U.S. military would be required to intervene. The Saudis also want to develop a nuclear power program, and they want U.S. assistance with that. But the biggest barrier to a deal was always going to be the Palestinians. The Saudis are insistingthat any agreement must include major concessions from both the U.S. and the Israelis. And the Palestinians are publicly making it known that they will not accept any outcome that does not involve formal U.S. recognition of Palestinian statehood at the UnitedNations. At one time, such a demand would have killed negotiations, but apparently the Biden administration is very open to making such a move. So much could change during the course of negotiations, and there is still a long way to go. And if an agreement can be reached, it probably will not happen until the first half of 2024. But at this moment it appears that something will actually happen. In fact, on Friday National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told the press that �a basic framework� for an agreement has been �hammered out�� �All sides have hammered out, I think, a basic framework for what, you know, what we might be able to drive at,� National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters. �But, as in any complex arrangement, as this will inevitably be, everybody is going to have to do something. And everybody is going to have to compromise on some things,� Kirby said. I was absolutely floored when I first saw that. After all these years, the sort of Middle East peace agreement that we have been anticipating could actually come to fruition. But the Palestinians must be willing to accept the deal, and right now they are playing hardball. It is being reported that the Palestinians are demanding the transfer ofterritory in the West Bank from Israel and �recognition of Palestinian statehood at the United Nations� from the United States� Last month, a US official, a PA official and a senior Arab diplomat told The Times of Israel that Ramallah is seeking �irreversible� steps that will advance its bid for statehoodin the context of the US-brokered Saudi-Israeli normalization talks. Those officials said the PA proposals have included US backing for recognition of Palestinian statehood at the United Nations, the US reopening its consulate in Jerusalemthat historically served Palestinians, the scrapping of congressional legislation characterizing the PLO as a terror organization, the transfer of West Bank territory from Israeli to Palestinian control, and the demolition of illegal outposts in the West Bank. Will Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu be willing to give up the territory that the Palestinians are asking for? And will the Biden administration shock the world by formally recognizing a Palestinian state at the United Nations? If those two things actually happen, it will have enormous implications for all of us. A year ago, it seemed impossible that such a comprehensive agreement could happen before the next presidential election in the United States. But now leaders on all sides seem optimistic. For example, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman recently told Fox News that an agreement is getting �closer� with each passing day� Saudi Arabia�s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) said that his country was moving �closer� each day toward reaching a normalization deal with Israel, the first time hehas publicly acknowledged the process. �Every day we get closer� to reaching an agreement, the 38-year-old heir to the Saudi throne told Fox News in an interview that aired Wednesday. �It seems it�s for the firsttime a real one, serious. We�re gonna see how it goes.� And during a speech to the UN General Assembly on September 22nd, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu definitely sounded like a man that is ready to make a deal� In an address to the United Nations General Assembly on September 22, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was �at the cusp� of a transformative peace agreement withSaudi Arabia. �Such a peace will go a long way to ending the Arab-Israeli conflict,� said Netanyahu. �It will encourage other Arab states to normalize their relations with Israel. It will enhance the prospects of peace with the Palestinians. It will encouragea broader reconciliation between Judaism and Islam, between Jerusalem and Mecca, between the descendants of Isaac and the descendants of Ishmael.� Of course there are many in Netanyahu�s coalition that would not welcome such an agreement, especially if it means giving up land in the West Bank. But would their minds change if the agreement also made it possible to start rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem? This has been a dream of Jewish religious leaders for decades, and so making their dream a reality may be enough to get them to agree to a deal that formally divides the WestBank. If the Temple is to be rebuilt, the Jewish government will inevitably be heavily involved, and we know that government agencies were already involved in transporting fivered heifers to Israel from the state of Texas� According to Jerusalem-focused non-profit Ir Amim, the Israeli government authorities helped the temple mount activist group, the Temple Institute, and Boneh Israel, an Evangelicalorganization, import five cows from the United States last year to be used for the red heifer sacrifice. The Ministry of Agriculture allegedly assisted in bypassing standard regulations in order to import the live cows from the U.S., which is prohibited. In a press release, BonehIsrael and the Temple Institute claim they received permission to import the cows through the Ministry of Agriculture. The Ministry of Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage also assisted in the project. The Ministry�s Director General, Netanel Isaac, disclosed in a speech at the cows� welcome ceremonyin September 2022 that the agency has been funding the development of the Mount of Olives area where Temple Mount activists plan to initiate the red heifer ritual sacrifice. So much is happening right now, and the days ahead are likely to be filled with lots of twists and turns. The good news is that there will be no final agreement in 2023. If a deal can be reached, it will happen in 2024. So there is still time for all of us to make our opinions known to global leaders. Unfortunately, the truth is that they don�t really care what any of us think. All sides seem pretty determined to make an agreement happen, and once it is signed our world will never be the same again. -------------------------------- Sukkot and The Millennial Kingdom: Will You Be Part of It? � OlivierMelnick - https://www.newantisemitism.com/bible/sukkot-and-the-millennial-kingdom-will-you-be-part-of-it Right after Yom Kippur, the most solemn day on the Jewish calendar, comes a Holy Day that brings much hope as it commemorates God�s provision for and protection of the childrenof Israel during the 40 years of the wilderness wanderings. The feast of Sukkot, or Tabernacles or Booths, is a joyous celebration all over the Diaspora, wherever there is a Jewish community. Jewish people get together and build the yearly booth or sukkah, which will stay erect for a week, during which, weather permitting, they will eat meals, invite friends, andsometimes even sleep in it. The Feast of Tabernacles is indeed a meaningful way to end the High Holy Days season on the Jewish calendar. Yet, there is so much more to the feast of Sukkot than meets the eye! As a reminder, the Fall Feasts will be fulfilledat the Second Coming of Yeshua the Messiah and the order is very important. Remember that calendar events repeat each year in the same order, Rosh Hashanah always occurs ten days before Yom Kippur, which happens a few days before Sukkot. Rosh Hashanah: Leviticus 23:23-25 � The Regathering of the Saints(Isaiah 27:12-13 � 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians. 15:15-58) Yom Kippur: Leviticus 23:26-32 � The Great Tribulation (Ezekiel36:24-25; Zechariah 13:8-9, 12:10, 2 Corinthians 5:10) Sukkot: Leviticus 23:33-44 � The Ingathering of the Messiah andthe Believers (John 7:38-39, 8:12; Zechariah 14:16-19; Matthew 17:4) Biblically speaking, the Feast of Booths memorialized the wilderness wanderings. It was one of the three Jerusalem �pilgrimage� festivals required for every healthy Jewishmale to make. It is mentioned in all three sections of the Tanach. In four books of the Law or Torah (Leviticus 23:33-36, 39-43; Exodus 23:14:17; Numbers 29:12-38; Deuteronomy 16:13-16, 31:9-13), in the Prophets or Nevi�im (1 Kings 8:1-66, 12:25-33; Zechariah14:16-19), and the Writings or Ketuvim (II Chronicles 7:8-10; Ezra 3:4; Nehemiah 8:13-18.) Besides the many regulations about the Feast in the Tanach and the Talmud, Sukkot was important to first-century believers. Knowing their Scriptures, they understood the importanceof the Feast. At Yeshua�s transfiguration, Peter, James and John saw their Messiah, accompanied by Moses and Elijah, in a way that made them believe that He was inaugurating the Messianic (Millennial) Kingdom during which we will celebrate Sukkot and buildbooths (Zechariah 14:16-19), so Peter asked Yeshua,�Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.� (Matthew 17:4.) But, it wasn�t the time for Yeshua to inaugurate Hismessianic kingdom. Nevertheless, He made two very profound statements in the context of the Feast of Sukkot. In John 7:37-38, we read, �Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Yeshuastood and cried out, saying, �If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, �From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'� During Tabernacles, every day for seven days, the priest would godownhill from the Temple compound to the city of David, where the pool of Siloam was located. They would fill jugs with water and return to the Temple through the Water Gate to arrive at the Temple�s outer court. (b. Middoth II.6.; Sukkah 48a-b.) To enterthe inner court, the priests had to climb 15 steps. At each step, they sang a Psalm from 120-134. In the Hebrew text, these are known as The Psalms of Ascent. Upon entering the inner court, they poured out the water at the altar�s base and rejoiced greatly.The rabbis believed that the Water Ceremony symbolized the outpouring of the Spirit of God on Israel in the last days. The Jewish prophets also mention the outpouring of the Spirit of God. Additionally, At the end of the first day of tabernacles, the priests descended to the women�s court, which was illuminated by four tall golden lampstands, and the priestswould fill the lampstands� bowls with oil. This process gave a lot of light and was visible from a distance all over Jerusalem. Rabbis of old believed this symbolized the Shekinah glory of the Lord. They also saw a connection between the kindling and the Messiah,which was probably derived from Zechariah 14:16-19. It is at that moment that Yeshua also added in John 8:12, �I am the Light of the world; the one who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.� At each ceremony, Yeshua was proclaiming His messianic office to His brethren according to the flesh, and they pretty much ignored Him, as they were too busy going throughall the motions that symbolized the hope they had about the future coming of their Messiah. How ironic! The Millennial Kingdom, also known as the Messianic Kingdom will fulfill the Feast of Sukkot when we will tabernacle with God in the flesh (Isaiah 9:6-7) for 1,000 years onearth. This will be a time of fellowship like we never had before, as we will anticipate our entrance into the eternal order. So, w who exactly will be in the millennial kingdom? Will it be open to all people of goodwill, or only to a certain group, and ifyes, how does that group qualify to get in? At the end of the seven-year Tribulation, surviving Jewish people will call Baruch Haba Bashem Adonai, and Yeshua will return down to earth from heaven with all the saintsthat he had caught up in the air at the Rapture, seven years prior. We will then enter the 1,000-year kingdom of Messiah on earth when He will reign in Jerusalem from the throne of David. Messiah will regather Israel physically and revive her spiritually (Ezekiel36:24-38,) as well as defeat the Antichrist (Revelation 19:19-21.) Soon after, we will enter the kingdom. Incidentally, the concept of the kingdom is all over the Jewish Scriptures (Isaiah2:1-5, 11:1-16, 32:1-20,35:1-10, 60:1-22; Jeremiah 31:1-10, 33:1-26;Ezekiel 37:14:28; Amos 9:11-15, Zechariah 14:6-21.) Those who have placed their trust in the death and resurrection of Yeshua the Messiah will enter the kingdom with Him after the Second Coming. Along with them, will be theOld Testament believers who will be resurrected at the end of the Tribulation (Daniel 12:1-2.) Some people wait until the last minute to make a decision, but the most important decision of a lifetime cannot wait, especially if death occurs prior to that decision beingmade. The time to follow Yeshua the Messiah is today, since nobody knows what tomorrow is made of. Let us all endure together until the Rapture, as we share boldly with those who have not yet accepted Yeshua as the Messiah. Then, after the Rapture and seven years in God�spresence and protection from His wrath, we return to earth with Yeshua in our glorified, eternal bodies, and we will celebrate sukkot with Him on earth for 1,000 years. At that time, all the Jewish festivals of Leviticus 23 will have been fulfilled in Messiah.God truly is the master architect of human history, and the thread that keeps it all together is Yeshua the Messiah. Maranatha! -------------------------- Why the Imbalance? - The Bias Against Israel Is Driven By Satan�s Desire To Invalidate God�s Word � By Amir Tsarfati - https://harbingersdaily.com/why-the-imbalance-the-bias-against-israel-is-driven-by-satans-desire-to-invalidate-gods-word/ In 2022, the United Nations General Assembly passed more resolutions critical of Israel than against all other nations combined. The General Assembly approved 15 anti-Israelresolutions last year compared to 13 resolutions criticizing other countries, according to the monitoring group UN Watch. Russia was the focus of six resolutions condemning its invasion of Ukraine. North Korea, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Syria, Iran, and the US were hit with one resolution each. SaudiArabia, China, Lebanon, Turkey, Venezuela, and Qatar, which have poor human rights records or were involved in regional conflicts, were not dinged by any resolutions criticizing them. Why the imbalance? Why were there no resolutions against countries that execute dissidents? The question becomes even more perplexing when you consider that Israel is theonly democracy in the Middle East and the only country that practices the free exercise of religion. The answer is simple: Israel is pivotal to the end times scenario and the central focus of the coming Great Tribulation. Psalms 94:14 KJV � �For the Lord will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance.� The over-focus on the nation of Israel, by not only the UN but the rest of the world also, is spiritual and is driven by Satan�s desire to eliminate the Jews and thus invalidateGod�s word. Romans 11:1-4 KJV � �I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not castaway his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel saying, Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. But whatsaith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.� Of all the nations of the earth, God chose Israel as His own special people. Of all the nations of the earth, God brought His Son into the world through the nation of Israel.Of all the nations of the earth, salvation is offered to the world through the Jews, and the message of redemption came to the Jews first, then also to the Greek (meaning non-Jews or Gentiles). The power of the Holy Spirit that came on Pentecost came to the Jews first in order that they might be witnesses in Jerusalem and Judea. Persecution began to arise and manyJews dispersed to Samaria and then on to the Gentile regions, and the message of salvation began to spread among the Gentiles and will continue unto the ends of the earth. God is a God of order and we can take heart in the fact that all He promised to and about Israel is coming to pass just as He said it would. Jerusalem is where the churchwas born, as written in Acts 1:8, and the city is now a burdensome stone to all nations as prophesied in Zechariah 12:3. If there is a lesson that all of us should learn from the nation of Israel it is that God is faithful to His word. Jesus came to the Jews first and then to the Greek, just as the Bible said the Messiah would. Those who tarried in Jerusalem, as Jesus told them to, received the power tobe witnesses on Pentecost just as Jesus said they would. The church began to spread from Jerusalem to Judea then on to Samaria, and is continuing to spread to the ends of the earth, just as the Bible said it would. If all that is true (and it is), then that means this is too: Romans 8:28 KJV � �And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.� The world is a mess right now but there is good on the horizon for those who love God. One day we will meet the Lord in the air, and from that point we will always be withthe Lord. How do we know? Jesus said He would come again receive us unto Himself that where He is, we would be too. (John 14:3) He�s never yet failed to keep a promise, and Israel is the greatest proof of that we could ever need. Hebrews 10:23 KJV � �Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)� Keep looking up. The future is far brighter than this present darkness, and the One who promised is faithful and has proven Himself to be so time and again. One day will bethe day He will come for us, and we can and should live every day like it might be today! Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus. ----------------------------- A Terrorist State on The Brink of Nukes - How Did We Get Here? � Jonathan Tobin - https://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=6399 Iran has been in the news lately for a number of reasons. One is the Biden administration's latest instance of appeasement of the Islamist regime in which it paid $6 billionin frozen funds to it as a ransom to gain the release of five U.S. citizens. Another involves the revelations published last week in Semafor in which the world learned about Iran's influence operations in the United States and the way Biden administrationofficials like the currently suspended Robert Malley enabled them. As important as those stories are, they pale in significance beside one that has yet to be even mentioned in The New York Times or The Washington Post. It involves the U.S.Department of Defense's 2023 Strategy for Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction report that was, in a typically deceptive strategy known as the Friday afternoon news dump, published late last week. In an echo of past American intelligence failures, it assessed that Iran is "not pursuing a nuclear weapons program at this time." However, it added the following ominousstatement, noting that Tehran now "has the capacity to produce enough fissile material for a nuclear device in less than two weeks." In other words, the game is over. After a decade and a half of American and Israeli hand-wringing about Iran's quest for nuclear weapons--and knowledge about their programis necessarily incomplete because it has barred inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency from carrying out their already inadequate efforts to monitor what they are doing--Washington is acknowledging that Tehran has become a threshold nuclearpower. In theory, fear of American and/or Israeli military action--however unlikely the former might be--might permanently deter Iran from moving forward to put together a nuclearweapon in the 12 days the DOD's report says that they can do it. Alternatively, once that process is set in motion, it is theoretically possible that military threats or attacks could prevent the Iranian bomb from becoming a reality. Let's leave aside that sort of unrealistic fantasizing about a resolute Western response to Iran or Israel finally acting on its statements that it would never allow Iranto possess a nuclear weapon. If the mullahs and their terrorist shock troops of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps are that close to a nuke, there's very little chance that they will be stopped from assembling one if they wish to do so. There is equallyjust as little chance that the CIA or Israel's even more formidable Mossad will acquire this knowledge in time for someone to do something about it. The Israelis, particularly Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the various defense and intelligence agencies there, have repeatedly promised that they would act to stopTehran from getting to this point. By contrast, President Joe Biden has merely promised that Iran won't get a bomb on his watch--a pledge that he can be said to have kept, absent proof that the Iranians have not actually put together a nuclear device. The triumph of containment This means that whether anyone is prepared to formally acknowledge this new reality or not, the only viable option for dealing with a nuclear Iran is the one that many so-calledforeign policy realists have been advocating for nearly 20 years: containment. Supporters of containment, like the American Enterprise Institute's Kenneth Pollack, who wrote a 2013 book on the subject, have long asserted that short of launching a warthat Israel may not be capable of fighting and the United States had no interest in after its bad experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq, the only thing to do is to treat a nuclear Iran the way the West has other nuclear powers, including Russia and China. In this scenario, instead of trying to roll back the clock to the point where their program could be stopped, measures are put into place to deter Iran from ever using it.Those who have preferred containment to pre-emptive actions have also proposed pressuring or somehow tempting Tehran to change with bribes that would entice it to become a more responsible player on the international stage rather than a rogue terrorist state. Though both the Obama administration spoke about stopping a nuclear Iran, the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) that was its signature foreign-policy "achievement"was really about containment and not prevention because once it expired at the end of the 2020s, an Iranian bomb was a given. Containment has always been predicated on the idea that while Iran's leaders were Islamists who sought Israel's extinction and hegemony over the Middle East, they were rationalactors rather than fanatics who were prepared to risk their own regime's survival, as well as the devastation of their country, by using a nuclear weapon. There are reasons to doubt the wisdom of that assurance, but such debates are now officially moot. Barring a decision for a strike against Iran by Netanyahu or a reckless Iranian announcement that will remove the ambiguity about their nuclear capability that the 12-daybreakout period minimally preserves, containment is what Israel or America is left with. But the problem with this essentially defeatist strategy is that even if Iran never uses its nuclear weapons, the fact that they have them makes them far more powerfuland potentially gives impunity to the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism. The debate about how best to pursue containment is an argument for another day. Right now, it's appropriate to ask--after all the promises, speeches, threats and analysesabout how Iran could be prevented from becoming a threshold nuclear power--how this happened. Since many of the same people who brought the world to this point are still in power in Washington, it's hardly irrelevant to discuss how and why they failed. Some people"lost" Iran; identifying them and demanding accountability for their abysmal failure is appropriate. George W. Bush's and Iraq Any discussion of the rise of Iran in the 21st century must begin with the George W. Bush administration. One of the unintended consequences of the Iraq War was that it empowered Iran to a degree that would have been difficult to imagine if the barbarous Saddam Hussein regimein Iraq had been left in place. The war's remaining apologists can rightly assert that Saddam was a bloody tyrant, as well as a state sponsor of terrorism. Eliminating him was a just act and removed Iraq as a dangerous military power. But Saddam was also Iran's sworn enemy, and as long as he was in charge in Baghdad, Iran had to be primarily concerned with the threat of a renewal of the war between thetwo countries. The American military victory in 2003 changed that equation, as well as gave Tehran the ability to have outsized influence in, if not control of, Iraq via a Shia population that had long been repressed by Saddam's Ba'ath Party. While Iran's nuclear program predated the Iraq War and would have continued anyway, the war was an essential step towards the Islamic Republic becoming a regional power thatcould threaten the Gulf States and Israel, as well as keep its ally Bashar Assad in power in Syria. The disaster in Iraq also ensured that the American people would not tolerate anything that might mire them in a third war in the Middle East--something Iranknows. Moreover, Bush's own disinterest in taking action against Iran at a point early on in its progress essentially ensured that American military power--the only force that wecan be sure could take out Iran's nuclear program--was never going to be deployed against this nuclear threat. Netanyahu's empty threats Next, we must also acknowledge that Netanyahu must accept some responsibility for the triumph of containment. That may seem counterintuitive since he has been a fervent advocate of tough action, including sanctions and military threats, against Iran, this entire time. Moreover, hiseloquent and prescient advocacy for stopping Iran has helped mobilize opposition to the appeasement of Iran in both the United States and among the Arab states that now look to Jerusalem as an ally against the threat from Tehran. It's equally true that the always-cautious Netanyahu passed on a strike against Iran's nuclear facilities back in 2012 when he was drawing red lines on cartoon bombs at theU.N. podium. Israel did undertake covert actions to delay Iran's nuclear program, including the joint operation with the United States in which they introduced the Stuxnet virus into theirsystem. But these were merely temporary measures. Israel's undercover work inside Iran (including its spiriting away of a warehouse full of records proving that Tehran had lied to the world about its actions and intentions) was amazing, but it was never goingto be a substitute for taking out those facilities. In his memoir, Bibi, he blames opposition from the leaders of the Israel Defense Forces and the intelligence agencies for the failure to strike Iran. He's right that Israel'sprime minister isn't the commander-in-chief of the armed forces like an American president. But had he made it his sole priority, does anyone doubt that he could have enforced his will on the defense establishment? He did not, and there were a lot of good reasons for that since Israel acting alone might not have permanently ended the Iranian threat and would have complicated its alliancewith the United States, as well as endangered those entrusted with the mission. Still, the fact remains that like Bush, he didn't risk everything in order to stop Iran at a point where it was much farther away from nuclear capability. And that's one more reasonwhy Iran succeeded. Kerry's Iran collusion and Trump's failure Another possible scapegoat is former President Donald Trump. Obama apologists do blame Trump for withdrawing from the JCPOA and attempting to pressure Iran to abandon its nuclear quest with sanctions and threats. They say his decisiontorpedoed an imperfect but still working plan to stop Iran without a viable alternative in place. That's mistaken because the Obama deal was a failure from the start and was going to have to be replaced sooner or later. In the end, Trump failed during his four years in office to achieve a better Iran nuclear deal or to stop their efforts altogether. But the primary blame for that failurewas not his. Had Iran believed that it had no alternative but to return to the negotiating table or to face complete isolation and economic ruin, Trump's plan would, at the very least, have had a chance to succeed. They didn't believe that. The reason was that they were betting on Trump being defeated in 2020 and being replaced with a Democrat who would return to Obama's strategy ofappeasement/containment. Had Biden acknowledged while running for president that the JCPOA was a sham and made clear that he would stick with pressure to get a better deal that would end the threat rather than merely kick the can down the road, Iran mightconceivably have been left with no choice but to abandon its nuclear ambitions. Instead, he promised more appeasement. Even worse than that, former Secretary of State John Kerry met repeatedly with the Iranians in 2018 and advised them to ignore Trump's moves and "maximum pressure" campaign.He assured them that if they merely sat tight and waited for 2021, they could have everything they wanted. They took his advice and that, as much as anything, is why Iran is now only 12 days away from a bomb. Kerry's collusion with Iran wasn't merely ill-advised; his actions advising an enemy of the United States to thwart government policy was arguably one of the most disgracefulactions undertaken by an American in the history of the republic. That he got away with those actions, which are close to treasonous, and subsequently received the reward of another high office as Biden's climate czar only makes it worse. While Americans spent three years being lied to by the media and the Democrats about Trump's supposed collusion with Russia, it was Kerry's open collusion with Iran that shouldhave generated outrage rather than shrugs and yawns. The "echo chamber" that Obama staffers like Ben Rhodes created in the media ensured that Iranian appeasement stayed on track even after Trump won in 2016. Obama's bad deal Kerry doesn't stand alone as the man who is most responsible for ensuring that Iran became a threshold nuclear power. Former President Barack Obama came into office determinedto realign American foreign policy away from traditional allies like Israel and Saudi Arabia, and his Iran appeasement did just that. It did have the unintended consequence of bringing Israel together with the Arab states in a way that made the Abraham Accordspossible. But in 2013, when Obama and Kerry began their initial secret negotiations with Iran, the international community had--thanks in part to Netanyahu's warnings--endorsed toughsanctions. With American leadership, that could have brought Iran to its knees. Instead, the United States wound up being the ones begging Iran for a deal and abandoning sanctions. It took 20 years of bad decisions to bring the world to the point where everyone must acknowledge that Iran has succeeded, and Israel and the West failed. But Obama, Kerry and their foreign-policy team that embraced Iranian appeasement must bear the primary guilt for this appalling and dangerous situation. Honest histories ofthis debacle--assuming a future in which anti-Trump and anti-Netanyahu partisanship is no longer assumed from the academy and supposedly reputable historians--will judge them harshly. The consequences that will ensue from an Iran terrorist state that is only 12 days from a nuclear weapon are terrible, even unimaginable. In the years to follow, we will learnjust how much their feckless policies, lies and collusion with Islamist murderers will cost the peoples of the Middle East and the rest of the world in blood and agony. --------------------------------- Prophetic Partners - The Russian/Turkey Alliance Deepens- by Burak Bekdil - https://www.prophecynewswatch.com/article.cfm?recent_news_id=6406 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is trying to get the most from Turkey's theoretical Western allies while in reality allying with Russian President Vladimir Putin - like sort of a Muslim Fidel Castro. In an article published last month, this author suggested: "Once again, Western optimists are misreading Erdoğan, that he is 'rekindling fraught relations with the West.' He just needs Western money, a few pats on the shoulder andlegitimacy for his sultanship." The New York Times, in an editorial, woke up and agreed: "Just two months ago, many in the West thought they had seen indications that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey was shifting away from what they saw as his overly chummyrelationship with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. "Turkey allowed a group of celebrated Ukrainian fighters to return to the battlefield, prompting Russia to accuse it of violating an agreement. And Mr. Erdoğan finally droppedhis resistance to allowing Sweden to join NATO, strengthening the military alliance aimed at countering Russia. "But any sense of a significant change in Mr. Erdoğan's balancing act between Russia and the West appeared to evaporate on Monday, when he and Mr. Putin stood side by sideafter a meeting in the Russian resort town of Sochi and spoke of expanding cooperation." Back in July, the West wanted to maintain its comfortable sleep over bitter facts when Erdoğan unexpectedly green-lit Sweden's bid to join NATO. This move provoked a degreeof celebration and praise that individual leaders rarely get at a summit. U.S. President Joe Biden applauded Erdoğan's "courage, leadership, and diplomacy." "This is a historic day," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said. Erdoğan could not have beenread more mistakenly. At the Sochi summit on September 4, Erdoğan, speaking as if he were Putin's spokesman, suggested that "Ukraine should soften its position on the grain corridor deal," referringto the UN-brokered Black Sea Grain Corridor Agreement, from which Russia had withdrawn on July 17. Having taken orders from the boss, Erdoğan returned home with an agenda to convince Western parties to the deal on whatever terms Moscow insists should be inany new agreement. Erdoğan needs Western money to prevent Turkey's economic suicide. He needs U.S.-made fighter jets to maintain a delicate power balance over the Aegean skies. He needs Westernpats on the shoulder to win legitimacy for his undemocratic one-man rule. But he wants all of these cookies without having to give up Russia. Over the past years, Erdoğan has made Turkey addicted to Russia, like a junkie to a dealer. Russia is building -- and will own -- Turkey's first nuclear power plant in Akkuyu on the Mediterranean coast. In Sochi, Erdoğan and Putin agreed to build a second Russiannuclear power plant, planned for Sinop on the Black Sea coast. In 2022, Russian exports to Turkey reached $60 billion, making the country the biggest source of Turkey's imports. In 2021, Russia ranked second after China, with exportsworth $29 billion to Turkey. Turkey's crude oil imports from Russia rose from 10 million tons in 2021 to 19 million tons in 2022. This means Russia supplied 41% of Turkey's total oil imports in 2022. Turkey's energy watchdog said that in May-June of 2023, Russia's share of oil imports reached 50%. Alsoin 2022, Russia also supplied 39% of Turkey's natural gas. Russia is Turkey's top energy supplier. Five million Russian tourists visited Turkey in 2022. The head of Turkish construction companies' union, Erdal Eren, said that Turkish companies hold $18 billion to $20 billionin their Russian construction portfolio. Against this backdrop, it was appalling to hear an EU ambassador in Ankara tell me that he was appalled that Erdoğan said that a) he trusts Russia as much as he trusts theWest, and that b) Ankara could "part ways" with the European Union if necessary. Erdogan's ultranationalist ally, Devlet Bah�eli, immediately endorsed the cheap bluff: "We're done with the EU." That is the way Erdoğan does horse trading. Sadly, each time, the gullible West gets cheated. Erdoğan's Turkey is one of the countries continually breaking Western sanctions on Russia. Earlier in September, the US State Department imposed sanctions on five Turkishshipping and trade companies for repairing Russian Defense Ministry vessels, transporting Russian military goods, and helping Russia to evade sanctions. From the editor: So why should you care that Vladimir Putin has been recently meeting with both Iranian and Turkish leaders? You should care because more than 2,600 years ago, the prophet Ezekiel warned of a future time when a vast coalition of nations will attack Israel. The leader of this coalitionis a man known as Gog, the ruler of Magog (Ezekiel 38:1). This is why the invading force is known as the Gog of Magog coalition. According to Ezekiel this alliance will send an overwhelming force to invade Israel in the last days. And today, for the first time in human history, we see this allianceforming. The Invading Nations Which nations does Ezekiel describe? He identifies the invading nations as "Magog, Rosh, Meschech, Tubal, Persia, Cush, Put, Gomer, and Beth-togarmah" (Ezekiel 38:1-6). Ifyou look on a 2023 map of the globe, you won't find any of these nations. So how can I say this alliance is forming? Because these are the ancient biblical names of these nations, and while their names have changed over the years, we can still locate them on a map today.Below is a list of each nation, followed by its modern day name: Rosh = Russia Magog = Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan Persia = Iran Cush = Sudan Put = Libya Meshech, Tubal, Gomer, and Beth-togarmah = Turkey It's been centuries since Ezekiel first recorded these prophecies. Yet, this alliance has never existed. It certainly hasn't invaded Israel. But now? Today, we see it comingcloser each day. ---------------------------------------------