Israel And Annapolis

Joel C. Rosenberg posts his thoughts about the recent Annapolis conference between Israel and a couple dozen Arab nations. As an expert in Middle East affairs, he's someone you should listen to. He posts both good news and bad news, so here's a summary:

The Good News
- Bush is honestly trying to broker a lasting peace in the region
- the U.S. once again emerged as a global trend-setter in building a Muslim alliance (in direct opposition to Iran's efforts)
- Syria's participation in the conference is a good sign of their willingness to try diplomacy before war
- Israel and Palestine are going to hold regular talks for the next year
- Bush didn't publicly pressure Olmert to divide Jerusalem (this is probably temporary, but still a good thing while it lasts)

The Bad News
- this process will steadily increase pressure on Israel to give up their land and sovereignty
- Olmert is already predisposed to give away too much for too little gain
- there is no evidence that 'land for peace' will work; to the contrary, there is overwhelming historical precedent of the opposite
- the fact that Israel is even considering giving away more land is like blood in the water to these Arab nations
- both Iran and Russia plan to hold summits to counter the peace process begun by the U.S., increasing tensions all around

So what does this all mean? Rosenberg ventures some analysis of these events with respect to past history:
- Rosenberg believes Israel genuinely wants peace with the Palestinians
- Hamas, Iran, and others in the region don't want peace, they want to annihilate Israel
- Rosenberg suggests Bush should personally speak to the Knesset (Israel's parliament) to reinforce the bonds between our nations, and to assert that Jerusalem should remain undivided as the capital of Israel
- Christians should show public support for keeping Jerusalem whole (sign online petition here), and above all, pray for peace in Jerusalem

So why should you care about all this?
If you haven't read my previous blogs about Rosenberg's book, Epicenter, take a moment to go read them (here, here, and here). And, I can't urge you strongly enough to find and read Epicenter yourself - it will really give you a new understanding of these world events!

In the light of that information, you will probably understand why you should care about all this without me saying anything further. For everyone else who is still foggy on the matter, these events should concern you because the Bible pretty clearly predicts a major world war -- involving Israel against Russia, Iran, and a number of Arab nations -- that is more or less devastating to the entire region. It's not Armageddon, but it's still an event that will change the world as we know it. The events happening today could very well be the steps leading up to that war.

So, I think it's a good idea to understand what's going on, and why. But that's just me.

There's my two cents.