Yesterday a United Nations report entitled “Palestinian State-building: A Decisive Period” was released. The report claimed that the Palestinian Authority is ready to run a Palestinian-controlled state, but would be unable to make further institutional progress due to Israel’s actions.
Regardless of whether the Palestinian Authority is ready to run a state or whether the Palestinians should have a state, the United Nations report is likely going to have some impact on the Israeli/Palestinian issue over the course of the next several months:
- The United Nations is seen by many diplomats and world leaders as having at least some measure of respectability. Therefore, the U.N.’s assessment that the Palestinian Authority is ready to run a state likely provides the Palestinian Authority’s argument that they can run a state a measure of legitimacy in the eyes of many diplomats and world leaders. As a result, we could see more calls for the creation of a Palestinian state by different diplomats and world leaders in the future.
- Unsurprisingly, the U.N.’s report has emboldened the Palestinians. At least a few news outlets are now reporting that the Palestinians could push the U.N. General Assembly this September to recognize a Palestinian state.
- Today U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that Barack Obama will soon renew efforts to get peace talks between the Palestinians and Israelis going again. I would not be surprised if this announcement came as a reaction to yesterday’s U.N. report. I cannot imagine the U.S. wanting to be forced to address the issue of Palestinian statehood this September at the United Nations with the world watching…
Over the next few months I would monitor the effectiveness of the U.S.’s renewed efforts to revive peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. If the U.S. is able to bring Israel and the Palestinians back to the bargaining table for productive peace talks there is a chance that the Palestinians may not actually push the U.N. General Assembly to address the issue of Palestinian statehood this September. However, if the U.S. fails to revive meaningful peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, we could have a very news-filled September with the Palestinians perhaps pushing the U.N. General Assembly to deal with the issue of Palestinian statehood.
In the long-run, I would look out for the potential of an escalation in Israeli/Palestinian Conflict. The U.N.’s findings strengthen the Palestinian leadership’s sense that they can run a state now and perhaps give them the expectation that they can now rally enough support in the international community to create one (this is perhaps why they reportedly could push the U.N. to recognize a Palestinian state in September).
- The potential for an escalation in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict comes if the Palestinian leadership is unable to secure a Palestinian state soon. The Palestinian leadership may become disenfranchised with the diplomatic process and may consider conflict with Israel as a viable way to compel the international community to settle the issue of Palestinian statehood once and for all (the international community could be compelled to seek a way to settle the issue in hopes of stopping further violence).
- In such an event, I would not be surprised if other Mideast countries were to get involved to support the Palestinians and escalate the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict into a significant Middle East war. Middle East leaders could claim that they’re helping the Palestinians fight against Israel because they want to help the Palestinians create the state that the U.N./international community said they are capable of running but would not grant them under peaceful terms.
Eventually, I think it is probably going to be Antichrist who finds a way to resolve the issue of Palestinian statehood with "the covenant with many" (Daniel 9:27). In the meantime, we may be watching events that may eventually lead to a Mideast conflict that necessitates someone like the Antichrist to step in.
6 comments: (+add yours?)
Good write up, but I personally believe that we ( the USA) are going to be concerned with problems at home (protests/riots/specifically at banks and wall st) that things will come to a head during the month of May. While we are dealing with those problems we will be less focused as to what is happening in the Mid East. That being said, I think that we are headed for war in the Mid East no matter what happens, all that they need is a reason. In may there is going to be another flotilla to Gaza from Turkey, among other provacations planned. I think that war is going to break out (one which we will be to distracted/or unable to deal with) so that the antichrist can make peace (if this happens it will be in the fall of this year.) I have nothing to back this up with other than a gut feeling, and watching the dominos fall into place. Also, watch the stock markets in all countries for a sharp decline, but specifically in Japan and the U.S. I have a feeling that the closer we get to May, the lower they are gonna go. Great blog, keep up the good work.
I just got a letter from someone in Israel. They said it is all over the country that they will probably be going to war, possibly as soon as May 15 or thereabouts, but almost surely by this summer. I find the timing interesting. Camping's rapture on May 21 and his prediction of the end of the world on Oct. 21. I realize some may think I'm nuts, but I have heard there is a fake rapture planned by those in power who have inter-relations with the demonic spiritual world. I always wait for the Lord to give me a second confirmation on information and He gave me some on this. I am wondering if it is all going to come together at last. Fake rapture, Israel goes to war, then in the fall a covenant signed when it looks like the end of the world. It's just all too coincidental. I would prefer to see May 21 pass uneventful, but I am beginning to think it may not, although it won't be of the Lord.
I would also not be surprised if there was a sharp market decline with the end of the second round of quantitative easing (QE2) in the U.S. later this year.
Last week a spokesmen for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented that war was a possibility in Gaza the very night he spoke. War did not transpire, but things like this make it easy to see why the people living in Israel are concerned about the start of a war. Even the Israeli military expects escalation after a shaking ceasefire expires:
http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?ID=216215&R=R1
Thanks for your articles, they are interesting. I'd like to hear your thoughts on this: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/10144
I just finished reading it. There is a lot of speculation and ifs in that article. I don't think events are going to play out like the article describes. Thanks for sharing the article. It's given me an idea for a new article.
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