After an initial attack by the Hamas Palestinian militants, Israel has officially declared war for the first time since 1973. I can't describe it any better than you can read it, but wanted a topic on a war in the early stages which likely moves the atomic scientist's doomsday clock even closer to midnight. Comments?
You do realize this new conflict is a distraction? The Russians have been trying to open a new front to distract the West from Ukraine. The master strategist may hide in his bunker but he still has friends.
Ezekiel 38 is rather unclear about who it means. Daniel 11 is not. The “King of the North” in verse 40 is Antiochus IV Epiphanes.
Daniel 11:2-4 sets the scene and tells us that the chapter is about the Kingdoms created from the division of Alexander’s Empire. Russia is not one of them (and did not exist until much later). There’s really no excuse for ignoring that.
“Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: In that day, when my people Israel are living in safety, will you not take notice of it? You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud that covers the land. I am against you."
And in that region of the heavens he will array his army: the king himself will lead his elite Hippo-vultures in the clouds on the right wing, 80,000 strong; his other cavalry, mounted on giant birds with wings like lettuce leaves, hold the left. The Moon's stalwart infantry will hold the center, posted on the spider web and will deploy Millet-launchers and Garlic-fighters, and his light-armed Flea-archers and Wind-runners, whose long tunics carry them about like sailboats in the fierce winds of the celestial realm.
I would expect such mocking tomfoolery out of you...but this war is worse than Ukraine ever hoped to be. A lot depends on the US response...but I don't expect any peace deals to be brokered anytime soon.
A Summary from the BBC::
Israel's defence minister orders a "complete siege" of the Gaza Strip, two days after shock attacks in Israel left hundreds of civilians dead
Rocket attacks on Israel from Gaza continue, with explosions heard in Jerusalem
Food, fuel, electricity, and water supplies from Israel are being cut, ministers say
Israel says it has regained control of its communities near Gaza - but some militants remain active
More than 700 people have been killed in Israel since Hamas launched its attacks on Saturday morning, including 260 at a music festival
Israeli says dozens of people have been kidnapped in the attacks - most have been taken into Gaza
More than 500 people have died in Gaza, after Israel launched massive retaliatory air strikes
Some of the rocket attacks have been so precise that it is believed that only one of two superpowers must be behind them and that means Vladimir Putin. Israel is a strong military power and is believed to have at least 100 nuclear weapons, but it is a small country and this war is believed to be in its early stages---more combatants may come against them. Two other points that have come under question include the equipment left behind in Afghanistan, estimated to be close to 50 billion dollars worth and the money that was paid to Iran. I don't know much about that yet and am brushing up on my studies. Israel is not ignorant of Iran's duplicity and there may be some consequences for Iran planned. So far, however, no solid evidence of Iran's involvement has been found.
Hamas is now much in the news, but before Hamas there were other Palestinian organizations. First there was the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) that vowed, along with most of the Arab sympathizing nations, to push Israel into the sea. There was no compromising, no negotiating. Israel ceasing to exist was the only acceptable answer. The Camp David Accords negotiated by Jimmy Carter in 1978 didn't bring peace, and neither did Bill Clinton's attempt in 2000. Israel was as much under threat as ever.
Why can't there be peace in the Middle East? While the Palestinians bear significant responsibility for the lack of negotiated compromises, they are not the ones with the power. Israel has almost all the power, and they've made an industry out of mistreating Palestinians. They've taken their land and blown up their homes. They subjected Gaza to a blockade. Some Palestinian families are entering their fourth generation of living in refugee camps. Until Israel demonstrates sincerity and commitment in improving the lives of Palestinians they will continue to live under threat of Palestinian retaliation.
I admit to not following the region closely, so if there are any responses I expect they'll contain corrections and additional context.
Yeah I don't follow events in the Middle East very closely either.
The latest attacks by Hamas were predictable and I am fine with every single one of the terrorist perpetrators being killed. The lives of Palestinians is atrocious and has been since Israel was formed in 1948 and the Israelis have had all the power for more than 75 years and their policy has always seemed to be subjugation. This has also, ironically, forced all those terrorist organizations to hide among innocent blockaded Palestinians so Israeli retaliation always kills many innocents, further fueling hatred and future terrorist attacks.
After 75 years maybe the Israelis should rethink their long term strategy. Until they do, I don't support aid from the U.S.
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I had to do some homework to formulate this post. In order to do my homework, I went to a neutral source of information: Aljazeera. (Of course, I use the term "neutral" loosely in that I believe that in this modern day and age, all news is a matter of subjective truth.) One man's power is another man's security. That being said, it appears that British Zionism had the support of some special interests who wanted to control the Suez Canal and needed a friendly power in the region.( Balfour Declaration and all that) It appears that the justification used was that Israel had the land before the Palestinians did. Based on that logic, the American Indians could justifiably claim my city and boot me out. If only they had the power.
And get this! Vladimir Putin, whose armies have killed thousands of civilians, suddenly is "concerned" about civilian casualties in the Middle East! I don't like that vibe!
The United States has less power than we think we do, and Putin is far from finished. He is recruiting sympathetic rogue states to support his efforts at a globalist shift in the balance of power.
The fight will come our way, and it won't be fun. I really hope that World War III doesn't develop from all this. How is my country going to fix my social security and prevent inflation when the situations in the world require our help??
Israelian land has been occupied throughout history countless of times. Mainly because of its location, being in the middle of it all.
Occupiers often found it hard to control jewish people. As Jews continued to hold on to their customs, culture and beliefs, and always kept some hope. So they came up with the idea, trying to crush this hope, by exiling the Jews and scatter them accross other locations. This happened several times.
Jews were once the chosen people. Now many of them still feel that God would help them get back the lands that were promised to them.
On the other side, Palestinian children are taught in school that the Jews are evil and capitalism is sinful and bad. Many grow up to become soldiers fighting this war and not stopping unless Israel is completely off the map.
There does not seem to be an easy way out of this conflict. We are in times of great tribulation.
Edited by Admin, : Embed YouTube video.
Edited by sensei, : Used "exiling" instead of "deporting", as it seems to be more correct.
A lot depends on the Israeli response over the next month. BBC and Al-Jazeera are where I get my information, and the BBC says that Israel is now united as a nation (much as the United States was after 9-11) and no nation or body of nations can force them to stop at this point. One soldier stated his feelings that Israel is a people of principles. An article on the BBC, Israelis, united in shock, rally behind war to punish Hamas journaled two contrasting views from the Israeli people. In the first quote,
BBC:A middle-aged couple had managed to meet up with their son, a young man of around 20 who is doing his compulsory military service. The mother handed over a jar of home-made pickles.
The father said: "We've told him to concentrate on what he has to do, and not to think too hard about friends who've been hurt and killed."
I respect that father. Again, in reference to 9-11, our duty as a nation was not to focus on a small group of terrorists and equate them with the entire Arab world. On the other hand, in another quote from the Israeli Minister of Defense,
BBC:"We're fighting animals," he says, "and we'll act accordingly." Food, water and power supplies to Gaza are being cut.
This sums up much of the psychology of war. After 9-11, the United States took the opportunity to ramp up its military and attack Afghanistan. According to Wikipedia,
Wiki:The hijackers in the September 11 attacks were 19 men affiliated with the Islamist jihadist organization al-Qaeda. They hailed from four countries; 15 of them were citizens of Saudi Arabia, two were from the United Arab Emirates, one was from Egypt, and one from Lebanon.
None were from Afghanistan.
So we "got" Bin Laden. Big deal.
AZPaul3 has stated that religion is a great evil that must be vanquished from the world before there is true peace. Though I mock him for being an antitheist and yet a pagan, the irony of situations such as this is that Godreligion is involved.
AZPaul3 has stated that religion is a great evil that must be vanquished from the world before there is true peace.
Oh god. What bs. Yes, religion is a great evil. But getting rid of it will not usher in world peace. We're dealing with humans, here. Without the lies of religion there may be less subterfuge in the motivations for war but war there will be.
Good god, Phatman, I wish you would learn to comprehend what you read.
You seem to think that booting religion and belief in God out of our heads will absolve that conflict.
The only people on this forum that believes that are believers in other religions.
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