July 2, 2009
Steve Collins
The first blog (from the Asia Times) below makes a remarkable assertion: that President Obama “…wants to empower America’s enemies” in order to get Iran to help the USA against the Taliban even as his anti-Israel policies are intended to create a Sunni Arab coalition that would “encircle Iran.” The link concludes that this policy has “blown up in Obama’s face.” If this was his actually policy, it was incredibly naive. The article also warns that because of Obama’s poorly-conceived policies, “Iran, Pakistan and other regional powers are likely to take radical measures.”
Previous blogs have documented the various ways that the Obama administration has increasingly snubbed the Israeli nation. Obama’s hostility toward America’s long-standing ally in the Mideast has greatly roiled the politics of the Mideast. The Israelis now know that they cannot rely on the USA while Obama is President. I believe that Obama’s overt cozying-up to the Iranian dictator has also made the Sunni Arabs distrust America under Obama. The USA used to have fairly consistent policies in the Mideast. Obama doesn’t seem to comprehend the difference between friends and foes of the USA. The Obama administration appears to be an unreliable ally to anyone at this point.
The Israelis have “gotten the message” that they may have to deal with Iran without US help. The second link, from Israel National News, details how the Israeli Air Force is upgrading its F-15 jets “with systems that make it better equipped for complex long distance attack scenarios.” I don’t think anyone doubts that Iran is the possible target for those upgraded F-15s.
The third link is most interesting. It has huge ramifications for how the Mideast political map might change in the future. Naturally, it was so important the American media ignored it. The mostly-Islamic nation of Kazakhstan (a former region of the USSR) hosted an interfaith religious conference, and it hosted a large Israeli delegation headed by Israeli President Shimon Peres, many businessmen and the Israeli Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi, Yona Metzger. There were many religious leaders present, including ones from the Vatican, many Protestant denominations, Buddhists, etc. Israeli President Peres was invited to speak to the assembled group and he “called on King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia..to meet in Jerusalem or Riyadh, or to travel to Kazakhstan, where, together with other Arab leaders, he could advance the Israeli-Arab peace process.” Notice that an “Israeli-Arab” peace process was mentioned, not the “Israeli-Palestinian” peace process. Peres also referenced the Saudi peace initiative which would, if finalized, bring a widespread peace between the Israeli and 57 Arab and Muslim states.
What was most interesting about this conference was that only the Iranian delegation walked out on the speeches by the Israeli President and the Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi. The delegates from all other Islamic nations refused to join the Iranian walk-out. It is noteworthy that the Kazakh President apparently took the Iranian walk-out as an insult to the Kazakh hosts.
The positive comments by Israeli President Peres toward the Islamic nations was surely approved by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. Obama’s hostility toward the Jewish nation is apparently driving the Israelis to “go it alone” in their efforts to reach a peace agreement with the Islamic Arab nations. I’m old enough to remember when Egyptian President Sadat flew to Jerusalem to address the Israeli Knesset. It was a statesmanlike gesture of the first order, and he still has my respect for that action. The Mideast political situation is now very muddled. The Israelis fear Iran and now cannot rely on the USA any longer. The Sunni Arab nations have no desire to be dominated by a new Persian Shiite Empire ruled by the mullahs of Tehran. This reality gives common cause to the interests of the Israelis and Sunni Arabs. Just as President Nixon “went to China” decades ago, perhaps Prime Minister Netanyahu will work toward a grand Mideast peace agreement where the Israelis, Sunni Arab nations and perhaps India make their own alliance…without any involvement by the USA. Given’s Iran’s nearness to having nuclear weapons and its power over Syria, Hamas in Gaza, and Hezbollah in Lebanon, there is growing urgency for the Israelis and Sunni Arabs to make common cause together against a growing common enemy.
Ezekiel 38:2-6 lists the nations which will join the end-time alliance led by Russia which will attack the western world at the end of our age. Iran, the major Shiite power, is clearly included as “Persia,” as are the people of “Libya” (this is actually the term “Phut” which could include not only Libya but Algeria and some other North Africans as well). The Sunni Arab nations are the descendants of Ishmael (as they acknowledge and my books support that identification). Ishmael was the first son of Abraham (Genesis 16:16). The Turks are the Edomites descended from Teman (Turkey used to be the Ottoman Empire, which preserved the name of Teman). Edom (also called Esau) was Abraham’s grandson. Jordan is likely the Ammonites of ancient history as their capital, Amman, still is named after the ancient Ammonite nation). The Ammonites were descended from Abraham’s nephew, Lot (Genesis 11:27). The Israelis, of course, are descended from the Israelite tribe of Judah. Neither Ishmael nor Edom nor Lot is mentioned in the list of the Ezekiel 38 “Gog-Magog” alliance which is taking shape in the modern world even now. Egypt is not named as one of their allies either. This, hopefully, indicates that the Sunni Arab nations, Turkey, Egypt and Jordan will not be part of the Gog-Magog coalition.
If the Israelis make an open or secret alliance with Sunni Arab nations, an Israeli strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities would become much easier as the Israeli jets would have permission to fly their warplanes over Arab lands to attack Iran. If Iran is stopped from having nuclear weapons, there will be a great sigh of relief in the Israeli nation and the Sunni Arab nations. Watch this development closely. These “sons of Abraham” may yet form their own alliance. The Israelis may be joined by some Islamic nations if they decide to strike at Iran. An Israeli-Arab-Indian alliance makes increasing sense. Arab oil resources would be protected by an Israeli and Indian nuclear umbrella and Israeli and Indian know-how could extent the life and productivity of the Arab oil fields.
The USA is, alas, a superpower in financial, military and political decline. Its unpayable debts have caused it to increasingly lose control of its own destiny so the USA is no longer in a position to tell other nations what to do. The “other nations” now all know this, and they must look out for their interests in a future no longer so dominated by the USA.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/KF30Ak02.html
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/132102
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1246296541287&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter
