March 24, 2012: Weekly 5 minute update (Audio Only)

You may view the 5 minute update this week via audio:

1) Listen to the audio

In this week’s 5 minute update, we focused on:

1) The current status of the Israel / PLO peace process
2) The prospects for war with Syria and Iran

Israel and the Palestinians are currently not holding peace talks. They last held them in January in Jordan. The Palestinians have warned that they are ready to present a letter to Israel blaming Israel for the failure of the January peace talks. US President Barack Obama had a phone conversation with Abbas regarding the letter on March 19.  Obama demanded that the Palestinians return to peace talks with Israel without delay and warned Abbas not to send the letter to Netanyahu. Obama is concerned that the letter could harm potential future peace talks. However, Abbas rejected Obama’s plea and intends to send the letter to Netanyahu anyway. The letter is expected to state the PLO demand that they will not resume direct peace negotiations with Israel unless Israel agrees that these talks will be based upon a PLO state on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital and that Israel must freeze building Jewish homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. If Israel doesn’t agree to these demands, the Palestinians are threatening to seek recognition of a PLO state at the United Nations through the UN Security Council or the UN General Assembly.

An agreement to divide Jerusalem and establish a PLO state is a tribulation event.

The link to these articles are as follows:

1) Obama chews out Abbas for quitting talks with Israel
2) In rebuff to Obama, Abbas says he will send ultimatum to Israel
3) Abbas blames Israel for impasse in peace talks
4) Netanyahu vs Obama – What Next?

A Russian military unit has arrived in Syria. They are believed to be anti-terror troops.  This is widely seen as being a show of support for the Assad government since Russia and China have recently opposed the efforts of the West at the United Nations Security Council to remove President Bashar Assad of Syria from power. Former Secretary-General of the UN, Kofi Annan, went to Syria and had discussions with Assad over the current situation. Annan desires to present a peace plan to end the violence in Syria and transition Assad from power. However, Assad told Annan that Syria will unleash its missiles against any country preparing for military intervention in Syria. Assad specifically mentioned a willingness to attack Turkey if it came against him. If the West in unable to persuade Iran to halt its nuclear weapons program,  Abdel Bari Atwan, editor-in-chief of a London-based Arabic newspaper said he expects the West to wage a simultaneous war against Syria, Iran and Hezbollah this fall or after the US elections in November.

A war with Syria where Damascus is destroyed (Isaiah 17)  is a tribulation event.

The link to these articles is as follows:

1) Russian Anti-Terror Troops Arrive in Syria
2) Assad to Annan: Syrian missiles will pre-empt any military intervention
3) “Package War” Looming in the Middle East: “Regime Change” in Syria, Precondition for War on Iran

On March 17, SWIFT, the international financial network based in Belgium, started to block Iranian financial institutions from electronically transferring global funds. In response, Iran threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz which is the outlet for about 1/3 of the world’s daily oil supplies. In case they do, three US aircraft carriers are standing by in the Persian Gulf – The USS Abraham Lincoln, the USS Carl Vinson and the USS Enterprise together with the French Charles de Gaulle and their strike groups. Furthermore, the US, France, Britain, Holland and Germany have deployed minesweepers to  keep the Strait of Hormuz open to international traffic.

Discussions between Iran and the U.S., Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program will begin on April 13, according to senior U.S. and EU officials. The talks are likely to take place in Geneva, Switzerland. Officials in Israel estimate that Israel will allow at least three months for discussions to end Iran’s nuclear program until the oil embargo on Iran comes into full effect in the beginning of July.

Alaeddin Boroujerdi, the head of Iran’s Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said that the P5+1 (US, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany who are seeking to hold talks with Iran to stop its nuclear program) must acknowledge Iran’s achievements in its civilian nuclear program, including advances in nuclear energy production and medical technology and that Iran would not make concessions on its nuclear program.

The United States will spare Japan and 10 European Union nations from U.S. financial sanctions because they have significantly reduced purchases of Iranian crude oil. DEBKA reports that this was done because the US and Iran are holding secret talks and progress is being made in the talks. This action was taken to encourage Iran to make further concessions regarding stopping its nuclear program. Furthermore, the Turkish prime minister is believed to be ready to present the US president Barack Obama with a new plan which connects the Iranian nuclear issue with a formula for resolving the Syrian crisis. It consists of a package whereby Iran would agree to stop enriching uranium to 20-percent purity in the first stage and then gradually open up its nuclear sites to IAEA inspection. In parallel, Iranian leaders would try and persuade Bashar Assad to end the violence in Syria and enter into talks with the opposition on power-sharing reforms. In parallel, Iranian leaders would try and persuade Bashar Assad to end the violence in Syria and enter into talks with the opposition on power-sharing reforms.

Meanwhile, Israel Defense Minister Ehud Barak reiterated recent Israeli assessments that Iran’s nuclear program is on the verge of becoming immune to disruptions by a possible military strike. In testimony to parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Barak also said that harsher international sanctions against Iran would be needed to try to pressure Tehran to abandon the suspect elements of its nuclear program. He also the following: “The world, including the current U.S. administration, understands and accepts that Israel necessarily views the threat differently than they do, and that ultimately, Israel is responsible for taking the decisions related to its future, its security and its destiny.”  Iran’s nuclear program, Barak said, “is steadily approaching maturation and is verging on a ‘zone of immunity’ — a position from which the Iranian regime could complete its program without effective disruption.” Barak reiterated concerns that Iran is trying to make its suspected nuclear weapons program immune from attack before taking a decision on assembling atomic bombs, and said Israel “cannot afford” to wait in such a situation. Furthermore, Barak told Israel Radio that the Jewish state could hold off for several more months to allow sanctions and negotiations to work. During this period, it would become clear “if the Iranians intend or don’t intend to stop their nuclear weapons program.” He insisted that American and Israeli intelligence evaluations of the state of Iran’s program are in agreement. Finally, he said that a possible Israeli attack against Iran is not a matter of weeks away but it is not a matter of years either. Therefore, it seems that Israel is giving the US at least 3 more month to try to persuade to discontinue its nuclear program at the negotiating table before it feels to the need to potentially strike Iran by itself. If Israel chooses to attack Iran, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has enough votes in his security cabinet to agree to do so.

Bases upon the present timetable of talks with Iran and when an EU oil embargo against Iran would take full effect, it doesn’t seem like the US is ready to attack Iran until this fall at the earliest or after the US November elections.

A US war with Iran is a tribulation event.

The link to these articles is as follows:

1) Iran threatens Hormuz and world oil supply after trade links cutoff
2) Iran: West must accept success of our nuclear program
3) Former Mossad chief: Israel will know before Iran begins producing nuclear weapons
4) U.S. exempts Japan, ten European nations from Iran sanctions
5) Washington Winds down Sanctions in Tune with Strides in Dialogue with Tehran
6) Israel says Iran’s nuke program soon strike-proof
7) Israeli defense minister says Israel and US disagree on timetable for effective Iran action
8.) Obama Has Three More Months to Stop Iran’s Nuclear Progress before Israel Strikes

From a Biblical prophetic perspective, the reason why the God of Israel would allow these events to happen is because it will result in the end of the exile of the house of Jacob and the reunification of the 12 tribes of Israel (Ephraim and Judah).

We will to be “watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem” and we will not rest until the God of Israel makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth (Isaiah 62).

Shalom in Yeshua the Messiah,

Eddie Chumney
Hebraic Heritage Ministries Int’l

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