Israeli PM Olmert Open To European Peacekeeping Force In Southern Lebanon

Rice meets with Lebanon PM in Beirut
WASHINGTON - In a surprise visit to Beirut, Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice praised the beleaguered prime minister of Lebanon on Monday for his courage in struggling to contain the fighting between the Hezbollah militia and Israel. Rice met with Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora, who greeted her with a kiss on both cheeks. Rice told him, "Thank you for your courage and steadfastness."

PM Ehud Olmert would consider the deployment of a European military force in Lebanon
Talking to the visiting German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Sunday, Olmert said such a force would be charged with deploying along the Lebanese-Israel border and monitoring passage between Lebanon and Syria, as well as boosting the Beirut government’s effort to disarm Hizballah..

Abbas: Israel offers Gaza ceasefire deal
Gulf Times Mon, 24 Jul 2006 1:35 AM PDT
GAZA: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told militants that Israel was prepared to end its Gaza offensive if they agreed to stop firing rockets into the Jewish state, Abbas's aides and militants said yesterday.

Israel continues Gaza attacks
Aljazeera Mon, 24 Jul 2006 2:20 AM PDT
Two Palestinians have been wounded by Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip. One man was hurt when an Israeli air strike hit a house of belonging to Muhammad al-Shaikh Dib, a member of Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad movement.

Iraqi Shi'ite militia ready to join fight in Lebanon
A senior member of Muqtada al-Sadr's Iraqi Shi'ite militia, the Mahdi Army, says the group is forming a squadron of up to 1,500 elite fighters to go to Lebanon.

The plan reflects the potential of the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah to strengthen radical elements in Iraq and neighboring countries and to draw other regional players into the Lebanon conflict.

Iran: Israel doomed to 'destruction'
Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, declared Sunday that Israel had "pushed the button of its own destruction" by launching its military campaign against the Iranian-backed Hizbullah in Lebanon.

Europe Won't Call Hizballah Terrorists
Crosswalk.com Mon, 24 Jul 2006 1:30 AM PDT
(CNSNews.com) - Despite growing international awareness about the dangers posed to Mideast stability by Hizballah, the European Union has yet to outlaw the group or move to block its funding.

Global trade talks at WTO at risk to collapse
Pravda Mon, 24 Jul 2006 3:31 AM PDT
Failure at the meeting called by WTO chief Pascal Lamy with ministers from Australia , Brazil , the 25-nation European Union , India , Japan and the United States could lead to the indefinite suspension of the Doha round of trade liberalization talks, which are already two years behind schedule and have been at an impasse for months.

Comment
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made a trip to Lebanon today but left Lebanese leaders disappointed.  They expected her trip to bring a quick end to the fighting.  Before leaving to go to Jerusalem, she made it clear that she would not pressure Israeli leaders to negotiate a ceasefire.

“An immediate ceasefire in the fighting between Israel and Hizbollah in southern Lebanon would be unenforceable, the White House said on Monday.

“I think the notion that you have a ceasefire at this point is unenforceable and does not really get us to the point we need to be at," White House spokesman Tony Snow said.”  http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060724/pl_nm/mideast_bush_dc_3;_ylt=AsRJH7rubVkuICa5.fxpipwUewgF;_ylu=X3oDMTA2ZGZwam4yBHNlYwNmYw--

Israeli military intelligence estimates that they have already taken out about half of the 10,000 rockets Hezbollah has in southern Lebanon.  They have also destroyed or blocked all trade routes making it virtually impossible for them to restock.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said today that he would be open to a European peacekeeping force on the border of southern Lebanon.  EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said that key European leaders would work on a solution this week at a conference in Rome.

"It is not an easy force to deploy, but we are working ... to try to build a concept which will allow the deployment if necessary of an umbrella of the UN Security Council," he added. http://www.eubusiness.com/afp/060724115600.q7jpdpd4

Lebanese parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri is calling on the E.U. to come up with nothing short of a permanent solution.

"We need massive amounts of humanitarian aid to come to Lebanon," he said. "The suffering is huge."

"What we need is not a half solution, what we need here is not a quarter solution. What we need is a final solution, for this not to happen again," he told reporters.

"Lebanon is not a playground for new weaponry for Israel to be used, or for the interests of other countries to play in the playground of Lebanon," he said. "We don't want another war in Lebanon." http://www.eubusiness.com/afp/060724115600.q7jpdpd4

It will be interesting to see what will come of the conference in Rome.  Prophecy experts have called for the shift in the Middle East lead role away from the U.S. to the E.U. for years. 

This is definitely prophecy unfolding before our eyes.  I’m not sold on a final solution we Christian’s are looking for just yet, but if a seven year peacekeeping proposal materializes, start looking up, for your redemption draweth nigh. 

Are you ready to meet the Lord?  If not your time is running out!

Pastor Malone