Why Russia May Attack Israel; Why The Golan Heights May Bring The Peace Plan We Seek!

Olmert, Abbas summit could take place this week
In a related development, Abbas said Saturday in Ramallah that he opposed Hamas's offer to Israel of a hudna (cease-fire) of 10-20 years in exchange for a Palestinian state established along the 1967 borders.

Abbas said that it wasn't enough to negotiate temporary borders, and that the Palestinians had to begin long-term, inclusive negotiations with Israel on all the pertinent issues, including final borders and right of return for Palestinian refugees.

Analysis: How strategic is the Golan?
According to some experts Israel would be foolish to withdraw from the Golan and return it to Syria.

Blackmail fear after Russia doubles the price of its gas
Fears that Russia is using energy supplies as a political weapon increased last night after Moscow forced Georgia to accept a doubling of gas prices.

The deal came within hours of a threat by Gazprom, Russia's statecontrolled energy giant, to cut off supplies to the former Soviet republic from January 1.

Georgia had called the price increase 'unacceptable' and 'politically motivated'.

Relations between the Kremlin and Georgia's pro-West leadership were already at their worst for a decade after a spy row in September.

Russia wants soft sanctions against Iran
WASHINGTON - The United Nations Security Council is expected to convene Saturday to debate a US-backed draft bill calling for imposing sanctions on Iran for its refusal to halt uranium enrichment as demanded by the international community.

Iran defiant ahead of sanctions vote
New text of resolution circulated, Europeans seeking support from Russia.

U.S. Strike Kills Afghan Taliban Leader
KABUL (Reuters) - U.S. forces said on Saturday they had killed the Taliban's military chief in southern Afghanistan, who had close links to Osama bin Laden and was heir to the rebel leadership.

Akhtar Mohammad Osmani was the most senior leader killed yet and was targeted in a region where the insurgency is at its bloodiest, a military spokesman said. The Taliban denied he was dead.

N. Korea Decries Sanctions As Talks End
The North Korean army's chief of staff vowed Saturday to take strong countermeasures against U.S. sanctions, official media said a day after international disarmament talks on the North's nuclear arms program ended without any breakthrough.

Comments
"The former political isolation of Syria has ended. It is no longer there," he (Syrian Deputy Prime Minister Abdallah Dardari) told the FT. 

"I don't want to say there is a sense of 'I told you so' but there is a sense that people are realizing in Western capitals that if you want to be influential in the Middle East, you have to come through Damascus." http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/ArticleLayout/CdaArticlePrintPreview/1,2506,L-3343422,00.html

I wouldn't say just yet that the isolation is over but the world (and especially the West) is beginning to see that if they are to make any head way in the Middle East they're going to have to include Syria and Iran in the negotiations.  The U.S. (President Bush) is holding strong against negotiating with either Syria or Iran but he won't be in office forever.  I do see a day coming, and maybe before Bush leaves office, that the U.S. may be warming up to these two terrorist states.

This is bad news for Israel and it probably won't be long before Israel is left out in the cold and may even be slapped with sanctions in an attempt to make them give up their nuclear program.  Whether Israel would abide by such demands to avoid sanctions is another story.  

If you haven't read the article Analysis: How strategic is the Golan? you need to in its entirety.  They paint a very clear picture as to the strategic significance of Israel holding onto the Golan Heights.  In fact, most military experts say that it would be very foolish for Israel up give up this area:

"These experts cite several key reasons why Israel should retain sovereignty over the area - chief among them the argument that the 1,158 square kilometers of the Golan serve as a buffer against a surprise Syrian attack.

There is also the water issue. The Golan is the largest of Israel's three primary sources of fresh water, including the headwaters of the Jordan River and mountain streams that fill the Kinneret. Disruption of the water flow would be a strategic blow to the State of Israel."  http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1164881949373&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

But other Israeli defense officials feel that these concerns are no longer valid due to the advanced military technologies of our day such as listening devices and radar systems.

It is these military experts that agree with the ISG Report that Israel should give back the Golan Heights to Syria in exchange for recognition and real peace.  So what guarantee is there that Syria won't attack Israel once the land exchange is made?  This is what the ISG Report proposes:

"The report does not however ignore Israeli security concerns and offers to deploy US forces to monitor the deal, something along the lines of the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) stationed in the Sinai, to help make sure the desert remains a demilitarized zone as stipulated under the peace treaty between Israel and Egypt." http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1164881949373&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Boaz Ganor, director of the Institute for Counter-Terrorism at the Inter-Disciplinary Institute in Herzliya, added that if Israel wanted to establish real peace with Syria they would have to give back the Golan, "although only in a long-term process similar to the Hong Kong deal. Ganor said that Israel could sign a peace deal with Syria under which it would agree that the Golan belongs to Syria in exchange for recognition and real peace. The transfer of the territory, however, would come only after 10 or 20 years, during which time the peace would be tested and examined. If war should erupt, then the deal, Ganor claims, could be revoked." http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1164881949373&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Again, every time I find a possible Middle East peace deal that involves a time limit, I like to bring it to my readers as a possible treaty that could play a part in the future peace treaty with the antichrist.  And this time limit could not only incorporate the Golan Heights, but the West Bank, East Jerusalem, the pre-1967 borders, and other land disputes involving Israel.  Eventually, I feel the final peace initiative will probably play out along these lines.

Here's another potentially prophetic storyline that may shed light as to why Russia would lead an Islamic attack against Israel in the near future.  If you haven't read about the Russian governments rush to rid all of Russia from foreign gas and oil projects you can read it here.  The fact is, no oil or gas project today can even be embarked upon without a state run Russian company such as Gazprom and Rosneft being heavily involved.  Frankly, the Russian oil and gas industry has become a huge cash cow for the Russian government and many industry experts are accusing them of using gangster tactics to get oil companies such as Shell Oil and British Petroleum to sell them their interests.  This is what the Drudge Report wrote about the Shell Oil deal back on December 12, 2006 before it was finalized:

"Shell is being forced by the Russian government to hand over its controlling stake in the world's biggest liquefied gas project, provoking fresh fears about the Kremlin's willingness to use the country's growing strength in natural resources as a political weapon. After months of relentless pressure from Moscow, the Anglo-Dutch company has to cut its stake in the $20bn Sakhalin-2 scheme in the far east of Russia in favour of the state-owned energy group Gazprom.

The Russian authorities are also threatening BP over alleged environmental violations on a Siberian field in what is seen as a wider attempt to seize back assets handed over to foreign companies when energy prices were low. The moves will alarm many investors in the City of London as Shell and other share prices are hit, but the news will also increase ministers' concerns about Britain's energy security.

Russia is becoming a key source of natural gas to the UK and Gazprom has already made clear it would like to buy a company such as Centrica, which owns British Gas. One third of western Europe's natural gas is supplied by Russia - a figure expected to rise over the next decade. The security of energy supply is now the main political issue between the EU and the Kremlin. Nervousness about the Russians was heightened last winter when the gas supply to Ukraine was cut off in the middle of a political dispute." http://www.drudge.com/news/88342/russia-strong-arms-shell

Total Oil has also been informed that their license is under review.  Don't be surprised if it's revoked and the Russian government seizes their project.

But Russia didn't stop there.  Apparently, the Kremlin has told former Soviet Union neighbors Georgia, Azerbaijan and Belarus that their price for gas will more than double starting 2007.  All three countries are in price negotiations with Russia at this time, but many see this as a strong arm move by Russia to put fear in the minds of all countries that depend on them for their oil and gas.  That would include much of the European Union.  They literally have the power to cut off gas and oil to whomever they feel is not in line with their policies and goals.

Enter Israel.  Many Bible believing prophecy scholars (myself included) believe that Israel will one day discover oil (and possibly gas).  

As you may know, I believe that Israel is sitting in the middle of a deep stick oil field but just haven't found the key to this hidden treasure...yet. This is said to be the best quality oil in the world and runs very deep much like a great funnel that spreads at the top throughout the entire Middle East. The best part is Israel is located at the lowest point below sea level in the world.  This means that the oil will run down toward them and possibly draw (I believe it will be connected with other regions) oil away from surrounding countries.  When Israel begins to harvest the oil reserves they could literally be siphoning the oil right out from under the Arab's and probably the Russian's as well.  In time, they will eventually run dry as Israel sucks the oil away from the outer regions of the reserve and down toward them (Israel). 

This would be a magnificent find for Israel and a new supply for those who have been strong armed and threatened politically through (gas and oil) termination by Russia over the last few years.  Although not immediately, this would eventually be a complete disaster for the Islamic world and Russia. 

I have been asked, "Even if the oil fields were linked between Israel and the surrounding countries such as Saudi Arabia or Russia wouldn't it take a many many years before they would notice the decline in their oil fields?"  Not according to Dr. Eli Tannenbaum, CEO of Ginko Oil Exploration.  When his company struck oil in the Dead Sea region he said that the oil field was not connected with any of the surrounding oil countries but deeper explorations may prove to be connected.  I'm not an oil exploration expert but somehow he knows.

This could explain why Russia will lead the Arab world in a sneak attack against Israel in the last days (Ezekiel 38, 39).  Before, I couldn't quite understand why they (Russia) would get involved in such an attack.  Yes, they have been getting cozy with the Arab world as of late, but I never felt that was reason enough to attack Israel.  

One day soon we will find out the truth!

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

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Pastor Malone