Israel Launches Airstrikes on Syria, as Assad’s Forces Near Victory

By Patrick Cockburn, The Independent, January 10, 2018

Israeli jets and ground-to-ground missile attacks on targets in the outskirts of Damascus are a mark of Israel’s heightened concern as President Bashar al-Assad comes close to winning the civil war in Syria. Israel’s security cabinet has held meetings several times in recent days to discuss how it should respond to the “day-after” the war as Syria returns to Mr Assad’s control and to Iran’s expanded influence in Syria according to Israeli television reports.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel’s policy was to stop Hezbollah moving “game-changing weapons” out of Syria into Lebanon. “We back it [the policy] up as necessary with action,” he added. Israel has carried out more than 100 air strikes against Syrian Army and Hezbollah arms depots and military facilities in the past six years.

The strikes are a sign that Israel is trying to adjust to likely new developments in Syria in 2018: as the end of the civil war comes in sight, Hezbollah and the Syrian armed forces, both battle hardened by the war, will no longer be tied down by fighting and could be deployed to confront Israel.

The Syrian war is by no means over, but the success of the coalition that includes Iran, Syria, Lebanese Hezbollah and Iraqi Shia forces means that the balance of power in the region is swinging against Israel.

The Syrian Army is advancing swiftly without much resistance into the largest remaining rebel enclave in province of Idlib south west of Aleppo, in an offensive launched a week ago. Backed by artillery and air strikes, Syrian units are fighting Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), formerly known as the al Nusra Front and once the Syrian arm of al-Qaeda, which is dominant in the province. Other rebel groups complain that HTS is refusing to cooperate with them in holding back government forces.

The Syrian Army and air force are also battering Eastern Ghouta, the other large rebel enclave just east of Damascus, the capture of which would give Mr Assad full control of the capital and the area round it, something he has not enjoyed since 2011.

Although the long-term success of Syrian government forces looks inevitable, it will take them time to re-establish central control. The Syrian Kurds–who captured Isis’s de facto capital Raqqa in October backed by US-led air strikes–control a great swathe of territory east of the Euphrates. They need to keep US support, including several bases in Kurdish-held territory, as a guarantee against Turkish military intervention or an offensive by Syrian forces. At the same time, they look to a long-term agreement with Damascus which would guarantee their autonomy.

Israel is concerned about the return of the Syrian Army to parts of southern Syria close to Israel as it tries to reopen the road to Jordan. There is a US-Russian agreement arranged by President Vladimir Putin that Hezbollah and Iranian backed forces will not approach within 25 miles of the Israeli-Syrian front line in the Golan.

But Mr Assad is likely to be less reliant on the support, and more independent of the wishes, of his two main allies, Russia and Iran, as he gets close to victory.

The latest Israeli air strikes and the angry Syrian response show that both sides are muscle-flexing. But, while the Israelis have an interest in preventing Hezbollah acquiring a substantial arsenal of long-range missiles that could reach far into Israel, neither side has an interest in going to war which would cause a lot of destruction but produce no winner, as in 2006 when Israel fought Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Israel has received vociferous backing from President Trump and the US but the Israelis must wonder–along with the rest of the world–how much Mr Trump’s supportive tweets are really worth. Even his recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is not an unalloyed gain for Israel since it changes nothing much on the ground, but it has put the Israeli-Palestinian issue back at the top of the political agenda in the Middle East to a degree not seen since 9/11 and the start of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The Israeli air strikes are not necessarily a precursor to a wider military conflict, but they do show that Israel believes it can no longer stay on the margins of the Syrian war. As the conflict comes to an end that is bound to be messy, Israel wants to be a leading player in shaping its final outcome.

Dennis Edwards: Here again we see that an international agreement about the Palestinian and Israeli situation is still a topic of discussion. Mr, Cockburn, author of the article, says the present developments have put the Israeli-Palestinian issue back on top of the political agenda where it hasn't been for many years. Will we see the famous "Holy Covenant" predicted in the Bible by the prophet Daniel?

And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.[Daniel 9:27]

Daniel's prophecies intertwine the Holy Covenant with the resuming of Jewish sacrificial worship in Jerusalem. The prophecies are clear that half way through the seven year pact, the covenant is broken. It is at this point that the abomination of desolation is placed in the temple.

And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that makes desolate.[Daniel 11:31]

Jesus gave the placing of the abomination of desolation in the temple as the prime sign of the beginning of the Great Tribulation.

When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso reads, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.[Matthew 24:15 -21]

He also said that the sign of His coming in the clouds of heaven would appear "immediately after the tribulation of those days."

Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.[Matthew 24: 29]

Keep your eyes and ears open for some kind of international agreement regarding Israel, the Palestinians and the rebuilding of the Third Jewish Temple. These events could very well be the fulfillment of Bible prophecy and a dire warning to the world that we are approaching great catastrophic events on the road to Armageddon.

For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. [Revelation 16:14-16]

Note: All references from the King James Bible, though I dropped some of the "ths."

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Speech Given at NPHS Class of 1967 50th Reunion

Good Evening!

I'd like to thank you for giving me this moment of opportunity to address you. It's been wonderful learning what you have done, what you are doing, and what you will be doing in the future. Each and everyone of you is wonderful, and I look forward to discovering more about you during the rest of the evening.

As class president I was responsible to organise the class reunions. But how could I fulfil that responsibility living the last forty-three years abroad. I couldn't. Thankfully for all of us, others saw the need, heard our cry and responded, and we are here tonight as a result of their efforts, small and great over a long period of time.

My oldest son recently told me, "Dad, there is not much we can do to change the world. But we can make efforts wherever we are to build friendship and community. Because community promotes understanding, which promotes love, which promotes positive action in the lives of those concerned."

Therefore, as president of the NPHS class of 1967, on behalf of all the class members present and absent, we would like to present a token [a trophy] of our appreciation to the following people:

Matthew Kilpatrick
Rene Scanlan Harzula
Roger Graubard [not pictured]
Lucy Bernardi Minichino [front right]
Jo-Ann Grace Bandomer [back right]

Let's all give them a warm round of applause for all their efforts.

A friend of mine recently wrote me a note that said something to this effect: "Dennis, with all the crazy things that are happening in the world, I don't know if I'll ever see you again. So I wanted to tell you, I love you, and thanks for being my friend."[This friend has since died last week at the age of 79.]

My friend's thoughts reminded me of what the famous intellectual, Christopher Hitchens, said near the end of his life. Hitchens was at a book signing event where he met a twelve year old girl who had read all his books. He was very impressed, but he shared one thought with her in parting. He said, "Don't forget the love thing, that I was talking about tonight. Don't forget the love thing."

Here he was at the very end of his life, and Christopher Hitchens, the sceptic of sceptics, told this twelve year old girl "not to forget the love thing." His most important message for her to remember was "don't forget the love thing."

Roger Graubard

So to you my classmates and friends, I say "Remember the love thing." The Bible tells us that "he that loves, knows God for God is love."So let's apply love to every aspect of our lives. Okay?

Be happy! Be good! And remember, "It's not over 'til it's over." You might becoming into the greatest years of your life. Find purpose. Find a way to serve and help others.

My own father began volunteering at the age of 75. He started to play piano and sing with Loraine Cox's father. After my mother died my father had fallen into depression. The Cox's encouraged my dad to use his talent of music to inspire and help others. At first he didn't want to. But he ended up entertaining for thirteen years. He made lots of friends, and girlfriends and found a purpose in living.

At my father's funeral some years ago, one of the directors of one of the old folk's homes where he performed came up and talked with me. She said, "Dennis, your father asked to volunteer at our home when he was 80 years old. I thought he was crazy. I had to run a police background check on him. But he soon became the most popular event with the old folks. Of all the entertainment and volunteers who came, your father was loved the most by our residents. He was one of them and played the songs they loved. He won their hearts."

So, no matter what the future holds, your life can gain meaning and purpose, like my Dad's did in service to others. He served them and in return had his own need for fellowship and love fulfilled.

That's it for me. Build community like our Reunion Committee has done. Build friendship. Be kind and courteous even to those of differing opinions. Let the NPHS Class of 1967 continue to be a positive force for good in this weary world. Help others. Find purpose. Be thankful.

It's been great seeing you all again. Have a great night! And let's remember the love thing! [PS: If you are interested you can read my book at Dennis' Testimony. Thanks!]

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For Whom the Bell Tolls - by John Donne

No man is an island,
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thine own
Or of thine friend's were.
Each man's death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.

These famous words by John Donne were not originally written as a poem - the passage is taken from the 1624 Meditation 17, from Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions and is prose. The words of the original passage are as follows:

John Donne
Meditation 17
Devotions upon Emergent Occasions

"No man is an iland, intire of it selfe; every man is a peece of the Continent, a part of the maine; if a clod bee washed away by the Sea, Europe is the lesse, as well as if a Promontorie were, as well as if a Mannor of thy friends or of thine owne were; any mans death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankinde; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee...." 

Dennis Edwards: I hope these poem by John Donne have stirred a desire in you to read him further. 

Found at:
http://www.famousliteraryworks.com/donne_for_whom_the_bell_tolls.htm

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John Donne - Poet

https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/john-donne


Related Schools & Movements:
Metaphysical Poet

read John Donne’s poems

John Donne was born in 1572 in London, England. He is known as the founder of the Metaphysical Poets, a term created by Samuel Johnson, an eighteenth-century English essayist, poet, and philosopher. The loosely associated group also includes George Herbert, Richard Crashaw, Andrew Marvell, and John Cleveland. The Metaphysical Poets are known for their ability to startle the reader and coax new perspective through paradoxical images, subtle argument, inventive syntax, and imagery from art, philosophy, and religion using an extended metaphor known as a conceit. Donne reached beyond the rational and hierarchical structures of the seventeenth century with his exacting and ingenious conceits, advancing the exploratory spirit of his time.

Donne entered the world during a period of theological and political unrest for both England and France; a Protestant massacre occurred on Saint Bartholomew’s day in France; while in England, the Catholics were the persecuted minority. Born into a Roman Catholic family, Donne’s personal relationship with religion was tumultuous and passionate, and at the center of much of his poetry. He studied at both Oxford and Cambridge Universities in his early teen years. He did not take a degree at either school, because to do so would have meant subscribing to the Thirty-nine Articles, the doctrine that defined Anglicanism. At age twenty he studied law at Lincoln’s Inn. Two years later he succumbed to religious pressure and joined the Anglican Church after his younger brother, convicted for his Catholic loyalties, died in prison. Donne wrote most of his love lyrics, erotic verse, and some sacred poems in the 1590s, creating two major volumes of work: Satires and Songs and Sonnets.

In 1598, after returning from a two-year naval expedition against Spain, Donne was appointed private secretary to Sir Thomas Egerton. While sitting in Queen Elizabeth’s last Parliament in 1601, Donne secretly married Anne More, the sixteen-year-old niece of Lady Egerton. Donne’s father-in-law disapproved of the marriage. As punishment, he did not provide a dowry for the couple and had Donne briefly imprisoned.

This left the couple isolated and dependent on friends, relatives, and patrons. Donne suffered social and financial instability in the years following his marriage, exacerbated by the birth of many children. He continued to write and published the Divine Poems in 1607. In Pseudo-Martyr, published in 1610, Donne displayed his extensive knowledge of the laws of the Church and state, arguing that Roman Catholics could support James I without compromising their faith. In 1615, James I pressured him to enter the Anglican Ministry by declaring that Donne could not be employed outside of the Church. He was appointed Royal Chaplain later that year. His wife died in 1617 at thirty-three years old shortly after giving birth to their twelfth child, who was stillborn. The Holy Sonnets are also attributed to this phase of his life.

In 1621, he became dean of Saint Paul’s Cathedral. In his later years, Donne’s writing reflected his fear of his inevitable death. He wrote his private prayers, Devotions upon Emergent Occasions, during a period of severe illness and published them in 1624. His learned, charismatic, and inventive preaching made him a highly influential presence in London. Best known for his vivacious, compelling style and thorough examination of mortal paradox, John Donne died in London on March 31, 1631.

Selected Bibliography

Poetry

Satires (1593)
Songs and Sonnets (1601)
Divine Poems (1607)
Psevdo-Martyr (1610)
An Anatomy of the World (1611)
Ignatius his Conclaue (1611)
The Second Anniuersarie. Of The Progres of the Soule(1611)
An Anatomie of the World (1612)
Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions (1624)
Deaths Dvell (1632)
Ivvenilia (1633)
Poems (1633)
Sapientia Clamitans (1638)
Wisdome crying out to Sinners (1639)

Prose

Letters to Severall Persons of Honour (1651)
A Collection of Letters, Made by Sr Tobie Mathews, Kt.(1660)

Essays

A Sermon Vpon The VIII. Verse Of The I. Chapter of The Acts Of The Apostles (1622)
A Sermon Vpon The XV. Verse Of The XX. Chapter Of The Booke Of Ivdges (1622)
Encania. The Feast of Dedication. Celebrated At Lincolnes Inne, in a Sermon there upon Ascension day(1623)
Three Sermons Upon Speciall Occasions (1623)
A Sermon, Preached To The Kings Mtie. At Whitehall(1625)
The First Sermon Preached To King Charles (1625)
Fovre Sermons Upon Speciall Occasions (1625)
Five Sermons Vpon Speciall Occasions (1626)
A Sermon Of Commemoration Of The Lady Dãuers(1627)
Six Sermons Vpon Severall Occasions (1634)
LXXX Sermons (1640)
Biathanatos: A Declaration of that Paradoxe, or Thesis that Selfe-homicide is not so (1644)
Naturally Sinne, that it may never be otherwise (1647)
Essayes in Divinity (1651)

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Death, Be Not Proud!

Holy Sonnet 10

BY JOHN DONNE (1572-1631) 

Death, be not proud, though some have called thee 

Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so; 

For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow 

Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me. 

From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be, 

Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow, 

And soonest our best men with thee do go, 

Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery. 

Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men, 

And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell, 

And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well 

And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then? 

One short sleep past, we wake eternally 

And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die. 

1 Corinthians 15:26: "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death".

Revelation 21:4: "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."

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Tapes Reveal Egyptian Leaders’ Tacit Acceptance of Jerusalem Move

By David D. Kirkpatrick, NY Times, Jan. 6, 2018

As President Trump moved last month to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, an Egyptian intelligence officer quietly placed phone calls to the hosts of several influential talk shows in Egypt.

“Like all our Arab brothers,” Egypt would denounce the decision in public, the officer, Capt. Ashraf al-Kholi, told the hosts.

But strife with Israel was not in Egypt’s national interest, Captain Kholi said. He told the hosts that instead of condemning the decision, they should persuade their viewers to accept it. Palestinians, he suggested, should content themselves with the dreary West Bank town that currently houses the Palestinian Authority, Ramallah.

“How is Jerusalem different from Ramallah, really?” Captain Kholi asked repeatedly in four audio recordings of his telephone calls obtained by The New York Times.

“Exactly that,” agreed one host, Azmi Megahed, who confirmed the authenticity of the recording.

For decades, powerful Arab states like Egypt and Saudi Arabia have publicly criticized Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians, while privately acquiescing to Israel’s continued occupation of territory the Palestinians claim as their homeland.

But now a de facto alliance against shared foes such as Iran, the Muslim Brotherhood, Islamic State militants and the Arab Spring uprisings is drawing the Arab leaders into an ever-closer collaboration with their one-time nemesis, Israel–producing especially stark juxtapositions between their posturing in public and private.

Mr. Trump’s decision broke with a central premise of 50 years of American-sponsored peace talks, defied decades of Arab demands that East Jerusalem be the capital of a Palestinian state, and stoked fears of a violent backlash across the Middle East.

Arab governments, mindful of the popular sympathy for the Palestinian cause, rushed to publicly condemn it.

Egyptian state media reported that President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi had personally protested to Mr. Trump. Egyptian religious leaders close to the government refused to meet with Vice President Mike Pence, and Egypt submitted a United Nations Security Council resolution demanding a reversal of Mr. Trump’s decision. (The United States vetoed the resolution, although the General Assembly adopted a similar one, over American objections, days later.)

King Salman of Saudi Arabia, arguably the most influential Arab state, also publicly denounced Mr. Trump’s decision.

At the same time, though, the kingdom had already quietly signaled its acquiescence or even tacit approval of the Israeli claim to Jerusalem. Days before Mr. Trump’s announcement, the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, privately urged the Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, to accept a radically curtailed vision of statehood without a capital in East Jerusalem, according to Palestinian, Arab and European officials who have heard Mr. Abbas’s version of events.

Saudi Arabia publicly disputed those reports.

From left to right: Mofid Fawzy, Saeed Hassaseen, Yousra, Azmi Megahed (MEE montage)
http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/egypt-yousra-palestine-israel-jerusalem-1450837488

The hosts Captain Kholi called all heeded his advice, and most other voices in the state-owned and pro-government news media across the Arab world were also strikingly muted, even unemotional, about the status of Jerusalem. Such a response would have been all but unthinkable even a decade ago, much less during the period between 1948 and 1973, when Egypt and its Arab allies fought three wars against Israel.

Shibley Telhami, a scholar of the region at the University of Maryland and the Brookings Institution, called the Arab states’ acceptance of the decision “transformational.”

“I don’t think it would have happened a decade ago, because Arab leaders would have made clear they wouldn’t live with it,” he said. Instead, he said, preoccupied by concerns about their own stability, the Arab leaders signaled that–while they may not like the decision–they “will find a way to work with it,” and “with a White House that is prepared to break with what had been taboos in American foreign policy.”

Two spokesmen for the Egyptian government did not respond to requests for comment for this article. Captain Kholi could not be reached.

Television talk shows play a formative role in shaping public debate in Egypt, and Egyptian intelligence services often brief the presenters of the programs about messages to convey to the public. The hosts typically prefer to characterize the conversations as journalists talking to sources.

In addition to the call with Mr. Megahed, three other audio recordings of strikingly similar telephone conversations with the same intelligence agent, Captain Kholi, were all provided to The Times by an intermediary supportive of the Palestinian cause and opposed to President Sisi. The origin of the recordings could not be determined.

The recordings all appear to match public recordings of their voices, and Captain Kholi’s talking points in each of the calls follow the same lines as his conversation with Mr. Megahed.

“I was just calling to tell you what our public stance is, so if you go on TV or speak in an interview, I am telling you what is the stance of Egypt’s national security apparatus and what it stands to benefit from in this matter of announcing Jerusalem to be the capital of Israel, O.K.?” Captain Kholi began one conversation, with Mr. Hassaseen.

“Give me orders, sir,” Mr. Hassaseen replied, according to the recording. “I am at your command.”

“We, like all our Arab brothers, are denouncing this matter,” Captain Kholi continued. But, he added, “After that, this thing will become a reality. Palestinians can’t resist and we don’t want to go to war. We have enough on our plate as you know.”

The Egyptian military has struggled for more than four years to try to defeat a simmering militant Islamist insurgence centered in the North Sinai, and Egyptian officials have sometimes accused Hamas, the militant Palestinian group that controls the adjacent Gaza Strip, of abetting violence against the government of Egypt.

“The point that is dangerous for us is the intifada issue,” Captain Kholi explained. “An intifada would not serve Egypt’s national security interests because an intifada would revive the Islamists and Hamas. Hamas would be reborn once more.”

“At the end of the day, later on, Jerusalem won’t be much different from Ramallah. What matters is ending the suffering of the Palestinian people,” Captain Kholi concluded. “Concessions are a must and if we reach a concession whereby Jerusalem will be–Ramallah will be the capital of Palestine, to end the war and so no one else dies, then we would go for it.”

All three recipients of his calls pledged to convey his messages, and some echoed his arguments in broadcasts. “Enough already. It got old,” Mr. Megahed told his viewers about the issue of Jerusalem.

In his conversation with Mr. Megahed, however, Captain Kholi added an extra flourish. He charged that Egypt’s regional foe Qatar and its ruler, Emir Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, were the ones guilty of collaborating with Israel.

“You also will say that Tamim and Qatar have secret ties to Israel. You know all that,” Captain Kholi told the talk show host.

“Obvious ties,” Mr. Megahed replied. “My pleasure. My pleasure. I will include it in the next episode, God willing.”

Dennis Edwards: Again we see even the Arab nations lining up with Trump's decision to make Jerusalem the capitol of Israel. Will there be a Holy Covenant to further confirm this position? Such a covenant could offer concessions to the Palestinians and the allowance for Israel to build the Third Temple. The prophecies of Daniel predict that religious sacrificial worship will begin again and then be stopped by the Antichrist. The Jewish people have not had sacrificial worship since the destroying of their holy temple by the Romans in 70 AD.

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As a 2-State Solution Loses Steam, a 1-State Plan Gains Traction

By David M. Halbfinger, NY Times, Jan. 5, 2018

JERUSALEM–The Israeli right, emboldened by President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, is not the only faction arguing for a single state between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.

The Palestine Liberation Organization has also begun to ask whether that might not be such a bad idea, though it has a radically different view of what that state would look like.

As momentum ebbs for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, both sides are taking another look at the one-state idea. But that solution has long been problematic for both sides.

For the Israelis, absorbing three million West Bank Palestinians means either giving up on democracy or accepting the end of the Jewish state. The Palestinians, unwilling to live under apartheid-like conditions or military occupation, have also seen two states as their best hope.

Now, for the first time since it declared its support for a Palestinian state side-by-side with Israel in 1988, the P.L.O. is seriously debating whether to embrace fallback options, including the pursuit of a single state.

“It’s dominating the discussion,” said Mustafa Barghouti, a physician who sits on the P.L.O.’s central council, which is to take up possible changes to the national movement’s strategy later this month.

Palestinian supporters envision one state with equal rights for Palestinians and Jews. Palestinians would have proportionate political power and, given demographic trends, would before long be a majority, spelling the end of the Zionist project.

That outcome is unacceptable to the Israeli right wing, which is pressing to annex the land on the occupied West Bank where Jewish settlers have built communities while consigning Palestinians to the areas where they live now.

Israeli proponents of these ideas freely acknowledge that the Palestinian areas would be considerably less than a state, at least to start: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has even called it a “state-minus.” Eventually, they say, the Palestinians could achieve statehood in a confederation with Jordan or Egypt, as part of Israel, or perhaps even independently–but not soon.

Both sides have long officially supported the idea of a two-state solution to the conflict while accusing the other of harboring designs on the whole territory. But Mr. Trump’s Jerusalem declaration last month changed the calculus.

The Trump administration has not endorsed a one-state solution, and it is working on its own peace plan, insisting that any final agreement, including borders, be negotiated by the two sides. But last month’s decision by the president to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, in defiance of a decades-old United States policy and international consensus and with no mention of a Palestinian claim on the city, was seen as putting his thumb on the Israeli side of the scale.

Saeb Erekat, the veteran Palestinian negotiator, said that Mr. Trump’s declaration was the death knell for the two-state solution and that Palestinians should shift their focus to “one state with equal rights.” His position has since gained traction among the Palestinian leadership.

Under that idea, the Palestinian movement would shift to a struggle for equal civil rights, including the freedoms of movement, assembly and speech, and the right to vote in national elections. “Which could mean a Palestinian could be the prime minister,” Mr. Barghouti said.

To its Palestinian supporters, the one-state idea is bitter consolation after decades of striving for statehood under the Oslo peace accords, which many believe has achieved little aside from providing cover, and buying time, for Israel to expand settlements.

“When you support the two-state solution, you’re supporting Netanyahu,” said As’ad Ghanem, a political science lecturer at the University of Haifa who has been working with a group of Israelis and Palestinians on a one-state strategy for some time. “It is time for us Palestinians to present an alternative.”

“At least 30 percent of Palestinians support one-state when no one is talking about it,” said Hamada Jaber, an organizer of a group called the One State Foundation. “If there’s at least one political party on each side that will talk about it and adapt this strategy, the support will grow.”

The idea has stronger support among the young, said Khalil Shikaki, a Palestinian pollster, particularly students and professionals who have clamored for a change in strategy since the Arab spring in 2011.

“I’m 24,” said Mariam Barghouti, a writer and activist involved in one of the one-state efforts, and a distant relation of Mr. Barghouti. “All I’ve known is Oslo and the two-state negotiation process. I’ve witnessed how it’s only gotten worse for me and my generation.”

To the Israeli right, abandoning the two-state goal is a good thing, a long-term threat averted. But the Israeli right has not fully explained how its single state overcomes the demographic conundrum. Absorbing the nearly three million Palestinians on the West Bank would either spell the end of a Jewish state or destroy Israeli democracy if Palestinians were denied equal rights. Even a slim Jewish majority would be politically unable to deny Palestinians full citizenship and rights in a single sovereign state.

“I would never give citizenship to the masses of the Arab population in Judea and Samaria,” said Yoav Kisch, a member of Parliament from Mr. Netanyahu’s party who is advancing one autonomy plan, using the biblical names for the West Bank.

Eventually, he said, what’s left of the Palestinian areas could become part of Jordan or Egypt, or become some kind of “state-minus” with limited sovereignty. In the meantime, Mr. Kisch said, he would be willing to give full Israeli citizenship to only about 30,000 West Bank Palestinians who live in areas where he wants Israel to assert sovereignty.

Such a move would be unacceptable to the Palestinians.

What these two sharply different one-state visions share is a conviction that a two-state solution is out of reach.

To be sure, the P.L.O. is not giving up entirely on a two-state solution. It is still pursuing other diplomatic avenues. On Friday, for example, Mr. Erekat called on Arab League member states to act on past commitments to cut ties with any country that recognizes Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

And there is skepticism among both Palestinians and Israelis that Palestinian leaders like Mr. Erekat and Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority, would ever truly abandon the Oslo process, to which they have devoted their careers and to which they owe their livelihoods.

If and when a more liberal Israeli government is elected, it could also revive a two-state peace process.

But the costs and political difficulty of withdrawing Israelis from the West Bank grow with every settler family that moves in.

Daniel C. Kurtzer, a Princeton professor who was ambassador to Egypt in the Clinton administration and to Israel under George W. Bush, noted that about 120,000 Palestinian workers commuted to Israel every day, the Palestinian security services provided help to Israel in protecting its own population and the Palestinian Authority’s administration relieved Israel of the occupying power’s obligation to care for refugees.

“You and I will say, ‘It’ll never happen, they’ll come to their senses,’ “ Mr. Kurtzer said. “But how long can you live with the status quo? We’re going to wake up one day and it’s going to be effectively one state. It’s like ‘Thelma and Louise.’ You’re going down the highway and life is great. But there’s a cliff.”

Dennis Edwards: The Bible tells us in the last days before the dramatic Armageddon event takes place some amazing events are going to happen.

"And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates (located in Iraq); and the water there of was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east (Iran and Pakistan?) might be prepared....For they are spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather together them to battle of that great day of God Almighty....And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon."[Revelation 16:12,14,16]

One of those key events is that a Holy Covenant will be made and signed by many nations concerning the situation in the Middle East.

"And he (the Antichrist or beast) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week (7 year period)"[Daniel 9:27a]

However, 3 and 1/2 years after the signing of the Holy Covenant, the agreement will be broken. Israel will be invaded and the Abomination of Desolation will be placed in the Temple. 

"and in the midst of the week (or half way through the seven year period) he (the Antichrist) shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease (no doubt the renewed sacrifice performed at a new Third Temple in Jerusalem), and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation...."[Daniel 9:27b] 

In another chapter of Daniel we are given more information: Daniel writes,

"For the ships of Chittem (Cyprus, where the NATO forces have a port, which just happens to be almost directly opposite of where Russia is building a permanent naval base in Tartus, Syria.) shall come against him (the Antichrist): therefore he shall have indignation against the holy covenant (though he was its author, see verse 11:22b "He is also the prince of the covenant."): so shall he do; he shall return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant. And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that makes desolate."[Daniel 11:30-31] 

Concerning the "abomination of desolation" Jesus himself said,

"When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whosoever reads let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains:...For then shall be great tribulation, such as was since not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be."[Matthew 24:15,16, 21]

The importance of the events taking place in Israel is that there are certain sign posts proclaimed by the prophets concerning the end times and Christ's second coming. We must past through these sign posts before Christ can return according to Scripture. Knowing what those sign post are helps us to understand the events taking place in the Middle East and to where they will eventually culminate. 

Here's what we are to expect:

[1] A rise of the Antichrist to power as a political/military leader and negotiator on the international scene.

[2] The signing of some sort of Holy Covenant which will give the Jewish people the possibility of renewing their religious sacrificial worship. We assume that this will take place in a restored Third Temple. We also speculate that the Holy Covenant will therefore involve the negotiation of the rebuilding of a Jewish Third Temple on or near to the present Temple Mount.

[3] The Holy Covenant will be confirmed by many nations or perhaps the United Nations. It will initially be a 7 year agreement.

[4] Because of the continual tensions and differing of opinions concerning the Middle East peace process, the covenant will be broken by its author who is none other than the Antichrist.

[5] He will stop the sacrificial worship and place the abomination that makes desolate in the Temple which marks the beginning point of the terrible period of world history known in the Bible as the Great Tribulation or Jacob's Trouble.

[6] The Great Tribulation will be a horrible period of religious persecution against all who do not conform to the Antichrist's one-world program, which includes the mark of the beast technology, possibly some sort of computer implant for identification to buy or sell. 

"And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, frfee and dond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name....and his number is Six hundred threescore (a score is twenty, therefore three score equals sixty) and six," or 666.[Revelation 13:16,17]

This period could very well culminate with a nuclear confrontation. At the end of the horrendous tribulation period Christ returns in the clouds to catch his followers away in the famous rapture event.

"Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from the heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."[Matthew 24:29-31]

[7] Not long afterwards, possibly 45-75, the Battle of Armageddon takes place in Israel and ends with Christ's return to stop the warfare that is in danger of destroying all of mankind.[Revelation 19:11-21; Ezekiel 39:1-7, 17-22]

That's a short look at Bible prophecy as I see it. We are living in amazing times. That's why we have that uncertain feeling in our hearts that the world is going down the wrong road fast and furiously. A good understanding of Bible prophecy helps relieve the tension, and helps us trust in Him who is creator of Heaven and Earth, that He is in deed ultimately in control. He has told us before hand so that when these events come upon us, and they shall do some day, we will hold fast to His words and promises and be faithful witnesses unto the end just like our faithful ancestors were before us. Hold on to your horses, we could be in for the ride of our lives.

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A Short Analysis of John Donne’s ‘To His Mistress Going to Bed’

A summary of Donne’s classic poem: Posted by interestingliterature

‘To His Mistress Going to Bed’ has been called the greatest verbal striptease in English verse. In this poem, John Donne (1572-1631) encourages his lover to undress for him, in one of the most deeply erotic love poems (‘lust poems’?) in the English language. How Donne captures his mounting excitement in ‘To His Mistress Going to Bed’ deserves careful analysis. We include the poem below.

To His Mistress Going to Bed

Come, Madam, come, all rest my powers defy,
Until I labour, I in labour lie.
The foe oft-times having the foe in sight,
Is tir’d with standing though he never fight.
Off with that girdle, like heaven’s Zone glistering,
But a far fairer world encompassing.
Unpin that spangled breastplate which you wear,
That th’eyes of busy fools may be stopped there.
Unlace yourself, for that harmonious chime,
Tells me from you, that now it is bed time.
Off with that happy busk, which I envy,
That still can be, and still can stand so nigh.
Your gown going off, such beauteous state reveals,
As when from flowery meads th’hill’s shadow steals.
Off with that wiry Coronet and shew
The hairy Diadem which on you doth grow:
Now off with those shoes, and then safely tread
In this love’s hallow’d temple, this soft bed.
In such white robes, heaven’s Angels used to be
Received by men; Thou Angel bringst with thee
A heaven like Mahomet’s Paradise; and though
Ill spirits walk in white, we easily know,
By this these Angels from an evil sprite,
Those set our hairs, but these our flesh upright.
Licence my roving hands, and let them go,
Before, behind, between, above, below.
O my America! my new-found-land,
My kingdom, safeliest when with one man mann’d,
My Mine of precious stones, My Empirie,
How blest am I in this discovering thee!
To enter in these bonds, is to be free;
Then where my hand is set, my seal shall be.
Full nakedness! All joys are due to thee,
As souls unbodied, bodies uncloth’d must be,
To taste whole joys. Gems which you women use
Are like Atlanta’s balls, cast in men’s views,
That when a fool’s eye lighteth on a Gem,
His earthly soul may covet theirs, not them.
Like pictures, or like books’ gay coverings made
For lay-men, are all women thus array’d;
Themselves are mystic books, which only we
(Whom their imputed grace will dignify)
Must see reveal’d. Then since that I may know;
As liberally, as to a Midwife, shew
Thy self: cast all, yea, this white linen hence,
There is no penance due to innocence.
To teach thee, I am naked first; why then
What needst thou have more covering than a man.

Perhaps the best way to proceed towards an analysis of ‘To His Mistress Going to Bed’ is not by summarising the content but by paraphrasing it. So: ‘Come, madam: all my powers defy the urge to rest, and I want to get down to it. Until we get busy together, I lie here in agony, like a woman in childbirth. When an enemy has his enemy in sight, he gets tired of standing around and yearns to engage in combat. Take that girdle off from round your waist; it’s like the bright heavens encircling the world – except that the “world” that is your body is a far more beautiful one for it to encircle. Take that glittering breastplate off too, so that nosy oglers can have their eyes feast upon what’s underneath. Remove your lace, so that I may know it’s time for us to go to bed. Take off that busk [a sort of corset], which I envy for being able to be so close to you and yet not going weak. Removing your gown is like the shadow of the hill fading from the flowery meadows to reveal their beauty. Remove your hat, to reveal the natural crown of your hair beneath. Off with those shoes, as you would when entering a sacred temple – which, in a sense, you are when you enter the “temple of love” that is a bed. Heavenly angels used to greet men wearing such white robes, and you are an angel bringing me a paradise like the one Mohammed promises. I know that evil spirits can also dress themselves in white, but we can easily tell the difference: evil spirits make the hairs stand on end, but heavenly beings like yourself make men’s … flesh [or a certain part of the flesh, wink wink] stand upright.’

In the next verse paragraph, the striptease continues: ‘All my wandering hands to touch you everywhere. You are like my America, a newly-discovered land! Safest when “manned” by one person. You are a mine of precious gems, and I am blessed for having discovered you. To allow yourself to be bonded with me is [paradoxically] to be free, so where I now place my hand, I “seal” the deal between us.’

The third verse paragraph begins ‘Full nakedness!’ Donne addresses his mistress: ‘All joys are thanks to you. For souls to float free of their bodies, those bodies must be unclothed, if we are to taste joys fully. Gems you women use are like the golden apples that distracted Atalanta [from Greek mythology] during her race against a suitor, Hippomenes. Like Hippomenes trying to throw Atalanta off course, you throw your gems in our way, so that men chase after your wealth rather than your beauty. All women are decorated like this: like pictures, or the attractive covers put on books for laymen. But women are mystic books themselves, and so we must look beyond their gaudy covers and see what lies beneath. So, because I must see you properly, reveal yourself as freely as a woman in labour would show herself to the midwife. Take off the white linen still covering your body. You won’t need to feel guilty for doing something that is, after all, so innocent.’

Donne concludes ‘To His Mistress Going to Bed’ by leading by example: ‘Look, to show you how it’s done, I’ll take off my clothes first. See? And why would you need to have more covering than a man?’

‘To His Mistress Going to Bed’, as our detailed paraphrase above has tried to capture, is a great poem of seduction. But it is more than this, and Donne weaves in a number of complex ideas into that poem that, on the face of it, simply appears to be arguing for a woman to get her kit off.

For one, Donne’s poem undoes, or at the very least develops, the usual idea of courtly love by confronting the fact that the courtly love poet, in praising the beautiful woman, ultimately wants to go to bed with her (though often he can’t and never will get the chance). Donne’s poem argues that the unattainable woman shouldn’t be unattainable: all that flattery of her looks and beauty is because the poet really wants to sleep with her. So, Donne concludes, why don’t we just do it? He also briefly introduces, and overturns, the idea of Neoplatonism (also seen elsewhere in his poetry): namely, that the body must be left behind in order to love the soul:

Full nakedness! All joys are due to thee,
As souls unbodied, bodies uncloth’d must be.

Just as the soul must, according to Neoplatonism, remove itself from the body, so the body should, Donne urges, remove itself from clothes. Similarly, Donne presents the idea of going to bed with him, not as a sin (the woman is his ‘mistress’, after all, and so they are not married) but as ‘innocence’.

Similarly, Donne’s use of imagery drawn from childbirth seeks to make sex seem natural and even virtuous, because after all, if nobody had sex, there would be no childbirth and the human race would come to an end. But, Donne being Donne, he wittily plays on the multiple meanings of labour: ‘Unless I labour, I in labour be’ is a deft play on the word’s double meaning, i.e. both work (seen as virtuous) and childbearing (also virtuous). And using such a metaphor about himself, the man, only heightens the effect. And, of course, he returns to the labour/childbirth image when he likens his mistress’ stripping for his enjoyment to a pregnant woman taking her clothes off for the midwife.

‘To His Mistress Going to Bed’ is one of Donne’s most sensual and erotic poems, and repays close analysis because of the clever use of imagery and the masterly way that Donne rhetorically overturns received attitudes to love and desire.

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