ISRAEL UPDATESeptember 29, 2002 - Obviously U.S. President George Bush and the United Nations are not on the same page when it comes to prioritizing problems and their resolutions in the Middle East.
U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan says the Israeli / Palestinian issue takes priority over Iraq, Afghanistan and a possible Indian / Pakistani conflict looming on the horizon.
Iraq poses a threat to the U.S. and the world with its arsenal of biological and chemical capabilities, but that is only part of the problem.
Saddam Hussein is establishing a "Jerusalem Army" to march against Israel and has long been a supporter of Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian cause.
The lack of support from the European Union, the United Nations, and the Arab / Muslim world is not as much about leaving Hussein alone as it is putting pressure on Israel to relinquish its sovereign land.
True, there might be some religious fervor, but the attitudes of all of these people points to hatred for Israel and thus, ultimately the United States.
The United Nations approach comes from the side of conformity to mass opinion, rather than practicality. It is aimed at the eradication of Israel - not resolving the conflict.
Dealing with Suddam Hussein would be a step that would benefit Israel and America, but it doesn't even address al-Qaeda, India, Pakistan, Iran's building of nuclear reactors, or a host of other unpublicized problems. It is ironic that each one of these has Islam at its root, so I wonder. . . do we see a connection?
September 29, 2002 - As we look at the situation brewing between the United States and Iraq, one in cannot help but look at the troubling legacy of Saddam Hussein's regime.
In 1981, Israel had the nerve to shun world opinion, and the capability to destroy Iraq's Osirak nuclear reactor near Baghdad – so they carried out that action. The world was outraged until 1990.
Iraq’s 1990 invasion of Kuwait, their attempt at building the super gun, and the use of chemical weapons on the Kurds, are all part of Saddam Hussein’s legacy. At that time, the coalition forces had the chance to not only liberate Kuwait, but they were in position to stop Hussein once and for all - but they declined.
Now as 2002 has proven, the problem of Saddam is now bigger than ever and has fateful implications…not just for the region, but also for the world at large.
One cannot help but be struck with the parallel of the failure of world policy to remove Hussein with the fiasco that fell on King Saul.
I Samuel 15:18 says “And the L-RD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed.”
It was at this point Saul's kingdom was rent from him and he died a tragic death, as well as his son - because of disobedience and lost opportunity.
It appears that the world will suffer greatly because the world leaders lost an opportunity – a new storm is now on the horizon.
To be continued…