Page 110 - Signs of the End

74 THE SIGNS OF THE END

begin Operation Protective Shield. Their goal: Enter Palestinian-
controlled territories, hunt down terrorists and destroy their infra­
structure. Instead o f simply dropping bombs and firing missiles as the
U.S. did in Afghanistan against A1 Qaida, the Israeli army conducted
a house-to-house search to arrest terrorists and confiscate their
weapons and explosives. Many soldiers lost their lives in this opera­
tion when booby-trapped houses and buildings exploded.

Not long afterwards, the ruling Likud party in Israel voted to ban
the establishment o f a Palestinian state, despite pressure from
President George W. Bush to make it happen. Israelis and much o f the
world know that Bush’s attempts to pacify Arab animosity against the
Jews was a political ploy to gamer support for a U.S.-led attack
against Iraq. Has the American president sacrificed the Chosen
People, the only true friend and ally and democracy in the region, for
revenge against Saddam Hussein? God help him if he has!

Caving in to threats from Arab despots for the sake o f free-
flowing oil and tacit support for a war against Iraq can only lead
America to eventual rain. One reason, I believe, for America’s
success in its short history is its friendship for and support o f Israel.
God has blessed America because it has been blessing Israel. But the
promise o f blessing canjust as easily become the guarantee o f cursing
should the United States turn against Israel in order to bow down in
the throne rooms o f Arab dictators for the sake o f a short-term gain.

THE THREAT OF THE ARAB WORLD

When the Jewish state was re-established in 1948, the surround­
ing Arab nations wasted no time in their attempt to drive Israel into
the sea. Despite vast holdings o f real estate in the region, Arab
dictators rebuffed the idea o f living alongside the Jews and from the
very first day o f Israel’s independence they have brought war and
violence against the Chosen People. The War o f Independence in
1948, the Six Day War in 1967 and the Yom Kippur War in 1973 were
all instigated by the Arab world to destroy Israel. But they did not;
they could not. And each time it was attacked without provocation,
Israel received a measure o f understanding and support from the
world community. But since the mid-1970s especially, the world