Page 55 - Signs of the End

THE SIGNS OF THE END 19

while others seemed to be resigned to the prospect of leaving
their homes.

The Palestinians

Most of the Arabs we talked to were more optimistic about
the agreement. They said they wanted to live in peace with the
Israelis. Really, they have much to gain and little to lose in the
process. The greatest fear the moderate Arabs have is that they
may not be able to control the violence fostered by the radical
Moslems among them.

For years, the radical Arabs, including members of the PLO,
have been quick to assassinate any Arab leader in the West Bank
who showed any signs of cooperating with the Israeli govern­
ment. Thus, the Arabs have done much more harm to
themselves than anything the Israelis have done to them through
the years of their administration since the occupation in 1967, a
fact that the media often ignores.

So the question remains as to whether Arafat is sincere in his
expressed interest creating a peaceful relationship with Israel,
and if so, whether or not he can accomplish the feat. Both the
Jew s and Arabs are optimistic that, if the peace agreement can be
sustained, it could open up enormous and unparalleled potential
for the economic well-being of the Middle East region.

Setting the Stage for Ezekiel 38 and 39

How do we evaluate all of this from a Biblical perspective?
We who are believers are supposed to be peacemakers and to
pray for our leaders in order that we may peacefully promote the
Gospel of Christ. Therefore, we normally rejoice over all efforts
that move toward genuine peace among nations. But recent and
more distant history forces us to be suspicious of the motives of
those involved in this latest of peace agreements.

It seem s all too clear that Israel is being forced into a
potentially unwise position by the United Nations in general and
the United States in particular. The strategic security of Israel is
very fragile as it is now, and appears to be further weakened by
all these territorial concessions. It also remains to be seen if the