"Israel against the World - yet again"

That isn't my headline, nor has it been pulled directly from the prophetic scriptures of Zechariah and Ezekiel. But it could have been. No, its a headline found today in the Jerusalem Post. I always find it fascinating when a headline appears to come directly from the Bible.


"Israel against the World"

This was supposed to be the easiest week in the tumultuous tenure of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. He had settled key differences with US President Barack Obama, received an invitation for a kiss-and-make-up session at the White House and come to Canada for a large pro-Israel rally and a meeting with Stephen Harper, perhaps the world’s most pro-Israel prime minister.

Instead, he had to deal with American support for a UN resolution supporting a Middle East nuclear free zone, IDF commandos under fire on the Mavi Marmara, and the international condemnation that came in reaction to the lives lost on the flotilla. He spent the night at Harper’s official residence in Ottawa but ended up convening marathon meetings with seven advisers and got no sleep.

“This may sound like an impossible plea, or an impossible request, or an impossible demand, but I make it anyway: Israel should not be held to a double standard,” he said. “The Jewish state has a right to defend itself just like any other state.”

The speech came exactly 48 hours after the first broadcast of belatedly released footage showing soldiers being beaten. The hope was that during those two days, the international pressure that had built up when the available evidence pointed to Israel as the aggressor would dissipate

The most obvious reason why the film failed to fix Israel’s international imbroglio was that the world is obsessed with numbers. No matter who was right or who attacked first, nine Mavi Marmara passengers and no Israelis are dead. Another reason is that by the time the clip was broadcast, the world’s mind was already made up.

In other news, we see tensions in the region continuing to escalate:


"Day marked by W. Bank, Jerusalem protests"

High tensions were recorded in Jerusalem and the West Bank on Friday in the wake of Monday's IDF raid on the Mavi Marmara, which sparked protests all around the world.

Hundreds of Palestinians and left-wing activists protested near Route 443, with youths hurling rocks at security forces. In Jerusalem, a protest march was held after Friday morning prayers. Though police boosted their presence in the city in anticipation of violence, they allowed the march to proceed on the condition that it did not turn riotous.

Hundreds attended the weekly protest over the security fence in Bil'in, where several demonstrators held up a seven-meter-long model of a ship.

Jerusalem police reinforced their presence along major thoroughfares in Arab neighborhoods of east Jerusalem and throughout the Old City.

When police tried to disperse these rioters, severe and violent clashes with the locals erupted.

And we also see the world's financial crisis deepening:

"Global markets tumble on U.S. jobs and Hungary crisis fears"

Markets fell sharply on both sides of the Atlantic after investors were unnerved by disappointing US jobs data and fears that Hungary is facing a Greece-style debt crisis.

In Hungary the Prime Minister's official spokesman said the economy was in a "grave situation" and said a default on its debt was possible. The comments ignited fears that a debt crisis could be brewing in Eastern Europe.

G20 warns of major challenges to global recovery"

Market convulsions sparked by Europe's debt crisis show that major challenges remain to global economic recovery, G20 nations said on Saturday as they vowed to fix their fiscal houses.

The global bank tax is supported by the International Monetary Fund, European powers and the United States. It is resisted by some developing nations plus Canada and Australia, who argue that they should not have to pay to clear up a mess they did not create.

The eurozone crisis, which has shaken stock markets and sent the euro plunging, changed the focus. South Korean Finance Minister Yoon Jeung-Hyun and several other delegates said the crisis was delaying moves by some nations to exit the crisis.

Britain's new finance minister George Osborne said ministers had not discussed the plunging euro, which is alarming some exporters to the continent.

Global financial crisis. Global taxation. The world aligned against Israel.

The stage is most definitely set for the arrival of the antichrist. He just needs one more "event" before his arrival on the world stage: The removal of the Church. It will happen soon, he just needs to be patient. The world is seeking a leader - a leader who can fix the world. They, "the nations", will get this wish; its just too bad they don't know how the story ends.