For 35 years Josip Broz Tito ruled the nation of Yugoslavia with an iron hand. His strong personal leadership has held together a host of competing ethnic groups, each with its own aspirations for economic and cultural development. Tito’s death on May 4, 1980 is seen by political experts as the possible start of a quiet but intense power struggle by the United States, the Soviet Union, and China, with Europe and the third world nations looking on nervously. Although a direct military invasion by the Soviets along the lines of the Afghanistan invasion is thought unlikely in the immediate future, observers fear that without Tito the old rivalries among the Serbs, Croates, Slovenes and other ethnic groups may flare up and provide a pretext for Soviet intervention.
Bible prophecy would seem to place this nation among the ten toes of the prophetic image of Daniel chapter 2 since it occupies territory within the confines of the ancient Roman empire. The fragility of the national union also identifies strongly with the symbol characterized by the iron and clay mixture. The people have strong traditional religious ties in spite of the many years under communism, the principle religions being 41% Eastern Orthodox, 32% Roman Catholic, and 12% Moslem.
Although a dedicated communist, Tito in 1948 successfully pulled his nation out from Soviet domination and thereby became leader of the non-aligned movement. Last September despite his age of 87 years Tito flew to Havana to counter Castro’s attempt to tilt the non-aligned world toward Moscow. Over the years Tito accepted all the foreign aid he could get from both the east and west while still remaining independently communistic. But recently the economy of this potentially rich nation has been faltering. Unemployment, declining productivity, and a high inflation rate has plagued the nation of 21 million people. To reduce ethnic tensions Tito allowed considerable local economic autonomy but this has resulted in great disparity of wealth and migration of workers from one region to another. It now appears that more centralization will be necessary to solve these problems.
In preparation for the passing of Tito an elaborate system of collective leadership has been established to govern the country for it seems unlikely that a new strongman of the stature of Tito will emerge immediately. The new governing body will have to deal not only with the social and economic problems of the country but also with the challenge of maintaining neutrality between east and west. Western diplomats feel that if the nation remains united it will have the best chance of avoiding being pulled into the Soviet sphere of influence, but if a power struggle develops, the Soviet Union would most certainly exploit the situation to gain political influence in this nation that forms a strategic bridge between Europe and the Middle East.
Violence at Hebron
Palestinian terrorists have again attacked in the Israeli occupied West Bank as the difficult negotiations between Israel and Egypt over autonomy for the West Bank and Gaza Palestinians reach a crucial stage. The proliferation of Israeli settlements in the occupied area continues to be an issue of dispute and Prime Minister Menachem Begin refuses to modify his hard line policy in spite of urging by both friends and enemies.
Begin takes the position that the West Bank including Arab East Jerusalem is now permanently a part of Israel and therefore it is out of the question that an independent Palestinian state should be established there. His view of Palestinian autonomy is a minimal one, limited to authority to decide local matters under Israeli overall control. It is contended, with ample justification, that an independent state in this area for a people sworn to destroy Israel would threaten the security of Israel and possibly the whole middle east.
The most recent outburst of terrorism was the ambush and killing of five Jewish seminary students at Hebron. The victims who include two Americans and one Canadian, attended a recently established school in the predominantly Arab city of 40,000 people located about 17 miles Southwest of Jerusalem. To those familiar with the Bible, Hebron is a familiar name. It will be recognized as the place where David was anointed king of Judah and set up his throne for the first seven years of his 40 year reign (II Sam. 2).
The city also figures prominently in the life of Abraham for it was the place to which he moved after separating from Lot in the plain of Jordan (Gen. 13:18). It was here that Abraham, because of his position as a sojourner in the land of promise, purchased the cave of Machpelah as a burial place for his wife Sarah (Gen. 23:19). Abraham along with Issac, Jacob, and Leah are also buried there.
Hebron was visited by the 12 spies sent out by Moses to spy out the land (Num. 13:22). Joshua in his conquest of the land captured it and later established it as one of the six cities of refuge (Josh. 20: ) . Absalom’s revolt against David began there (II Sam. 15:9), and when the kingdom was divided after the reign of Solomon, Rehoboam fortified the city (H Chron. 11:10). After the Babylonian captivity Jews returned to this city (Neh. 11:25) and occupied it until the Christian era.
The Jewish insurrection against the Romans in A.D. 70 resulted in the destruction of the city and the dispersal of the inhabitants. From that time until the 19h century few Jews lived there as control passed from the Romans to the Arabs, to the Crusaders, to the Mamluks, and then to the Turks. In 1840 a Jewish colony was established there and grew to about 1500 persons by the year 1900. At the outbreak of World War I the size of the community was again reduced as the young men were conscripted into the Turkish Army.
After the war under the British mandate the settlement began to recover until 1929 when Arabs attacked and killed many Jews, destroyed the synagogue, and burned the Torah scrolls. Rebuilding was attempted but after another attack in 1936 the settlement was abandoned. The kingdom of Jordan had control from 1948 until the West Bank was taken by Israel in 1967. In 1970 the Israeli government decided to permit Jewish settlement and 250 housing units were built. The recent addition of Jewish seminaries has increased the hostility of the Arabs and led to the recent violence.
As the foregoing historical resume shows, violence is no stranger to this ancient city, and it probably has not seen the last. However through faith in God’s prophetic word we know there will come a time when in the words of Moses, “God will be merciful to His land and to His people.”
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One