Signs of the Times

Iran’s Nuclear Ambitions

Ezekiel 38 makes direct reference to Iran’s (Persia) desire to trample Israel underfoot. Therefore, it is im­portant to keep a watchful eye on the military activities of Iran. With this in mind we note it was reported in the Israeli Ma ‘ariv newspaper, June 26, 1997: “Defense Minister Yitzhak Mordechai acknowledged that Iran is making an effort to acquire non-conventional weapons. Israel is using all means at its disposal in order to foil Iranian efforts to acquire nuclear and missile technology, Mordechai said. He mentioned Iranian attempts to purchase non-conventional missiles in North Korea and Russia and sci­entific involvement in furthering Iran’s efforts to build missiles and nuclear devices.”

In early July, 1997, Uzi Arad, Prime Minister Benjamin Netan­yahu’s newly appointed political ad­visor, made a point of raising the is­sue during an official visit to the United States. As a result of this meeting, American officials com­mented: “We treat Iran’s development of SS4 missiles with great concern and for the first time feel that the top leadership in Russia takes our con­cerns seriously. We are calling upon several other countries to help us send this message to Russia.”

Syria Wants To Resume Peace Talks

Some nations are not stipulated as being at war with Israel during the latter days. Syria is a case in point. This scriptural silence suggests that if Israel is not at war with Syria, they will be at peace with her, or at a minimum, neutral.

Israeli radio KOL Yisrael, reported: “European envoy to the middle east Miguel Angel Moratinos sent a message to Jerusalem saying Syria is interested in the resumption of peace talks with Israel.” Moratinos, who recently visited Damascus for several days, brought a mes­sage to Syria from Israel stating that Israel is willing to resume negotia­tions without preconditions. Moratinos is expected to arrive in Is­rael in late July to brief Israeli lead­ers on his talks with Damascus.

Highlighting the importance of these talks is an article appearing in the Israeli newspaper Ha ‘aretz July 2, 1997, which noted: “Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Amnon Shahak indicated that Syria continues to refine its ability to launch a sur­prise attack against Israel.”

United States Senate Authorizes Funds For Jerusalem Embassy

During the latter days, scriptures are very clear that a war will rage over the city of Jerusalem: “For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; the city shall be taken, the houses rifled, and the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, but the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city” (Zech. 14:2 NKJV).

Since we are never informed of the reason for the upcoming battle, Bible students look at all potential reasons that may set off this Middle East powder keg. A potential spark has just passed the United States Senate in the form of a bill which allocates $100 million for the construction of a new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem. The U.S. embassy is currently located in Tel Aviv, along with all other foreign embassies.

In the early 1980’s the Canadian government abandoned its plans to relocate its embassy to Jerusalem af­ter Arab nations threatened to boycott Canadian products.

Jew Pitted Against Fellow Jew

There are many scriptural refer­ences to brother being pitted against brother. During the month of June, one incident at the Wailing Wall set off a debate that may never be re­solved. The New York Times, June 13, 1997 reported: “Conservative Jewish men and women who tried to pray together at the Western Wall during Shavout holiday early Wednesday morning said today that they had been assaulted by hundreds of rigorously Orthodox men evidently incensed by the sight of women praying with men. The Conservatives said the strictly Orthodox Jews, known more com­monly as the haredim, had spat on them and pelted them with garbage and feces while calling them Nazis, Christians, whores and goyim.”

Although the above-mentioned incident was not the first of its kind, it was by all accounts the most violent. This reflects the growing assertiveness of strict Orthodox Jews following their success in elections a year ago. The confrontation pits the Orthodox against the Conservative and Reform movements.

The Conservative and Reform movements claim relatively few ad­herents in Israel, but account for 84 percent of the Jews in North America, so the dispute has, in effect, pitted American Jews against the Orthodox rabbis in Israel. The newspaper re­ported: “The focus of that confrontation is a bill the haredim have intro­duced in Parliament that would formalize the monopoly of the Orthodox rabbis in performing conversions to Judaism in Israel — an act that also grants the convert the right to Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return.”

Summary

This month we have taken a sam­pling of events transpiring around the world. We find them encouraging as they promote political conditions we know will prevail at the return of our Lord. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Several Months Ago, the North American continent unofficially become a nation of perpetual twelve year olds – a continent in which it is sophisticated to be imma­ture, self-absorbed, invulnerable and most certainly immoral.

An article that appeared in the May 11, 1997 New York Times maga­zine reported on this new and grow­ing phenomenon: “Jim Carrey per­formed his Ace Ventura.. .routine on the Academy awards show this spring and used similarly juvenile stunts to turn ‘Liar, Liar’ into a recent blockbuster movie. Howard Stem and Dennis Rodman have parlayed grossness and outrage into lucrative careers. And bathroom humor, personal hy­giene insults and stupid jokes are no longer confined to TV shows `Beavis and Butthead’ and ‘Married with Children,’ but have become touchstones for more and more movies and sitcoms. ‘I am perpetually a 9-year­-old child,’ Howard Stern said on a recent Larry King interview show. “That is probably why I am still successful.”

Reversion to adolescence

This adolescent phenomenon is not merely confined to the television or big screen. Adolescent birthday parties, which have always been a staple of North American culture have now become a staple for 50-year-old children. North America baby boomers are breaking into their 50’s at the rate of one every six seconds.

This aging population of 50 year-olds are reverting to their former adolescent ways. Rather than go quietly into the night, these new old children are re-enacting their childhood fantasies in as many ways as possible. Hence the new phenomenon of childish birthday parties for the 50-year-old child.

The New York Times went on to say: “Consider Frank Marshall, the producer of ‘Indiana Jones’ and ‘Back to the Future’ films. For his 50th birthday party last October, he invited 500 friends to UCLA’s 10,000 seat basketball arena. There were musicians, magic acts, jugglers, for­tune tellers and palm readers at the party.” It seems Marshall had a fair bit of company among the rich and famous, who suddenly decided to re­live their childhood.

Signs of an adolescent culture

According to child psychiatrist and author Robert Coles, there are growing signs that North America has entered a second adolescence, our proverbial fascination with newness and new starts warped into a willful juvenility. Consider for instance, some of the characteristics of adolescence cited by Coles:

• grandiosity and a sense of invulnerability;
• heightened self-absorption;
• ironic detachment and defensiveness and
• preoccupation with appearance and sex.

Trends in movies, on TV

The New York Times points out that the two major media that influence the continent, television and big screen movies, have shifted their marketing focus to capture the middle-age adolescent phenomenon “Exhibi­tionism and rebellious posturing are marketing tools in our memoir and talk-show obsessed culture, and nar­cissistic infantilism — delivered with a snide, ironic spin — is increasingly the order of the day Pundits throw weekly tantrums in ‘The McLaughlin Group’ and ‘Capital Gang’ and m the premier issue of ‘Icon Thoughtstyle’ magazine, Roberto Alomar — the baseball player who made waves last year for spitting on an umpire — is featured as well, an icon”

Regression rather that progression

What is to be made of this growing phenomenon — a condition when grown men and women become captives of permanent adolescence, with a reluctance to ever grow up and move on, an era when individuals perpetually rejoice m their youth, shirking responsibility and boasting m self The scriptures tell believers that they must not follow the path that leads to perpetual immaturity, and that they must accept responsibility for their actions.

In Paul’s letter to Titus, Paul writes “To speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures ” (Titus 3 2 NKJV) In essence Paul tells all believers they must grow in ways that are pleasing in God’s eyes Believers must progress rather than regress.

Inspiring this trend of permanent adolescence is the mandate that no one takes responsibility for his actions As a result, the United States has a Vice President who describes himself as a Deadhead and a Speaker of the House who says he’s really a happy four year old who gets up every morning hoping to find a cookie Even the Internet, originally designed as a resource for scholars, is rapidly becoming a playground and a place to exchange dirty pictures, sick jokes and pleas for attention.

Youth to be enjoyed and left behind

The scriptures tell us we should enjoy our youth, learn from our youthful experiences and grow in the Truth Stagnation or regression toward youth should not be practiced or encouraged “Rejoice, 0 young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth, walk in the ways of your heart, and in the sight of your eyes, but know that for all these God will bring you into judgment Therefore remove sorrow from your heart, and put away evil from your flesh, for childhood and youth are vanity” (Eccl 11:9-10)

A humble and faithful servant should not bask in the glory of vain practices “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child, but when I became a man, I put away childish things” (1 Cor 13:11 NKJV) If the trend of permanent adolescence continues to be popular in North America, one wonders how many will be interested in the serious message of the Truth.

During the second world war, Germany waged war on sev­eral fronts at the same time To the west and south were the Allies, to the east and north was Russia, and in­ternally they fought another “enemy” Despite the fierce external battles, the internal war claimed more lives than all the other battles combined What was known m the 1940’s as Hitler’s “final solution of the Jewish question” resulted in the persecution and death of Jews mail countries under his con­trol By the end of the war, six mil­lion Jews had been systematically murdered Since the atrocities of the holocaust, Jewish organizations around the world have worked dili­gently and tirelessly to ensure anti-Semitism is kept in check.

Russian anti-Semitism in the past

Since biblical times the Jewish people have been the victims of many persecutions Russia, for example, has a long history of state-sponsored pogroms and repression Organized anti-Semitism raised its ugly head m 1743, 1881, 1904 and again during the second world war Anti-Semitism reached its peak under Stalin when the so-called doctors’ plot in 1953 served as a pretext to round up those branded “enemies of the people” and expel Jews from the government and universities Official discrimination lingered into Gorbachev’s tenure.

The collapse of Communism in 1991 liberated Jews and also the Rus­sian Orthodox church, but religious freedom did little to open the mindset of many conservative priests and church elders Some of them still insist “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” a fictitious 1905 account of a Jewish conspiracy to take over the world, is genuine Therefore it should be no surprise, despite the best efforts of Jewish organizations, that anti-Semitism continues.

Russian anti-Semitism today

A New York Times article of April 15, 1997 reported many Russians are again using the Jews as a scapegoat for their troubles “At a recent rally near Red Square to protest the Rus­sian government’s delays m paying salaries and pensions, people’s rage quickly focused on a different culprit ‘Why are there no Russians m gov­ernment?’ Zinaida Piskunova screeched, ‘Why, why, why are there only Jews?’ She is 46, a rosy-cheeked collective farm worker from the city of Yaroslavl who wore a flowered kerchief and a sandwich board that read, ‘Down With the Government, Zionist Know-it-Alls!’ The people around her backed her up ‘It’s true,’ one man said ‘First Livshits and Yavlinsky, then Berezovsky and now Nemtsov And Chubais, he’s probably a Jew too’ He was listing some of the most prominent Russian politicians associated with economic reform”

More Jews are now in high places in Russia than at any time since the revolution of 1917, which some Rus­sians are depicting as sinister

Russian Jewish revival

The New York Times continued “The Russian state-sponsored discrimination of the Soviet era has been abolished, opening doors to the highest branches of academia, business and government. Russians still brand Judaism as a nationality like Russian or Armenian. Russian Jews, estimated at 500,000, meanwhile have reestablished Judaism as a religion and a culture. Religious schools and synagogues are flourishing. All over Russia there are Hebrew universities, Lubavitch communities, soup kitchens and kosher shops. As they pre­pare for Passover, Jews in Moscow can choose between matzoh imported from Israel or made in Russia. Emi­gration, which was negligible until Gorbachev opened the floodgates in 1989, peaked in 1991 and 92, but since then it has slowed down, a sign of stability.”

Communists and extreme nation­alists regularly complain Jews control banks and the mass media. Boris Berezovsky, a car dealer turned media, banking and real estate tycoon, is deputy chairman of the National Security Council. In this post, he is one of the more prominent Jews in Moscow. Berezovsky, whose company, Logovaz, owns a large share of Russia’s largest television network, ORT, is twinned in the public imagi­nation with Vladimir Gusinsky, a powerful banker who owns the sec­ond-largest non-government network, NTV. Gusinsky is also chairman of the Russian Jewish Congress.

Berezovsky is a subject of contro­versy in Russia and there are legiti­mate questions about his business dealings, government contracts and influence in the Kremlin. Oddly, when he was appointed to his government post, Izvestia and other re­spected newspapers focused mainly on the fact he is Jewish.

The latter days

The Middle East remains in the center of the news and anti-Semitism revives in a place where it had appar­ently died. These are both aspects of prophecy we would expect to be prominent in the latter days. God will draw the northern forces against Is­rael, but, in all probability, He will do it in a manner which appears naturally occasioned by the political, economic and cultural forces of the moment. As those knowing the end of the matter, we watch with fascination as events develop.

We should also note that Russia is only hurting herself in blaming her troubles on the Jews. The promise made by God to Abraham long ago is still in effect: Those who curse the Jews God will curse. As a result, Russia’s cursing of the Jews only in­creases the probability that her prob­lems will worsen.

During the past Two Months, the Toronto Stock Exchange, Canada’s largest, stopped trading on several different occasions The exchange actually had to close early on four days and all because of the extremely heavy volume being traded on one company – Bre-X.

Bre-X – a spectacular gold find?

Incorporated in the late 1980’s, Bre-X had watched its stock head constantly upward as mining analysts continually recommend it as a buy option A report in the Financial Post, August 19, 1996, said “Most of the analysts are pretty much m agree­ment that they have the goods” The “goods” were 50 million ounces of measured and indicated gold reserves Bre-X expected to confirm by yearend 1996 for its Busang property in Indonesia If confirmed, this single property would place Bre-X among the world’s largest gold companies.

Media hype was impressive “This discovery is one of the most important and significant made in the history of mining,” said Brian Fagan, editor of Asian World Stock Report. The Financial Post reported “Soon the company will be in a position to invite participation in what now looks to be a $1 billion mine development Analyst Kaiser believes it could be­gin producing in four years at the stag­gering rate of 2 5 million ounces a year and with operating costs of less than $120 an ounce The deposit has huge physical dimensions and evi­dence of a very strong mineralizing system which justify thought of an ultimate resource well in excess of 70 million ounces”

Bob Hainey of Yorkton Securities Inc ‘s mining analysts in London said “Although I have only looked at about a quarter of the mineralized area, ev­erywhere we went on the property, wherever they had uncovered the country rock, it looked the same The upside is enormous”

Market volatility

Indeed the upside was enormous so far as the stock price was con­cerned In the late 1980’s the com­pany sold as low as two cents per share (a true penny stock) When news of the gold finds became known, in Just over two years the stock rose to $256 at which time it was split ten to one After the stock split, the price continued to climb until March, 1997.

On March 19, 1997, the company’s chief geologist, who was credited with discovering the Busang gold field, committed suicide Michael de Guzman’s death sent shock waves through the industry because it occurred Just as due dili­gence proceedings with the gold find were commencing Almost immedi­ately after de Guzman’s death, an Indonesian newspaper report alleged that early analysis of Bre-X’s check samples had been disappointing.

These two pieces of news sent Bre-X’s share price down by $3 When, on March 27, 1997, the Calgary-based company reported there might not be as much gold as investors had been led to believe, a frenzy was created On this fateful day, over seven million shares in the company traded hands as the stock plummeted to close at $2

Huge drop in Mercury Finance

A situation similar to Bre-X re­cently occurred in the States In late January, Mercury Finance, a car loan company, disclosed its earnings had been overstated by more than $90 million over the last four years By March 31 the stock had dropped 78% in value Particularly devastated by the collapse were employees of Mer­cury who had invested heavily via their retirement savings plan.

The greed of the last days

These situations help illustrate the volatility of the world’s economic markets and the greed which exists in these last days Paul’s description comes immediately to mind “But know this, that in the last days peril­ous times will come For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money without self-control.” (II Tim 3 1-3 NKJV)

With competition increasing for retirement investments, central inves­tors are constantly looking for ways to increase their client’s returns Although the nomenclature in today’s investment community is not found in scripture, the central theme is clearly there – greed Isaiah has some pointed words “Yes, they are greedy dogs which never have enough And they are shepherds who cannot under­stand, they all look to their own way, every one for his own gain” (Isa 56 11 NKJV)

In addition to greed is the psychology of looking to one’s investments for security instead of to God The attitude of many is identical to the rich man in the parable “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully And he thought within himself, say­ing, What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops’? So he said, I will do this I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have much goods laid up for many years, take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry” What a foolish attitude, for “God said to him, Fool’ This night your soul will be required of you, then whose will those things be which you have provided’? So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” (Lk 12 16-21 NKJV)

The collapse of specific stocks from time to time should be a reminder that storing up treasure on earth is foolish, especially to those of us who have such an opportunity to store up treasure that will last forever.

Considering their historical rivalries, religious difference and military alliance, Turkey, Iran and Russia make for strange bedfellows The Russian population of some 150 million people are prima­rily members of the traditional Ortho­dox church As well, the Russian military is a founder and full member of the Warsaw pact The Iranian population of some 41 million people are primarily Shiite Muslims Although the Iranian military is not involved in any formal organization, it has spent the last several years expanding its military might The Turk­ish population of some 63 million people are primarily Muslim but live m the most prominent example of a secular Islam As well, the Turkish military is a full member of NATO Yet scripture indicates these three nations will be united in the latter days This month’s article will exam-me some of the recent changes that have taken place between the three, changes that cause Bible students to believe such prophecies will shortly be fulfilled.

Turkish – Iranian connection

Turkey Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan’s government is attempting to subtly implement Islamic religious fundamentalism in Turkey On March 2, 1997, The New York Times re­ported “Since Erbakan took office in June, his government has taken steps that, while mainly symbolic, have conflicted with Turkey’s image as a bastion of secularism Mr Erbakan and some of his leading advisers have encouraged young people to attend religious observances m government buildings and military bases, and ad­vocated the construction of large mosques in areas of Istanbul and An­kara that are known as centers of secularism”

As one might appreciate, this quiet implementation is being supported by the Iranian government while at the same time being opposed by the Turk­ish military Again The New York Times reports “The (Turkish) army has taken several steps to flex its muscle Last month it sent tanks onto the streets of a town near Ankara where the Iranian Ambassador to Tur­key had made a fiery pro-fundamen­talist speech”

There is much more to the Turkey-Iranian relationship than religious fundamentalism These two nations recently signed an economic package that includes a 25-year natural gas deal worth $23 billion This includes the construction of a pipeline between Iran and Turkey and the sale of gas to Turkey starting at 4 billion cubic meters and escalating to 10 billion by the year 2010 The plan is scheduled to take affect m 1999 after the con­struction of a 260-kilometer pipeline from the Iranian city of Tabriz to Tur­key Iran will also build a pipeline from Tabriz to the border town of Teba under the agreement.

The most significant aspect of this deal is that Turkey acted without bending to the views of its strongest ally As a result, Turkey has come to the brink of losing its friendship with the United States The arrangement contravenes the controversial Iran-Libya Sanctions Act, which gives the

United States power to penalize non-­U.S. firms and governments that in­vest $40 million or more per year in either country’s oil and natural gas sectors. Although the U.S. has yet to officially retaliate for this deal, Turkey has indicated they are willing to jeopardize their long standing-rela­tionship with the U.S.

Since the natural gas deal was signed in late 1996, the Iranian-Turk­ish relationship has continued to grow and prosper; specifically noted by the news wires were the following:

• Iranian President Rafsanjani, accompanied by a large delegation, paid a four-day visit to Turkey (Dec. 19, 1996).
• The United States expressed disapproval of a visit by Rafsanjani to Turkey and advised Ankara against improving ties with Tehran (Dec. 20, 1996).
• Rafsanjani indicated that deals on trade, mutual enterprise, protection and promotion, marine trade, the environment, agriculture, joint industry and commerce and many other plans were signed, bumping trade volume between Iran and Turkey upward by an estimated sum of $2 billion from last year’s $950 million.
• Iran’s ambassador to Ankara, Mohammed Reza Bagheri, spoke dur­ing a “Jerusalem Night” ceremony organized by the fundamentalist mayor of Ankara’s Sincan, and lauded the merits of fundamentalism (Jan. 31, 1997).
• Iran’s Istanbul Consul-General Mohammed Reza Rasid joined in the controversy created by the anti-Israeli rally in Sincan by saying Turkey is a Muslim country and “no one can prevent the spread of Islam” (Feb. 5, 1997).

The Russian connection

It was reported by the official Iranian news agency in December, “Iran and Russia are signing long-term political, military and economic agree­ments that assure this alliance will be one of the most important fixtures of the post-Cold War era.” Most re­cently, in a quiet development the Ira­nian government set aside $300 million to increase its business and eco­nomic ties with Russia. According to Intelligence Digest’s Joseph de Courcy, Russia and Iran are working on a “declaration of principles” which will more formally establish long-term cooperation between the two coun­tries.

One of the more interesting devel­opments between Iran and Russia is that these two nations are working toward setting up an “OPEC-style” organization. The primary reason for the establishment is that Russia and Iran together control more than half the world’s natural gas reserves and nearly half the world’s crude-oil re­serves. Obviously, this new organi­zation would have considerable clout in dealing with world markets.

These three nations do indeed make for strange bedfellows. Despite their differences, they have one thing in common – they will be united to­gether during the latter days. It is in­teresting to note that relationships are now being established, and alliances formed. Does all this not signal the return of our Lord Jesus Christ?

Let us pray that he may come soon.

Accords between Israel and Syria and Israel and Lebanon are missing links in the Middle East peace process To date Israel has negotiated peace with Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinians but not with these northern neighbors.

The major stumbling blocks to a settlement with Syria are the fate of the Golan Heights and the obstinance of Syria’s President Hafez el-Assad In the case of Lebanon, the single impediment is Iran’s involvement with Lebanon.

Israel and Lebanon

The Lebanese government has been highly unstable since the neigh­boring Arab nations brokered the civil war cease-fire in 1989 At first Syria, and more lately Iran, have controlled the Lebanese government In addi­tion, since 1993, fighting and terror­ist attacks have erupted between Shiite Hezbollah (Party of God) guer­rillas and Israel in southern Lebanon.

The relationship between Leba­non and Iran has strengthened during the past several years For example, Iran has openly and willingly spon­sored the Hezbollah guerrilla activity both in Lebanon and in Israel Most recently, the Iranian government agreed to step up the attack on Israel The Ha ‘aretz of February 4, 1997 re­ports “The Iranian ambassador to Lebanon has called on Hezbollah to step up attacks against Israel, and said Tehran would finance the increased activity” “The Israeli enemy has no choice but to leave Lebanon” the ambassador said during a ceremony in Baalbak, southern Lebanon “If they don’t, we will all be the opposi­tion We all will point our weapons against the Zionist enemy and teach him another lesson until he under­stands that Lebanon is a cemetery for anyone who dares to conquer one speck of her land.”

According to Israeli government sources, on February 4, Hezbollah at­tacked more than 20 Israeli and South Lebanese Army positions with light weapons, mortars and Sagger mis­siles.

The prospect of peace between Is­rael and the Lebanese government is very bleak as long as Iran is involved The Iranian position on Israel is sum­marized by Iran’s deputy Foreign Minister Alaedin Boroujerdi “The Islamic Republic of Iran will not take one step backward or retreat and will always insist on the restoration of Muslim holy lands We believe as long as the Middle Eastern territories are occupied by foreign forces, the problem of peace will remain unre­solved.”

It would seem our Lord must be here before Isaiah’s words will be ful­filled “For the day of the Lord of hosts shall come upon everything proud and lofty, upon everything lifted up and it shall be brought low Upon all the cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan.” (Isa 212-13)

Israel and Syria

As the prospect for peace between Israel and Lebanon wanes, the pros­pect of peace between Israel and Syria brightens The world press trumpets the prospect for peace has increased ten-fold over the past month On January 24, 1997, the Israeli newspa­per. Yediot Aharonot reported “Israel and Syria have exchanged letters and documents in an effort to finalize a mutual formula that will enable them to renew peace negotiations The communiques are being relayed via American and European officials with the approval of Prime Minister Ben­jamin Netanyahu and Syrian Presi­dent Hafez el-Assad.”

According to the paper, the pro­cess of drafting an Israeli-Syrian po­sition paper has already reached an advanced stage and may lead to the restarting of talks in the upcoming weeks. The paper continued that the effort was initiated by Foreign Min­ister David Levy, who, in the past few weeks, sent messages to Damascus through several foreign ministers vis­iting Israel Syria initially wanted the document to include an Israeli com­mitment to withdraw from the Golan Heights, claiming it had reached such an understanding with the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin Israel re­sponded that nothing had been put into a binding written document, and that the parties must return to the ne­gotiating table without preconditions. The compromise document will re­portedly include each side’s percep­tion of previous understandings

Major stumbling blocks are where to begin discussions as well as the fate of the Golan Heights Israel’s Levy remarked on January 29 “An attempt has been made through the contacts to bridge the gap between Syria’s position, which calls for a renewal of negotiations at the point where they left off and Israel’s position, which calls for talks to take place without preconditions.”

In his message to Damascus, Levy stated that no commitments had been finalized m previous talks between Israel and Syria At the same time, the Foreign Minister added, Israel is interested in creating continuity be­tween last year’s negotiations and future talks There is thus an inten­tion to work on the basis of under­standings reached at the Madrid Con­ference of 1991.

To ensure success will be achieved in the peace process, the Prime Min­ister has indicated the talks will be conducted with “all hands on deck” That is, once talks with Syria are re­newed, they will be conducted through several channels He added that security would be monitored by the Defense Minister and foreign af­fairs issues would be monitored by David Levy The Prime Minister added that, since he believes there will be some economic aspects to potential negotiations, he has asked Finance Minister Dean Meridor to steer all financial issues toward the possibility of holding economic talks with Syria.

Whatever happens with the nego­tiations of men, Bible students under­stand that divine intervention is nec­essary to achieve lasting peace in the area For this we hope and pray, for Israel’s peace will mean the great son of David is seated on David’s throne.