Once again the world is holding its breath

December 29, 2008 – Perhaps, it’s the cynicism which warps an aging reporter’s mind – one who has covered the beginnings of the 1990-91Gulf War and the vicious Ethiopian conflict.
However, the present-day war between Israel and the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip reminded me once again that the doomsday clock is rapidly ticking towards the midnight hour.
Just in the past few days, the escalation of an “end-times” scenario became much more pronounced as all of Israel’s bitterest enemies and her friends, particularly the United States, are only a day or so away from joining in the Israel-Gaza (Hamas) showdown.
If you believe such a scenario seems impossible, just remember the warships of Iran and now even the great power – China – are in the Gulf of Aden, chasing down pirates while Putin’s Russia from the North seems edgy into getting into the Middle East hostilities. Meanwhile, the U.S. armies are in nearby Iraq and Afghanistan.
Coupled with these possibilities would be Israel’s plans to wipe out the Iranian nuclear facilities and the Biblical forecast of the complete destruction of the Syrian capital of Damascus.
The following is a previous column when the world was holding its breath just two years ago.
Tick … Tick … Tick!
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May, 2006 -- While Israel has been celebrating its 58th birthday, a frightening scenario has been rapidly unfolding in the Middle East. The players appear to be all in place -- Iran, Iraq, Ethiopia, Libya and Algeria among others -- ready to "annihilate" Israel within days.
Even Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, some might call him "MAD" for short, has certainly bellowed from his small frame: "Israel must be wiped off the map." In other words, drive the miniscule Jewish state into the Mediterrean Sea.
For generations, despots such as Germany's Adolf Hitler have sought to erase Jews from the face of the earth; however, none have succeeded and, according to the Bible, none ever will.
As a former Middle East bureau chief for a major news service, and based in Jerusalem, this reporter has watched as nation after nation have turned their backs on the much-maligned peoples.
In what would be considered an end-times scenario, there seems to be one nation that must be among the list of enemies of Israel, and that, of course, would be Russia.Already the expansive Land of the North -- Putin's Russia -- has declared themselves as faciliators.
While Ahmadinejad has stated his case against Israel, citing the Palestinian issue, other voices are being raised in Iran and elsewhere, fomenting the situation into a fever pitch.In actuality, the Palestinian issue is non-existent, for the people that have occupied both Gaza and large areas of the West Bank territories are only usurpers since Palestine has never been their land; most are peoples from Jordan and other Arab countries, who "squatted" in present-day Israel, for the Jews were, basically, in exile for some 2,000 years.
In 1948, the Jews under such leadership as the late David Ben-Gurion and others established their homeland and it became known as modern-day Israel.
For the children of Israel, it had been a heart-rendering "exile," for even in Psalm 137 it reads:"How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land?
If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right handforget her cunning.
If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to theroof of my mouth;if I prefer not Jerusalem above my highest joys.
This was the song of the exiled Jews, who were camped by the waters of Babylon, now in present-day Iraq.
Through the errant leadership of now-comatose Ariel Sharon and present-day Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Sharon's protege, of "giving up" their God-given inheritance, the Israelis have been squeezed inside a small portion of The Land, and completely surrounded by hostile Islamic nations, particularly Syria.
And what do the Iranians intend to do in such a situation?
Perhaps, a senior Revolutionary Guards commander, Rear Admiral Mohammad-Ebrahim Dehqani, put it more succinctly than some of his diplomatic cohorts when he said: "We have announced that whenever America does something evil, the first place we will target will be Israel.
"In other words, that's more than a double dare. The rear admiral was actually saying, "Mr. Bush, we dare you to do something and we'll go after Israel ... with nuclear weapons. After all, we have them."Undoubtedly, Washington and President Bush will not sit idly by and allow Iran to dictate world terms.
And what will be the triggering mechanism to bring Russia from the North to join Iran, Iraq, Ethiopia, Libya and Algeria in attacking Israel?That's something all news observers are pondering.Will there be other prominent "spoils," which stand out when the Russian-led Muslim alliance attempts to invade the tiny state, who possess nuclear facilities at Dimona?
One thing that's absolutely certain, according to the "textbook" -- the Bible -- there will be "a supernatural destruction of this Russian-led alliance.
"Will it occur in the massive staging area known as Armageddon, in the Valley of Jezreel, in northern Israel?
And what happens to the so-called No. 1 world power, the United States, in this scenario?