Saturday, January 8, 2011

Document Leaks Reveal Surprising Picture of Middle East


King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, seen here with President Obama during a meeting last summer has suggested that the nations of the world, and particularly the U.S., must take strong action to protect the Middle East from the threat of Iran. Photo courtesy of the Saudi Arabian Embassy.
by Dr. Michael D. Evans

The release of hundreds of thousands of pages of confidential US State Department documents this past week revealed a number of embarrassingly frank assessments of international leaders; it also revealed some surprising relationships between Middle Eastern nations, particularly between Saudi Arabia and Israel.

Though Israel and Saudi Arabia have no official relationship the common threat posed by Iran, particularly with the nuclear weapons program nearing completion has made the two nations unlikely allies. King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has been urging the United States to take strong action, even including military strikes against Iran, telling them to "cut off the head of the snake."

Though Israel is certainly a primary target of Iran's future weapons, the ancient hatred between the Sunni and Shiite branches of Islam make the Arab nations of the Gulf region vulnerable to attack. Iran has both territorial, religious and economic incentives to either wage war on the Gulf oil states—or at minimum use the threat of nuclear attack as a means of obtaining concessions from the other nations.

Analysts fear that a nuclear Iran would spark a multi-billion dollar nuclear arms race across the Middle East as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, Syria and other nations launched their own weapons programs to keep Iran from gaining a permanent advantage in the region. The destabilizing effect of adding nuclear states with such strong terrorist elements would impact the entire world.

Since neither the Bush nor Obama Administrations have taken any effective steps against Iran, King Abdullah has apparently offered to support Israel in taking military action. The Saudi king has reportedly told Israeli military officials through indirect diplomatic channels that the Arab nation will provide tactical help to facilitate an Israeli attack on Iran. Though Saudi Arabia joined much of the rest of the world in publicly condemning Israel's attack on Iraq's nuclear program in 1981, they privately supported the effort because of their fear of Saddam Hussein. Today it appears their fear of President Ahmadinejad and the mullahs of Teheran is leading to a similar conclusion.

Terrorist Rocket Injures Girl at Israeli Kindergarten in Ashkelon

A Grad rocket launched from Gaza struck close to an Israeli kindergarten yesterday morning just as the children were arriving for school. At least one young girl was injured in the terrorist attack.

Aviva Fold, an official with the Ashkelon schools said, "The children were arriving at school this morning, at quarter to eight, when the siren blared. There was a code-red warning, and everyone panicked and rushed for the safety of the bomb shelters."

It is more urgent than ever before that we step up our efforts to protect the men, women, and children of Israel from these attacks. The demonically-inspired terrorists who are lashing out at the Chosen People in their fury and rage will never rest as long as Israel endures. They will continue to do everything in their power to kill as many Jews as they can unless and until they are stopped. They have no desire for peace.

At the same time terrorists continue their evil attacks against innocent men, women, and children, President Obama is using our tax dollars to support his plan against Israel and for the Palestinians—the same terrorists who have launched more than 200 rockets and missiles against Israel this year. Mr. Obama and the State Department believe they can destroy the government of Prime Minister Netanyahu so that a liberal government will replace it and accept the deal to give up land promised to Israel forever by God to create a Palestinian state. If this tragic plan to curse Israel succeeds, every nation that supports it will be cursed by Almighty God.

Violence Rocks Temple Mount in Jerusalem

An Israeli security guard responding to a call for help was ambushed by a mob of Palestinians who barricaded the street and threw rocks at him. Fearing for his life, the guard shot and killed a 35-year-old man with a long criminal history. Riots then broke out across the Holy City, leading to Israeli security forces being called to the Temple Mount.

In what may have been a coordinated attack designed to undermine the ongoing peace talks, a mob of Palestinians attacked an Israeli security guard who was responding to a call for help from a Jewish family. After barricading the road, the mob attacked his car with rocks and Molotov cocktails. Fearing for his life, the guard fired a warning shot and then shot and killed one Palestinian, who authorities said was "known to the police” and had a long criminal record.

Gangs of Palestinians roared through the streets of Jerusalem, attacking buses and cars and throwing stones at responding police officers. One Israeli man was stabbed and is in the hospital in "moderate condition,” and a number of others were injured by rocks or broken glass. Several police cars and other official vehicles were burned.

Hundreds of Palestinians gathered around the home of the dead assailant and followed the body to a cemetery near the Mount of Olives. From there, the violence spread to the Temple Mount. After violent clashes with the police, a number of the Palestinians fled for refuge inside the Al-Aska Mosque on the Temple Mount, where Israeli soldiers would not follow.

The outbreak of violence was the worst in months, underlining the fragile nature of peace negotiations and bringing into question the ability of the Palestinian Authority (PA) government to deliver on any bargains they might make during the talks. If the PA is interested in quelling outbreaks of violence—an assertion that is certainly open to question— it is not at all clear that they could do so.

Palestinian President Abbas clings to power now two years after his term in office expired because of an agreement with the United Nations, the European Union, the United States and Russia—the so-called Quartet. The agreement was reached in fear of who would be elected to replace him if elections were held as had been scheduled. He is wildly unpopular among the people he supposedly leads, and his own commitment to the peace process is the subject of much doubt among outside observers.