Aziz Dwaik (remember that name), the most senior representative for Hamas in the West Bank said on Wednesday that Hamas is ready to accept Israel’s right to exist. Dwaik also said that Hamas would also potentially be prepared to nullify its decades-old charter which states that the organization would never recognize that the state of Israel has a right to exist. Meanwhile, a newly released Vatican document blames the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the “occupying” of lands for fomenting most of the conflicts in the Middle East.
Both of these stunning developments come at a time when the worldwide pressure for Israel to agree to a Palestinian state has grown to a fever pitch.
In fact, many are viewing this recent posturing by Hamas as nothing more than a shrewd public relations ploy.
You see, there are essentially two organizations running the Palestinians – the Palestinian authority in the West Bank, and Hamas in the Gaza strip.
The Israeli government has been willing to negotiate off and on with the Palestinian authority, but they have had major problems with Hamas. The absolute extermination of the nation of Israel has always been the stated policy of Hamas, but now things are apparently changing (at least for public consumption).
In fact, Aziz Dwaik sounds almost dismissive when talking about the cherished charter of his organization. Just consider the following quotes by Dwaik in the Jerusalem Post….
“The [Hamas] charter was drafted more than 20 years ago,” Dwaik noted, adding that his movement would even be prepared to “nullify” the document.
“No one wants to throw anyone into the sea,” he said.
Many believe that Dwaik will be the next president of the Palestinian Authority, so his words carry with them a great deal of weight.
In fact, Dwaik’s remarks are being viewed by many as an attempt to win official recognition from the international community.
But of course the main goal is to get a Palestinian state.
Intense pressure is being placed on Israel from all over the globe to give the Palestinians a state based on pre-1967 borders.
So what is Israel supposed to get in return?
A promise of peace that won’t even be worth the paper it is written on.
Some deal, huh?
Meanwhile, an internal document to be used as a guide for an upcoming meeting of Mideast Catholic bishops blames the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the “occupying” of lands as the root cause for most of the conflicts in the Middle East.
So just who is “occupying” lands according to the bishops?
Well, apparently that would be the United States and Israel.
Particularly Israel.
The reality is that the Vatican has endorsed the Mideast Road Map which calls for an independent Palestinian state and a freeze on all Israeli settlement activity.
Apparently the Vatican has not spent a lot of time reading what God has to say about dividing the land of Israel – or else they are just willfully ignoring it.
In any event, another key element in this equation is the Vatican’s not-so-secret agenda for the city of Jerusalem. Not only has the Vatican publicly expressed a desire to have sovereignty over the Christian holy sites in Jerusalem transferred to it, the truth is that the Vatican would ultimately love to be the governing authority over the entire city of Jerusalem.
Think of it as a “second Vatican” if you will.
Now that is not likely to ever come to pass, but if the Vatican could get control over Jerusalem somehow they would grab it in a second.
More than ever, the land of Israel, and in particular the city of Jerusalem, has become a “burdensome stone” in these last days. The world is going to keep whining and complaining and putting pressure on Israel until they get a Palestinian state.
But ultimately the world will see that a Palestinian state will not solve anything. The nation of Israel is not going to experience true and lasting peace until Yahshua (Jesus) the Messiah returns to this earth.
