Posted on 01/15/2007 7:32:20 AM PST by standingfirm
* * * * FLASH TRAFFIC: WASHINGTON UPDATE * * * *
DISPATCH FROM JERUSALEM: BUSH SPEECH SEEN AS PREPARING FOR WAR WITH IRAN
By Joel C. Rosenberg
(Jerusalem, Israel) -- "Our best case scenario is for missiles to be hitting us in the next year or two. Either the West goes to war to stop Iran from going nuclear, and Iran fires conventional missiles at us in retaliation, or the West waits too long and Iran launches a nuclear first strike at us. Either way, a terrible war is coming. It cannot be avoided."
That's the sobering assessment a senior Israeli political leader shared with me over breakfast this week.
In that context, President Bush's recalibrated Mideast strategy is resonating positively here. The combination of 20,000 more U.S. troops in Iraq, a second U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier headed towards the Persian Gulf, the buildup of more anti-missile batteries near Iran, and a flat out rejection of appeasement talks with Iran and Syria indicates that the White House is not only serious about defeating the forces of radical Islam in and around Baghdad, but may in fact be gearing up for a military showdown with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his fanatic disciples in 2007.
Secretary of State Condi Rice, here in the region this week, downplayed that view somewhat, saying in Jerusalem that "the U.S. is simply responding to Iranian activities that have been going on for a while now that … endanger our forces." But there is no question that the Arab and Iranian press are interpreting the President's moves as a step towards war.
I've been in Israel for the past ten days filming an EPICENTER documentary for network broadcast and nationwide release later this year. Picking up on the themes from the book, the film will focus on the urgency of the Iranian nuclear threat; how Shiite eschatology is driving Iranian foreign policy; why Russia is selling Iran missiles, submarines and nuclear technology; the differences between Islamic conceptions of end times prophecy and Judeo-Christian expectations of the last days; and how evangelical Christians and Israeli Jews can work together in light of this common enemy.
Exclusive interviews this week included: * Benjamin Netanyahu, former Prime Minister and current Likud leader * Natan Sharansky, former Deputy Prime Minister and founder of OneJerusalem.org * Moshe Yaalon, former Israeli Defense Forces chief of staff * Dore Gold, former Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations, president of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, and author of the forthcoming book, THE FIGHT FOR JERUSALEM
I asked Netanyahu how much time the West has to stop Ahmadinejad. "Not much," he said, noting that when he was Prime Minister both India and Pakistan tested nuclear weapons to the shock of all Western intelligence agencies and that Iran could be much closer to getting the Bomb than anyone realizes. "Nothing else matters -- not Iraq, not the peace process with the Palestinians -- if Iran is allowed to obtain nuclear weapons. They must be stopped."
Sharansky warned that action needs to be taken in 2007, or it could be too late. Ambassador Gold told me that Ahmadinejad's cult of "Twelvers" -- Shiites feverishly preparing for the coming of the Twelfth Imam, or the "Mahdi" -- recently claimed to have pre-positioned sleeper cells of Mahdi warriors in Jerusalem and that Messianic fever is sweeping the Shiite crescent from Iran and southern Iraq to Lebanon.
[A very special thanks to the staff of OneJerusalem.org who arranged these interviews for us. They are one of the leading organizations in the U.S. and Israel in helping journalists and bloggers understand the threats facing Israel and making top experts available for interviews.]
In addition to interviews, we've been doing a lot of on-location filming, including in the Netanyahu tunnels underneath the Old City, on Har Megiddo (the mountain known in the Bible as Armageddon), and Yad Vashem (the Holocaust memorial). The most remarkable moment of the week - aside from the half hour I spent interviewing Netanyahu this afternoon - was an hour-long helicopter ride with our film crew flying over Israel and Jerusalem at sunset. It was absolutely breathtaking. The footage is amazing. I never thought I'd have the opportunity to do something like that. Can't wait for you to see it. I'll give you updates on the progress of the documentary in the weeks ahead.
Another objective of these past ten days was for Lynn and myself and members of The Joshua Fund board to meet with top Israeli evangelical and Messianic Jewish leaders find ways to bring more humanitarian relief into the country both to care for the poor and needy as well as to pre-position emergency relief supplies for the coming war with Iran, Syria, Hezbollah and Hamas. I'll have more specifics to report to you on The Joshua Fund's plans and partnerships in the next week or so. Thanks so much to all of you who have invested in this work to bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus. It could not be more urgent.
By the way, I'd appreciate your prayers concerning an interesting opportunity that has arisen. I've been invited by a top Iranian evangelical leader to teach for three days on "God's Love and Plan For Iran" in a series of programs that will be televised live by satellite into Iran in February. Each broadcast will be shown in prime time and seen by an estimated three to five million Iranians. The programs will be available to about 80% of Iranian households and could be seen top mullahs and intelligence officials, as well as Ahmadinejad himself. My talks will be translated simultaneously -- phrase by phrase -- into Farsi and since the programs are live, I will be able to respond in real time to phone calls and emails, answering people's questions about the differences between the Islamic conception of the Messiah and the Biblical teachings about the Second Coming of Jesus, as well helping both Iranian Christians and Shiites understand the prophecies of Ezekiel 38-39. The programs will then be turned into a DVD to create a teaching tool for thousands of underground pastors operating in house churches throughout Iran. I'd be grateful for your prayers for wisdom to communicate accurately and clearly, and for physical and spiritual protection for myself and my family. Thanks so much.
Why can't Israel do it?
Flash Traffic? Great name for a band.
I don't believe that the US is preparing for a full-size attack on Iran. It would only unit the disparate elements in Iran at a time when it is politically starting to come apart. Surgical strikes of a defensive posture are a different matter. I believe an attack on the nuclear capability is on Israel's plate, not ours.
I don't believe that the US is preparing for a full-size attack on Iran. It would only unite the disparate elements in Iran at a time when it is politically starting to come apart. Surgical strikes or a defensive posture are a different matter. I believe an attack on the nuclear capability is on Israel's plate, not ours. (Typos fixed)
I think the context of this is that the Middle east view is that our posturing is seen as preparation for an attack.
Seems more likely to me that we are preparing to defend ourselves in the region in the event Israel pre-emptively takes out Iran's nuclear research facilities.
Yes, I'm sure that this is a scenario that has been planned for, along with many other scenarios. I'm sure they have all sorts of contingency plans, or at least you would hope so.
Flash Traffic is a great name for a band. your brain is working well this morning!
They should just throw it on the table and let the libs start pissing and moaning now so we don't have to listen to it later.
"Why can't Israel do it?"
Geography and politics (but mostly geography - they are too far from Iranina targets to effectively reach them with their military weapons, to achieve an acceptable probablity of strategic mission success).
Right, I suppose I meant "morally and poltically". If they truly can't actually pull it off, then I understand, but I tend to think that they could.
Iran allows this sort of thing?
I guess they are...it's going to be televised live via satellite, so can they even stop it if they wanted to?
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