'The Bulls of Bashan surround me' — Israel, the Arab world and Destiny

Not quite one week ago, after a young Israeli IDF member was kidnapped by Hamas forces operating out of Gaza, Israel moved into Northern Gaza. This incursion—as with the Lebanese one—has evoked the traditional and expected accusations of “over-reacting,” and/or using the Gaza kidnapping as a “pretext” for an invasion. It should be recalled that Hamas has fired literally hundreds of missiles into Israel over a two-year period.

Following on the heels of these events, Hisbullah, operating out of Southern Lebanon, fired two missiles into Haifa, the northern port city of Israel, and kidnapped two IDF soldiers. This was by far the deepest missile attack on Israel. These events were followed by similar accusations. The firing of approximately one hundred missiles from Lebanon followed this. Suspicions abound that Syria played an active role in the Lebanese incursion, and that somewhere in the mix Iran was suspected to be similarly involved.

CNN showed Lebanese citizens stocking up on supplies. One woman said that she saw large numbers of people headed for the gas pump, and so she thought she ought to follow.

Now just back up a few months and start to see the Big Picture:

Within the past few months, Israel, without any guarantees or reciprocity on the Palestinian side, moved some eight thousand long-standing settlers out of Gaza. This was rewarded by violence from Hamas, more rocket-attacks from the newly occupied Northern Gaza, where vineyards were trampled, buildings destroyed and rocket launchers moved right up to the Israeli border.

Mammoud Abbas has been confronted by recently elected Hamas leaders and has put him in an impossible position as a Palestinian leader. For the past two years rockets have been fired from Gaza into Southern Israel. The kidnapping that precipitated Israel’s response followed this event..

Syria has basically been running Lebanon for twenty years, and Israel has not been in Southern Lebanon for years. The assassination of a previous Lebanese Prime Minister, most probably by Syria was met with only token disapproval.

Also for the past two years we have seen in the online papers and sites and progressive rise in anti-Semitic attacks and nonsensical logic to justify them. (See my previous article.)

Going back even further, The United States beat a hasty retreat when Hisbullah slaughtered over two hundred and sixty Marines in one explosive attack. No comment, threat or discussion followed, and the sheep that wallow up and down the aisles of Congress did nothing and said nothing.

Let’s come back up the the present:

Within the past few months, Iran has simultaneously announced her intention to enrich Uranium, and has continuously and resolutely avoided making any concessions or commitment to the peaceful use of nuclear power at the same time. One deadline after another has passed, with little comment from George Bush. Add to the mix the utter lack of passion on the part of either Hamas or Hisbullah as they intensify their attacks without comment or justification. Within the past week, Bush has announced calmly that “Israel has the right to defend herself,” and added that, in a similar fashion, so do we, I am inferring this being a reference to the unholy war in Iraq.

Do you get the feeling that this is all choreographed? I do.

Now I have also said that I thought Bush and the Israeli leadership are bedfellows—at least figuratively. I said that I believe that Bush and the Israeli government really are on the same page and that the net effect is the polarization of power in the Middle East, with Bush obtaining de facto territory in the previous southern Russian states, leaving only one obstacle, one linchpin to be taken:

Iran.

I predict that Israel will be engaged in a massive conflict, with Hamas being a nuisance factor on her southern front, resulting in the re-taking of the Gaza and fortification of the West Bank, with major operations aimed at Syria, and a pincer strategy to isolate Iran, leading to a joint occupation. This will give Bush a listening post on the Western Chinese border, increased oil reserves, and he will be poised effectively on Russia’s southern border. I believe that Bush and Jerusalem have an extensive plan. As to how rational it might be (if such a term could be used in this context) that is another question.

Our military has learned quite a bit in the past three years. Bush is counting on highly sophisticated weapon systems, most of which are not even imagined by the public. Now here comes the crazy part:

I think the troops are going to come from the prison population, possibly with supply lines from the immigrant population. The Bushites know that the time to act is now. If they hope to control the world and enslave you and I, it is now or never.

William Golding, the British author of “Lord of the Flies” wrote another compelling novel entitled “Pincer Martin.” In it, a man has a surreal experience from which he almost extricates himself. At the end of the book he awakens from a restless sleep to discover that he is a terminal cancer victim. He awakens—only to die.

When we awaken from this all, I wonder what and how we will be.