As President Obama Hits Israel Again, Canada’s Prime Minister Yet Again Proves Himself To Be The Most Pro-Israel Leader On The Planet

President Barack Obama unfairly criticized Israel yesterday while visiting Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim country. While visiting mosques and meeting Muslim leaders and giving speeches about building better relations with Muslims, the President gratuitously chose to criticize the Jewish State for daring to announce the building of some 1,300 new apartments in Jerusalem to deal with the city’s population growth. The President said such moves were an impediment to the peace process with the Palestinians.

“This kind of activity is never helpful when it comes to peace negotiations,” said President Obama. “I’m concerned that we’re not seeing each side make the extra effort involved to get a breakthrough…Each of these incremental steps can end up breaking trust.”

Unhelpful? Breaking trust? You’ve got to be kidding me. Netanyahu imposed a 10 month moratorium on new building in Jerusalem and the West Bank as a goodwill gesture to the Palestinians to encourage them to begin direct peace negotiations. Yet Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas squandered nine of those months by refusing to enter such talks. Then Abbas engaged for a few weeks, but refused to recognize Israel as a Jewish State, refused to agree to the Palestinians having a demilitarized state, and now has broken off direct talks and refuses to reengage with Netanyahu, even though Israel is offering to allow the creation of a Palestinian state.

[UPDATE: The Obama administration on Wednesday decided to reward Palestinian Authority intransigence by giving the PA $150 million in US taxpayer dollars.]

Prime Minister Netanyahu, currently visiting the U.S., immediately responded to President Obama’s criticism: “Jerusalem is not a settlement; Jerusalem is the capital of the State of Israel.” He is absolutely correct. Israel has every right to build homes for Jews, Muslims and Christians in her capital. The “unhelpful” intransigence is on the Palestinian side. If Abbas wants a state, he should negotiate for one directly and in good faith, not wait for President Obama to force Israel to accept Abbas’ demands.

Moreover, the critical question facing the U.S., Israel, and the world right now should not be stopping the building of apartments in Jerusalem but stopping the building of nuclear weapons in Iran. Yet the Obama administration is not taking decisive action to stop Iran from getting the Bomb, and refuses to put a credible military threat against Iran on the table.

Contrast President Obama’s deeply unfriendy approach towards Israel with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s consistently courageous pro-Israel approach.

* Harper was the first world leader to order his UN delegation to walk out of a speech at the UN General Assembly by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad several years ago.
* Harper was the first world leader to announce Canada would not be sending a delegation to the UN’s ”Durban II” conference which was supposed to be about opposing racism but turned into a vicious anti-Israel forum whose keynote speaker was Ahmadinejad, a man who has denied the Holocaust and has repeatedly called for the “annihilation” of the Jewish State.
* When the Gaza flotilla crisis unfolded, Harper stood strongly with Israel’s right to defend herself from terrorist and left-wing activist attacks, whereas the White House equivocated.
* In contrast to President Obama, Prime Minister Harper has built a warm and increasingly close professional relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.
* Harper has strongly urged the world to stop Iran’s nuclear weapons program before it is too late.
* Harper has been so pro-Israel that Canada recently lost a bid to be on the UN Security Council because anti-Israel countries coalesced against Canada and prevented her from attaining such a globally influential position.

This week, Prime Minister Harper delivered a major address saying he and the people of Canada will continue to stand with Israel and defend the Jewish people no matter what the cost.

“As long as I am prime minister, whether it is at the UN or the Francophonie or anywhere else, Canada will take that stand, whatever the cost,” Harper told a conference on anti-Semitism. ”Not just because it is the right thing to do but because history shows us, and the ideology of the anti-Israeli mob tells us all too well, that those who threaten the existence of the Jewish people are a threat to all of us.”

“We must be relentless in exposing this new anti-Semitism for what it is,” Harper said. According to a report by the Canadian Broadcasting Company, Harper noted that Israel, like any country, may be subjected to fair criticism, he said. But Harper said Canada must oppose what he called the “three Ds — demonization, double standards and delegitimization.”

“‘And like any free country Israel subjects itself to such criticism, healthy, necessary, democratic debate. But when Israel, the only country in the world whose very existence is under attack, is consistently and conspicuously singled out for condemnation, I believe we are morally obligated to take a stand.’”

Please lift Harper and his family, advisors, and his country up to the Lord. Please ask the Lord to bless them, to continue giving them courage and boldness. Please ask the Lord, as well, what we as evangelical Christians can do to properly thank and bless the Prime Minister for the courage of his convictions.

* Watch a 4:49 minute YouTube clip of Prime Minister Harper’s pro-Israel speech
* Read some Canadian media coverage of Harper’s speech
* Read Jerusalem Post coverage of Harper’s speech

Netanyahu Coming to U.S. Amidst New Threats to American Jews

THE TWELFTH IMAM HITS #8 ON NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER LIST

Thanks again to everyone who is reading and enjoying The Twelfth Imam. And a special thanks to all of you who are sending me emails with your reviews and comments. Even though I may not be able to get back to each of you personally, I really appreciate your notes very much. In recent days, we’ve learned that The Twelfth Imam will hit #8 on the New York Times hardcover fiction best-seller on November 7th — the list is already posted online, and will be printed in the NYT Book Review next Sunday. The novel also is highlighted in the Times’ “Inside The List” column, which will be published next Sunday, as well. At the same time, the novel has hit #8 on the Publishers Weekly hardcover fiction bestseller list, and has hit #10 on the Wall Street Journal hardcover fiction bestseller list.

HEADLINES TO TRACK:

• Israeli Prime Minister heading to U.S. later this week
• The Joshua Fund calling for 50 visionary pastors, ministry leaders and/or Christian radio stations to bring tours to Israel next May for the 2011 Epicenter Conference
• Iran’s Ahmadinejad congratulates Brazilian presidential elect (a former Marxist guerrilla)

With All Due Respect, The Vatican’s Latest, Painful Pronouncement On Israel is Wrong

Ahmadinejad, Hezbollah, Obama and the 2010 Elections

FYI: I’m scheduled to be interviewed on the following programs:

• Friday, Oct 15, during the 7pm eastern hour–  Fox Business Channel with David Asman. Topics: Ahmadinejad, Iran and The Twelfth Imam.
• Sunday, Oct 17 at 1:10pm – Fox News Channel. Topics: Ahmadinejad, Iran and The Twelfth Imam.
• Tuesday, Oct 19 (official day of the book launch) – CBN’s “The 700 Club.” (check local listings for times in your area)
• Please check back for book tour media updates.
• For the 13-city tour schedule, please click here.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in Beirut Wednesday morning for a highly provocative trip to Lebanon. He was greeted by tens of thousands of Radical Muslims as a hero of the Islamic Revolution and on Thursday visited the border with Israel. His mission: to rally the terrorist forces of Hezbollah for an apocalyptic war with the Jewish state that will set the stage for the coming of the Shia Islamic messiah known as the “Mahdi” or the “Twelfth Imam.”

But annihilating Israel is not the ultimate objective for Ahmadinejad or Hezbollah. Israel, in the End Times theology of both Ahmadinejad and Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, is only the “little Satan.” The U.S., they believe, is the “Great Satan” and must be annihilated, too.

By large margins, American voters instinctively understand that the strengthening of the Iranian-Hezbollah alliance poses not only a grave and growing danger to Israel, but also to U.S. national security. But voters are increasingly concerned that President Barack Obama and Congressional Democrats don’t get it. They worry Democrats have neither the wisdom nor the will to protect the American people or allies like Israel from Radical Islam, and this could cost their party at the polls in a few weeks.

Consider the findings of a new survey released this week by McLaughlin & Associates, a nationally respected polling firm:

• A stunning eight-out-of ten of likely American voters (78.5%) say they do not believe President Obama’s policies towards Iran (such as economic sanctions and repeated attempts to engage the mullahs diplomatically) will stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons.

• An overwhelming number of voters (79.9%), believe that once Iran gets nuclear weapons, they will launch nuclear missile attacks against Israel.

• Even more Americans (85.3%) are concerned that Iran will give nuclear weapons to terrorist groups (like Hezbollah) once they get the Bomb.

• That’s why six in ten voters (59.8%) support U.S. military strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities if economic sanctions don’t work.

• What’s more, if the Obama administration won’t take decisive action, six in ten voters (58.4%) would support Israel if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered military strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Americans are right to be worried. With Iran’s help, Hezbollah has become the most dangerous Shia Muslim terrorist organization in the world. Consider a sampling of Nasrallah’s statements in recent years:

• “Let the entire world hear me. Our hostility to the Great Satan [America] is absolute. . . . Regardless of how the world has changed after 11 September, ‘Death to America’ will remain our reverberating and powerful slogan: ‘Death to America.’”

• “We do not believe in multiple Islamic republics; we do believe, however, in a single Islamic world governed by a central government.”

• “Jerusalem and Palestine will not be regained with political games but with guns.”

• “America will remain the nation’s chief enemy and the greatest Satan of all. Israel will always be for us a cancerous growth that needs to be eradicated.”

• “I ask Almighty Allah . . . to make you the men who would clear the way for the Mahdi of this earth to establish divine justice.”

Nasrallah is not just talk. He practices what he preaches. That’s why Ahmadinejad counts him such a close and reliable ally.

He helped found Hezbollah in 1982 with direct Iranian funding, training, and organizational assistance. He then helped build it into an enormous force with aid and ongoing strategic and tactical guidance from Iran. By 1983, Nasrallah and his team had already recruited and trained some two hundred jihadists. On October 23 of that year, they launched the truck bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks, killing more Americans at one time than any terrorist had before that point. The attack resulted in “the largest non-nuclear explosion that had ever been detonated on the face of the Earth,” according to a U.S. federal court judge who later found the Islamic Republic of Iran liable for perpetrating the crime and awarded the surviving American families some $2.6 billion in damages.

By the time of the Second Lebanon War against Israel in 2006, Hezbollah had more than 6,000 trained jihadists in their network compared to 170,000 IDF forces and over 400,000 Israeli reservists. Yet under Nasrallah’s leadership, Hezbollah was widely perceived to have won that month-long showdown.

Terrorist attacks by Hezbollah have extended far beyond the suicide truck bombings of the U.S. Marine barracks in 1983. According to the U.S. State Department’s 2008 Patterns of Global Terrorism report,  Hezbollah was also behind the 1984 attack on the U.S. Embassy annex in Beirut; the 1985 hijacking of TWA flight 847, during which a U.S. Navy diver was murdered; the kidnapping, detention, and murder of Americans and other Westerners in Lebanon in the 1980s; the 1992 attacks on the Israeli Embassy in Argentina; the 1994 attack on the Argentine-Israeli Mutual Association (AMIA) in Buenos Aires; and the 2000 kidnapping of three Israeli soldiers and an Israeli noncombatant.” In 2004, Nasrallah’s forces began training members of the Iraqi “Mahdi Army”—the Shia terrorist group run by Moqtada al-Sadr—to attack and kill U.S., Coalition, and Iraqi military forces, as well as Iraqi civilians.

Now, with Ahmadinejad’s encouragement and financing, Nasrallah is building what he believes will be the ultimate fighting force to destroy the U.S. and Israel in the “End of Days.”

According to Hezbollah documents captured by Israeli soldiers during the 2006 war, Nasrallah has recruited 42,000 Muslim children ages eight to sixteen into a jihadist youth movement known as “the Imam al-Mahdi Scouts.” The children are immersed in understanding Shia eschatology—End Times theology—about the coming of the Twelfth Imam. They study the lives and teachings of Nasrallah and current Iranian Ayatollah Khamenei, whom they refer to as their “commander-leader.” They wear camouflage suits, paint their faces black, and swear an oath to participate in jihad against Jewish and Christian infidels. According to official organization documents, 120 members have already died in terrorist actions, including as suicide bombers. Once they turn seventeen, they are encouraged to join Hezbollah’s formal military units.

Meanwhile, Ahmadinejad has helped Hezbollah build up a force of more than 30,000 missiles and rockets aimed at Israel, despite a U.N. Security Council resolution forbidding the rearmament of such terror groups after the 20-6 war with Israel. Now imagine both Ahmadinejad and Nasrallah with nuclear warheads.

Americans are worried, and they are increasingly convinced that neither President Obama nor his party are up to the task of stopping the Radicals. Nor do they believe liberals are giving proper backing to faithful allies like Israel who live on the front lines. To be sure, fear of Radical Islam is not the primary issue motivating voters this fall. The economy and jobs still top the list. But given the hostile political environment Congressional Democrats are already operating in, voter perceptions of their party as weak on national security and appeasers of Iran will be costly and could add to the center-right electoral tsunami that seems to be building momentum.

• AHMADINEJAD SAYS U.S. TRYING TO PREVENT 12TH IMAM ARRIVAL
• IRAN’S SUPREME LEADER HINTS: VOTE FOR AHMADINEJAD
• NBC NEWS ASKS AHMADINEJAD ABOUT 12TH IMAM

Moscow’s Big Surprise for Iran This Week

A senior Israeli government official last week told me that Prime Minister Netanyahu will assess the effectiveness of international economic sanctions on Iran in December and January. “Decisions will have to made after that,” he said. What kind of decisions? The official wasn’t particularly optimistic that sanctions would work, but when pressed wouldn’t say what Netanyahu might do next. Still, the implication was fairly clear: If Iran’s nuclear weapons program is not severely hampered enough by the first of the new year – by a combination of diplomacy, international sanctions, and/or covert actions inside Iran – Netanyahu and his government feel they have no choice but to launch preemptive military strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities.

There are early indications that sanctions are driving up prices inside Iran and causing political unrest. Some Western governments appear to be stepping up an aggressive covert war to sabotage Iran’s nuclear program. Now, Moscow has curiously announced a big surprise for Iran – it has cancelled the sale to Iran its state-of-the-art S-300 anti-aircraft missile system. In fact, the Russian company that builds the missile system says it’s going to refund about $166 million which Iran has already paid. The reason for the cancellation is the new U.N. economic sanctions which were imposed on Iran. Noteworthy is that this is a reversal of Russia’s position earlier this year when it vowed to deliver the S-300 system to Iran despite the sanctions. It also goes against the trend of the last decade when Russia was building ever an ever closer and deeper alliance with Iran. Indeed, Iran is now threatening to sue Russia to keep the contract and deliver the missiles.

What does all this mean? Is Russia fundamentally backing away from Iran, or making a tactical adjustment? Do Putin and Medvedev agree on this decision, or is there a split inside the Kremlin? Could sanctions actually delay a war between Iran and Israel? Important questions all, but it’s too early to say. For now, let’s keep praying for the peace of Jerusalem. No one wants to see more blood spilled in the region.

Former Arafat and Netanyahu Aides To Discuss Mideast Crisis:

>> Tune into the Epicenter Conference Radio Special on the Moody Radio Network, Friday, Sept. 24, at 9pm eastern/8pm central (www.MoodyRadio.org ). Check your local Moody affiliate for details.

Here are several items I wanted to bring to your attention:

1. AHMADINEJAD CALLS NETANYAHU A “SKILLED KILLER” – Despite growing evidence that Iran is rapidly developing nuclear weapons, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told CNN’s Larry King last night that, “We are not seeking the Bomb.” He also denounced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling him a “skilled killer” who “should be put on trial for killing women and children.” This from a man who has publicly and repeatedly called for genocide against the U.S. and Israel. Ahmadinejad is scheduled to address the U.N. General Assembly today and pray for Allah to hasten the coming of the Shia Islamic messiah, known as The Twelfth Imam. Yet the world’s leaders are asleep. They do not seeing the gathering storm. They do not see the evil that is rising.

2. FORMER ENEMIES DISCUSS THE MIDEAST CRISIS – The world is desperately trying to find a solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict before it erupts into another war. But how often do two former enemies – a one-time aide to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu aide and a former aide to PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat – share the stage at a conference and say that Jesus is the only hope for peace? We will next week. On October 1st and 2nd, at the historic Moody Church in downtown Chicago, I will speaking at the “Inside The Middle East Crisis Conference: Finding Peace In A Troubled World,” along with Tass Saada, former PLO terrorist and advisor to Arafat. Joining us will be renowned Bible teachers and Mideast experts Dr. Erwin Lutzer, Dr. Charles Dyer, Dr. Michael Rydelnik, and Dr. Mitch Glaser. Together, we will examine the very dangerous trends in motion in the epicenter right now. We will also talk from personal experience about how powerfully Jesus Christ is drawing men, women and children in the Middle East to Himself and supernaturally transforming lives and reconciling Jews and Arabs as never before in history. I really hope you will register today and join us for this fascinating event. It will open your eyes to the events that are unfolding in the Middle East from a biblical perspective and provide practical insight on how to love Israel and her neighbors, come what may. To register for the conference, please click here.

3. ADVANCING THE GOSPEL IN THE MIDWEST – My friend Greg Laurie is leading an evangelistic campaign in Chicago this weekend, September 24-26, 2010. This is a great opportunity fo invite friends, family members, neighbors, co-workers, and others who don’t know Jesus Christ personally to hear the life-changing message of the gospel in a clear and compelling way and in a non-threatening environment. Two hundred local Chicagoland churches are participating and a full house is expected all three nights. Hopefully you can attend in person, but if you can’t, you can view the campaign on-line at www.harvest.org/crusades/2010/chicago. For more information about the featured musicians, Greg Laurie, or event details, visit Chicago.harvest.org. All three nights of the event are free and open to the public.

4. CHURCHES SHUT DOWN IN SYRIA — I received this email from a dear Arab pastor friend of mine: “Our brethren and Churches in Syria need urgent prayers. The government closed about eight evangelical Churches in the last two weeks. All these churches are in North Syria mainly in Lattakia, Tartous, Homs, and wadi Al-Nasara. Some of the Churches in Damascus and Aleppo know that their turn will come soon. They are closing some of the Baptist and Alliance Churches. It is apparently by the approval of the High Counsel representative in Syria and some other beloved Brothers of the named Churches. I do not have lot much more information. I will update you when receiving additional news.” Please pray for courage for the believers in Syria. Please pray that the Lord would turn the hearts of the Syrian leaders and allow these churches to be reopened. Please also pray that no matter what happens, the gospel would be spread powerfully through all of Syria and the Islamic world before the next war comes.

5. AN ISRAELI FAMILY NEEDS YOUR HELP TO RECEIVE JUSTICE — Ami Ortiz is the son of an Israeli pastor and his wife. Ami was nearly killed in March 2008 by a bomb sent to his home in the Israeli town of Ariel. Many of you have prayed for him and the Lord has heard your prayers. By God’s grace, Ami is recovering miraculously, is playing basketball, and is enjoying life with his family and friends. But the man who has reportedly confessed to sending the bomb to the Ortiz’s home may not go to prison. Ami and his family need your help now to receive justice. Please click here to learn more about the very serious problem, and how you can help.

Ahmadinejad Coming To U.S. Next Week: Netanyahu may be in U.S., too

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad plans to come to New York City next week for his annual pilgrimmage to the opening of the U.N. General Assembly’s fall session. He is expected to once again pray for Allah to ”hasten” the coming of the “Twelfth Imam” or the “Promised One.” He may also call for a “new world order,” after making such a call during a summit this week with African leaders.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister may also be in the U.S. next, according to an Israeli media account, though it is not likely the two will cross paths. “Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will fly to Washington DC Sunday, in a surprising development reported by Channel 1 national television Tuesday evening. The station’s political reporter Ayala Hasson said the trip is ’90% certain’ to take place and that it seems to reflect some kind of political development, but that the nature of the development is not known.”

Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas met met in the resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt Tuesday for round two of their direct peace talks. They are expected to meet again in Jerusalem on Wednesday.

The two leaders “discussed ‘core issues’ of a possible solution to the decades-long conflict over the Land of Israel,” reported Israel National News. “The term ‘core issues’ usually refers to Israeli concessions, including  the status of Jerusalem and the holy sites within it, as well as final borders and the Arab demand that descendants of Arab residents who fled decades ago be allowed into Israel. Before the meeting, Netanyahu had insisted that recognition of Israel as a Jewish state and addressing security issues were the primary issues for Israel.”

I’ll post some analysis tomorrow.

• Ahmadinejad to visit NY for UN meeting
• Ahmadinejad says Iran, Africa wants new world order
• Ahmadinejad won’t attend disarmament meeting
• Ahmadinejad: Quran burning Zionist plot
• Ahmadinejad: Koran burning will bring about Israel’s annihilation
• American woman freed by Iran after bail deal
• Netanyahu to Abbas: Don’t let end of settlement freeze foil peace talks: Prime Minister considering trip to U.S. on Saturday for summit organized by Bill Clinton at which Abbas will also be present; Netanyahu would meet with Obama after summit.
• Netanyahu hints at settlement construction limits
• Abbas to meet with Netanyahu in Jerusalem
• (interesting): Abbas to Ahmadinejad: Mind Your Own Business – “After Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to task for participating in peace talks with Israel, Abbas had a message for Iran: Butt out. The Palestinian president went even further in a statement released by his spokesman, essentially calling Ahmadinejad an illegitimate leader who oppresses his own people….”

We Must Say “No” to Burning Religious Books: Jesus taught us another way.

I wholeheartedly reject the notion of anyone — especially a pastor, or anyone who claims to be a follower of Jesus Christ — burning a book considered holy by another people of another religion.

As an evangelical Christian, I certainly don’t believe the Qur’an (sometimes spelled “Koran”) was inspired. I don’t believe it is holy. I don’t believe it is the Word of God. Rather, I believe those who follow Islam are mistaken and misguided and need to leave Islam and receive Jesus Christ by faith as their personal Savior and Lord. The Bible says the name of Jesus is the only name under heaven or on earth by which we can be forgiven of our sins and thus saved from an eternity separated from God. [Have you ever heard of the "Four Spiritual Laws," a clear and concise explanation of the gospel of Jesus Christ? Click here to learn more.]

As such, I respectfully call on this Florida pastor to:

1. Stop this provocative and unkind publicity stunt of planning to burn a copy of the Qur’an on September 11th
2. Stop calling for others to follow your lead
3. Disband your “International Burn The Koran Day”
4. Please turn back to the Bible and follow the words of Jesus who told us to love our neighbors and love our enemies and pray for — not purposefully provoke — those who oppose, mistreat and/or persecute us
5. Apologize to all of those whom you have offended
6. Call for a day of prayer and fasting for Muslims here in the U.S. and around the world, that they might find the love of Christ and salvation through His name
7. Encourage your congregation to build bridges of friendship with Muslims in your community in hopes of being able to share the gospel with them and invite them to join a Bible study group

As I wrote in Inside The Revolution, the Lord has called us to show love and compassion and mercy to Muslims. For those looking for practical suggestions on how to do that, I hope the book (and the accompanying small group study guide) will help.

Bible Prophecy Update: 1.5 Billion Barrels of Oil Discovered in Israel

Readers of my non-fiction book Epicenter may recall that Chapter Five predicts this future headline: “ISRAEL DISCOVERS MASSIVE RESERVES OF OIL, GAS.” That chapter is based on prophecies in Deuteronomy that specifically indicate that “oil” and “hidden treasures” under the sea and the sands will be found in Israel in the last days of history. It is also based on the prophecies of Ezekiel 38 & 39 indicating that Israel will be significantly prosperous in the last days, before a Russian-Iranian-Turkish alliance forms against her and seeks to destroy her.

• January 18, 2009: BIBLE PROPHECY UPDATE: Israel discovers “inconceivably huge quantities” of natural gas reserves off Haifa
• August 19, 2009: ISRAELI NATURAL GAS DISCOVERY PROVES LARGER THAN PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT
• May 15, 2010: U.S. GOVERNMENT REPORT: ISRAEL HAS 122 TRILLION CUBIC FEET OF NATURAL GAS OFFSHORE

Netanyahu Engages in Media Blitz

NETANYAHU ENGAGES IN MEDIA BLITZ: Noteworthy, PM is not indicating war with Iran is imminent; spends 90 minutes on Saturdays studying Bible with his son

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is engaging in a U.S. media blitz. In part, he is calling for direct peace talks with the Palestinians. In part, he is trying to remind Americans that there are fundamental areas of agreement between Israel and the Obama government, despite 14 months of tensions. But most noteworthy to me is that in his public statements, Netanyahu is focused almost exclusively on jumpstarting the peace process with the Palestinians, not on highlighting the growing danger from Iran. The nuclear reactor in Bushehr, Iran, will go “hot” in mid-September, it would now appear — not August as previously expected. And in a rare moment of Arab diplomatic clarity, the United Arab Emirates’ ambassador to Washington said this week he thinks a nuclear-armed Iran is a severe threat to the Middle East and strongly hinted that preemptive military strike may be the only way to stop Iran from getting the Bomb. Yet, Prime Minister Netanyahu does not seem to be indicating that war with Iran is immiment. He certainly is not preparing the U.S. or the world for the need for pre-emptive attack in the next few weeks or months. Indeed, Sen. John McCain is telling reporters he does not believe Israel is preparing for an imminent attack. In the Middle East, anything is possible. But for the moment, it would appear the Israelis do not believe a summer war is needed, or wise. Let’s keep praying for the peace of Jerusalem and for peace throughout the region, as well as for wisdom for the Prime Minister and his Cabinet to know how best to deal with Iran in the weeks and months ahead.

In the last 24 hours, he has done interviews on ABC, CBS, and CNN, speaking directly to the American people, and I think he’s been doing a good job. During a 20 minute interview, Katie Couric asked Netanyahu why 71% of Israeli Jews dislike President Obama. Wisely, Netanyahu did not take the bait. He conceded there are disagreements, but he certainly did nothing to exacerbate underlying tensions. Rather, he noted that he had invited the President to visit Israel and looked forward to extending hospitality to the First Family and give them a chance to get to know the Israeli people. The President said he is ready to visit Jerusalem. Let’s hope he carries through.

In other events, Netanyahu met with U.N. Secretary General Ki Ban Moon. He also met with U.S. Defense Secretary Bob Gates. The PM is in New York today, and is expected to fly to Cairo on Friday to meet with the ailing Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak who is reported to have cancer.

Most interesting to me was an answer the PM gave to Larry King towards the end of their hour-long conversation last night. King asked Netanyahu if he ever has the chance to relax. Netanyahu said yes. On Saturday — the Sabbath — he rests and relaxes and he noted that one thing he looks forward to is reading the Bible for an hour an half with his youngest son, who recently won a contest on Bible knowledge. He said the time refreshes him spiritually and that he and his son are learning a great deal from God’s Word. I really appreciated the PM’s remarks and it reminded me of Psalm 119:97-100, “Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts.”

• CNN Larry King interview with Netanyahu — Part 1
• Larry King — Part 2
• Larry King — Part 3
• Larry King — Part 4
• Larry King — Part 5
• CBS Katie Couric interview with Netanyahu (20 minutes)
• ABC Good Morning American interview with Netanyahu (8 minutes)

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