Dear Friends of Israel,

The Islamic Revolution celebrated its 33rd anniversary in Iran. One of the top guests at the celebration was Ismail Haniyeh, Prime Minister of the Hamas government in Gaza. On this occasion, the top leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ali Khomeini, assured Haniyeh of full support in the fight against Israel. He stated that Palestine is an issue for all of Islam. Iran will always support the Palestinian issue and the Islamic resistance in Palestine.

Khomeini stated further that the victorious resistance in Palestine has contributed to the Islamic awakening throughout the region, such as happened in Egypt and Tunisia. There is no doubt that the increasing sympathy of people in the region for the righteous Islamic fight and the issues in Gaza contributed to the sudden, mass revolt.

Furthermore, Khomeini issued a warning against anyone who tries to undermine the uncompromising resistance fight of Hamas. That warning was meant for those who try to resolve the differences between Hamas and Fatah and steer them in a more moderate direction.

For his part, Haniyeh thanked the Iranian leadership for its ongoing support of Hamas and the Palestinian issue. He thereby emphasized the three, uncompromising, strategic goals of the Hamas government in Gaza: Liberation of Palestine from the Mediterranean to Jordan, loyalty to the resistance movement and loyalty to the Islamic character of the Palestinian issue.

There is no doubt that the Iranian leadership wrote the Palestinian issue on its flag in order to broaden recognition throughout the Islamic world. They’re not the first to use Israel as a scapegoat, in order to gain the support of the masses. Both Nasser in Egypt and Assad, father of the current Syrian president, have used that policy effectively. Unlike Nasser and Assad, the current Iranian leadership is attempting to draw the entire Islamic world into the fight against Israel. The message from the Shiite preacher to the Islamic world is that the Palestinian issue isn’t just between the Palestinians and Israel, but rather between the entire Islamic world and the occupier, Israel. They plead to the Islamic faithful that the liberation of Palestine and its holy relics in Jerusalem is an issue that concerns all of Islam.

Thus we see above all else that the fight for Palestine isn’t just territorial, but religious. History shows that religious wars are the most fanatical and longest-lasting wars. Understandably, Israel is deeply troubled over the developments in Iran, especially in light of the threatened production of atomic weapons by Iran.

Moreover, there are growing indications of a rivalry between Iran and Turkey as to which nation will lead the Islamic world. The situation in Syria is obviously deteriorating and demonstrates an increasing need for outside intervention. Islamic voices proclaim that only an Islamic nation can receive a mandate. Which Islamic nation is capable of that? Nearly everyone claims that its Turkey. That would mean that Turkish troops could be standing on Israel’s border over night.

Current events show that the fight over Israel is increasingly growing to apocalyptic dimensions. However, the words of our Lord Jesus in Matthew 24:6 reassure us, “…see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen…”

In this assurance, Shalom.

Fredi Winkler