Dear friends of Israel:

When Israel’s Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu traveled to the United States early in November 2009, the Israeli media virtually went wild because no one knew whether President Obama would receive him or not and what the two politicians were to talk about if a meeting were to take place. Netanyahu and Obama did meet, but they did not follow the usual procedure and appear before the press afterwards. This was the reason why the suspense in the Israeli media was further mounting. After his meeting with the Obama Prime Minister Netanyahu shortly explained that they had talked about important issues and that the results would become apparent later on.

When on November 25 the Israeli Premier announced that his government had decided to freeze the construction of settlements in the Palestinian territories, this dramatic decision could be crucial for the survival of the current government. This step probably was a crucial test for Netanyahu himself because he has always made the settlement construction a national priority. The decision to yield to the demands of the US President and to stop the settlement construction for the time being is more evidence that the strategic partnership between Israel and the United States is of great significance.

The freeze of settlement construction is important for Obama because he needs the support and goodwill of moderate Arab states in order to continue with the so-called Peace Process and to achieve normal relations between these states and Israel. After all, the American President has declared a comprehensive peace in the Middle East to be one of his top priorities. Further evidence of this fact is the drastic shift in Obama’s purposeful Middle-East policy. In the near future this determination will become even more noticeable.

The recent events, however, are making it clear to us that the so-called Peace Process with the establishment of a Palestinian state as its climax will not be stalled by a right-wing government in Israel and that the time of a make-believe peace that is mentioned in the Bible will eventually come. As the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy is such a clear proof that the Bible is true, we will continue to interpret the events in the Middle East from the perspective of the Word of God, so that we may also know their significance for us in the coming year. After all, we are aware of the fact that the almighty God is behind the events in and around Israel. Jesus once criticized the Pharisees and Sadducees because they did not discern the signs of the times (see Matthew 16:1-4). We should therefore be watchful and discern the signs of the times, but we should also act accordingly (see Luke 21:36).

As the New Year has just begun, we would like to thank the readers of our magazine for the friendship and support they have given us during the last twelve months. May God bless you richly in 2010!

In Him, who is our peace, I am sending you a warm Shalom,

Fredi Winkler