Firsthand News from Israel

October 9, 2000

Dear Family and Friends,

I'm sure you have been watching the update on the Middle East on the news. But this is a report from a Christian CBS reporter in Jerusalem, giving us more details than he could ever possibly share on the news. THE END IS UPON US... WORK FOR THE NIGHT IS COMING...

Love, Karen

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO FORWARD THIS MESSAGE AS YOU LIKE

Shalom again from Jerusalem,

I am taking advantage of a few free hours before I go back on the air with CBS to send you this update.

First of all, heartfelt thanks to the many who have written to say that you are praying for us at this difficult time. I recall several times during the Gulf War when I was physically exhausted and downcast, and yet somehow able to carry on. I and others here knew that it was the praying saints that were helping to carry us. God bless you for that. You are on the front-lines as well.

As you must all realize by now, we are clearly heading for a major showdown, although President Clinton and others are trying to avert it, and might just succeed. Indeed, it is looking more and more like we may be on the threshold of the regional war against Jerusalem prophesied in

Zechariah 12:2 (NOT the war involving the entire world spoken of in verse 3), or at least a mini-version of it. Of course, only God can say for sure. There could be several regional Islamic attempts to re-capture Jerusalem's Old City before the big bustup prophesied by Zechariah, and in Psalm 83, occurs.

But one thing is clear: The ten day old Israeli-Palestinian crisis was significantly broadened yesterday to include Lebanon, Syria and, through

the Hizbullah militia, Iran. Now Muslims are entering an anti-Israel frenzy in nuclear-armed Pakistan and other non-Arab Muslim countries, and even in New York. As I said in an earlier report, Saddam has also said he is eager to jump in and join attempts to "liberate Al-Aksa mosque" on the Temple Mount, and Palestinians in Jordan have been rioting to demand that King Abdullah break his father's peace accord with Israel and join the growing conflict.

As some of you noted in e mails to me on Saturday, the escalating situation almost exactly mirrors the scenario I painted in my 1996 end-time novel, The End of Days. First, there is a breakdown of peace talks with Syria after the Syrian dictator turns down a very generous offer of peace that includes a near total withdrawal from the Golan Heights. Then, peace talks hit snags with the Palestinians, followed by internal Arab unrest. Meanwhile Hizbullah launches attacks along the northern border. The Israeli Prime Minister in my novel then bombs their positions in south Lebanon (as happened after Hizbullah attacked IDF positions yesterday), while warning Syria that it must reign in its ally or face the immediate prospect of a significant Israeli response. This is virtually our current situation. The only difference from my novel is that instead of Israel responding in Lebanon after the deaths of civilians by rocket fire (although that may still come), Barak is massing troops along the border this morning following the outrageous kidnapping on Saturday of three IDF soldiers--taken from INSIDE Israeli territory. This has angered everyone in Israel, including leftist peaceniks. As the Palestinians are doing every day, Hizbullah PROVOKED the shooting along the border fence that left two Palestinians dead, which was then used as a pretext for the Hizbullah attack. Hizbullah has been using buses (!!) to bring Lebanese-based Palestinians to the border to hurl rocks and firebombs at IDF soldiers. When two were killed during intense rioting, they used it as an excuse to attack IDF positions and kidnap soldiers. This reflects the current Palestinian method as well--shoot at IDF forces from inside crowds of usually young Palestinian "stonethrowers," knowing that some of them will be wounded and a few killed in the response, then use their deaths and funerals to further inflame passions and ratchet up the violence.

If the Palestinians are in a tizzy, the Israeli public, including Shimon Peres and other peace process sponsors, are finally reaching their limit. We had an Israeli civilian assault on a mosque in Tiberius across from the Galilee Experience last night--showing that many young Israelis are ready to fight as well (Muslims have recently been demanding that the mosque, closed in 1948, be reopened). One Christian friend of mine from Norway had a bullet fly through her window the other night in the Jerusalem Gilo neighborhood. Thank God she was not hurt. Another friend from America had a bullet whiz past his head near his home. Such things are occurring all over the place. Roads are impassable due to such fire, along with frequent rock and petrol bomb attacks. Yet Arafat has said not one word to try and halt the violence, although he did reign in his armed "police" force a bit after meeting with Madeleine Albright in Paris on Wednesday. Now, Barak has given him until Monday night to either completely end the violence or face "severe consequences." Monday night just happens to be the end of the annual Yom Kippur fast.

As expected, Arafat responded harshly to Barak's ultimatum, and armed attacks escalated overnight upon the Jewish community in Hebron and elsewhere, prompting IDF helicopters to go into action for the first time there. Clashes occurred in many other places as well--far too many to detail here.

Some of you may recall that I have been saying for several years that the Oslo process would undoubtedly collapse over the issue of Jerusalem (indeed I wrote that in my other book). Of course, many others--especially those who read their Bibles--have been saying this as well. I said this breakdown would probably be followed by a new Palestinian uprising--this time involving lots of light weapons fire. With the situation far more dangerous than during the original uprising, Israel, I said, would be forced to respond with tanks and helicopter gunships (tanks were used for the first time overnight to destroy Palestinian shooting positions in the Gaza Strip after an Israeli bus carrying customs workers to the Gaza airport was attacked, leaving one Israeli seriously injured). Televised pictures of Israeli actions would strike many as "very unfair," with obviously heavily armed Israelis "attacking stone-throwing" Palestinian children. This, I said, is exactly the impression Arafat would desire, prompting him to call for "help" from other Arab states. Stay tuned for that, although he has already basically made that call in recent months, urging Muslims everywhere to support his "sacred struggle" to secure total control over the Temple Mount. Like Saddam before him, Arafat knows this is an extremely popular cause in the Islamic world.

So where are we at today? Many Israeli men began receiving military call up orders yesterday (this has not been publicized of course, but I know men who have already left for their bases, including a friend I was supposed to have dinner with last evening). Tanks were deployed overnight in several Jerusalem suburbs--issuing a shocking wake-up call to any Israelis that doubted we are in the midst of a major crisis. We have a full day of fasting and prayer ahead of us from sundown this evening (although I will be on duty the entire time for CBS, which will give my stressed-out Israeli Messianic colleague a chance to get a much-needed break with his family). Then it will end, and we will have Barak's assessment of Arafat's response to his ultimatum, and Hizbullah-Lebanon-Syria's response to his demand that the captured IDF soldiers be released forthwith.

Since Hizbullah is not about to free them, and Arafat either won't or can't stop the Palestinian violence (it doesn't matter which is really the case, since Israel has no reliable peace partner either way), we will be on the road to war. How quickly it will start and how big it will get, only God knows. There is, as I already said, a chance that Bill Clinton and/or others will somehow be able to defuse the crisis, but don't bet on it at this point. We will undoubtedly only see a peaceful diffusion if Arafat and Bashir Assad look at what is facing them, and blink. But even if they do, we will get back to this same point sooner or later. The bottom line is still this: Millions in the Muslim world want Israel out of the Middle East, and they won't really rest until that is accomplished.

There is so much more to say, but time does not permit. It is difficult being in such a situation, but good to remember that the ancient Jewish prophets said the city I call home would become "a cup of trembling" in the last days, and so it is. God is watching over his people. Still, knowing that does not wipe out natural emotions when one sits with a group of Israelis--as I did briefly during a short break last evening--knowing that most of the men at least will probably soon be in uniform and on their way to a warfront (one friend, as I said above, was already on his way). Of course, many Israeli neighborhoods are also warfronts now, certainly those here in Jerusalem. And with strategic missiles positioned all over the region, no spot is really immune from being suddenly swept up in the violence.

On behalf of myself and all of us living here in the Lord's land, thanks again so very much for your prayers and encouragement's at this critical time. I will try to send another update in the coming days. David Dolan

((PS Israel Television has just told people to leave their sets on during the fast, since they will immediately come back on the air if there is any major news. If you only "see snow on your screens" then all is still OK, said the announcer))