Middle East

The Toll of War

So much sadness and pain both hidden and contained in this next sentence!

Moawiya Hassanein, head of Gaza medical emergency services, told AFP the number of Palestinians killed since the Israeli operation was launched on December 27 was now 512, including 87 children.

Allow me a question, though.

Suppose the Israelis were in Gaza and the Palestinians were in Israel.

And suppose the population and military weights were also reversed.

And suppose it were the Palestinians attacking the Israelis.

Would the death toll be the same for Israelis as it is now for Palestinians?

What Comes Next?

That’s the question.

But I have something different in mind with it than you might expect.

So read this first:

Israeli warplanes retaliating for rocket fire from the Gaza Strip pounded dozens of security compounds across the Hamas-ruled territory in unprecedented waves of airstrikes Saturday, killing at least 155 and wounding more than 310 in the single bloodiest day of fighting in recent memory.

As you were “inputting” this information into your head, what came next?

I don’t mean what comes next on the ground in the Middle East.

I mean, after you learned of the above airstrikes, what came next in your thoughts and attitudes?

Read it all

Iran’s Got a Nuke?

No, supposedly not.

Iran said to have enough nuclear fuel for one weapon

Iran has now produced roughly enough nuclear material to make, with added purification, a single atom bomb, according to nuclear experts analyzing the latest report from global atomic inspectors.

The figures detailing Iran’s progress were contained in a routine update on Wednesday from the International Atomic Energy Agency, which has been conducting inspections of the country’s main nuclear plant at Natanz. The report concluded that as of early this month, Iran had made 630 kilograms, or about 1,390 pounds, of low-enriched uranium.

Need a little more reassurance? Read it all

Pray for the Peace…

…of Jerusalem.

Barack Obama links Israel peace plan to 1967 borders deal

Barack Obama is to pursue an ambitious peace plan in the Middle East involving the recognition of Israel by the Arab world in exchange for its withdrawal to pre-1967 borders, according to sources close to America’s president-elect.

Obama intends to throw his support behind a 2002 Saudi peace initiative endorsed by the Arab League and backed by Tzipi Livni, the Israeli foreign minister and leader of the ruling Kadima party.

The proposal gives Israel an effective veto on the return of Arab refugees expelled in 1948 while requiring it to restore the Golan Heights to Syria and allow the Palestinians to establish a state capital in east Jerusalem.

Bad (though not surprising) news.

Congratulations, Mr. Obama

God has chosen to elevate you as President-elect of the United States of America, just as He chose to elevate Bush, Clinton, Bush, Reagan, Carter, Ford, and Nixon before you. (And many others, of course.)

May God be exalted in your administration. And in this country as a result of your administration.

May He keep you and your family.

And may God’s people find in Him the grace and renewal they need for the dim times in which we find ourselves…and for the darkening times which hover on the horizon.

Meanwhile, in other news, Israel launches first airstrike on Gaza since June. I wonder if this portends the trend in the Middle East over the next two months, as the Israelis prepare for President Bush’s departure from office.

Oh, and I’m glad I can not expect Mr. McCain’s disappointed legions to resort to riots and street battles and violent protests.

Never Mind the Stories

I didn’t read them.

But I did read these headlines “above the fold” at Drudge:

And this one at Rosenberg’s blog:

Oh, and does www.mediasplatters.com stand for Media Splatters or Media’s Platters?

Above all, love God!