Persecution

Egypt Sentences 30 Men Over Church Attack Plot
The New York Times reports: "Thirty men were sentenced on Saturday to between 10 years and life in prison for planning a suicide bombing on a church in the Egyptian city of Alexandria and other charges, court officials said. The authorities said at the time of their arrest that the defendants had embraced the ideas of the Islamic State and had received training abroad and in Egypt. [...] The attack on the church did not take place. But minority Christians have faced a series of assaults in Alexandria and other parts of Egypt in recent years. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for suicide bombings on churches in Alexandria and Tanta in April 2017 that killed 45 people."

Comment: It is commendable that the government of Egypt has  continued the crackdown on Islamist groups. Egypt will ever be a majority Christian country, but it is good to see that they value and protect their Christian citizens. Please join me in praying for the church in Egypt, for their safety and their perseverance amidst hardship and persecution. 

Pestilence

Mozambique cholera cases jump to 139 a day after outbreak
The AP reports: "Cholera cases in Mozambique among survivors of a devastating cyclone have shot up to 139, officials said, as nearly 1 million vaccine doses were rushed to the region and health workers desperately tried to improvise treatment space for victims. Cholera causes acute diarrhea, is spread by contaminated food and water and can kill within hours if not treated. The disease is a major concern for the hundreds of thousands of cyclone survivors in the southern African nation now living in squalid conditions in camps, schools or damaged homes."

Comment: This is a sad development, a consequence of disaster hitting a country with poorly developed infrastructure of medical facilities. Let's pray they get the outbreak under control. 

Jerusalem Security - Covenant With Many

U.N. chastises U.S. for recognizing Israel's claims to Golan Heights
UPI reports: "The United States was chastised Wednesday by the 14 other members of the United Nations Security Council for its decision to recognize Israel's sovereignty over Golan Heights. [...] The stretch of land between the two Middle Eastern countries was seized by Israel during the Six-Day War of 1967."

Comment: This is a great example of how easily the world gangs up on Israel. The countries represented by the Security Council are supporting Syria, a country embroiled in a civil war and controlled by a dictator (under sanction by the UN!), and taking offense at the U.S. defending Israel.  You know, historically, when a country fights a war and wins territory, that territory is considered theirs. Many times wars have been fought just to decide who controls territory and it is understood that war settles the matter. After all, why bother fighting if it didn't? So, the historical precedent is represented by the saying, to the victor go the spoils. This historical precedent apparently does not apply to Israel because....Israel. When Israel wins land in war it is thereafter called "disputed" or "occupied territory" so as to deny the legitimacy of the Israeli claim. This is why I applaud the Trump Administration for bravely recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights and firmly stating that it belongs to Israel. They fought, they won, it belongs to them now.

Pestilence

County bans unvaccinated minors in public as measles spreads
The AP reports: "A county in New York City’s northern suburbs declared a state of emergency Tuesday over a measles outbreak that has infected more than 150 people since last fall, hoping a ban against unvaccinated children in public places wakes their parents to the seriousness of the problem. [...] Under the declaration, which lasts for at least 30 days, anyone under 18 who is not vaccinated against measles is barred from public gathering places, including shopping malls, civic centers, schools, restaurants and even houses of worship. Those in violation could be charged with a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail. [...] The CDC says 15 states have had at least one case of measles confirmed in 2019, for a total of 314 cases to date. In 2014, 667 cases were confirmed nationwide and there were 372 cases in 2018."

Comment: I wonder if the public ban will be enough to convince those vaccine holdouts to do the right thing and get their kids vaccinated? 

Jerusalem Security - Covenant With Many

Hamas, Israel continue fighting despite reports of a cease-fire - UPI.com
UPI reports: "Despite news of a cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, rockets continued to be launched from both sides of the conflict."

Comment: Hamas attacks Israel with rockets and Israel retaliates. Rinse and repeat. Do you ever wonder if the Palestinians really want peace? Do they think rocket attacks are peaceful gesture? 

Pestilence

Democratic Republic of Congo Ebola outbreak surpasses 1,000 cases
UPI reports: "The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo reached more than 1,000 cases over the weekend, international health officials said. Officials reported 58 new cases over the past week, bringing the total number of cases in the world's second-largest Ebola outbreak to more than 1,000, the International Rescue Committee said in a statement."

Comment: It's surprising how little coverage this is generating in U.S. news media. I guess it's just too far away and not sensational enough.

Ten Kings

South American nations form new regional group
UPI reports: "Several South American leaders met Friday to create a new regional group after a previous decade-old attempt to achieve broader regional integration failed to achieve unity. [...] Argentina's Mauricio Macri, Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro, Colombia's Ivan Duque, Ecuador's Lenin Moreno, Paraguay's Mario Abdo and Peru's Martin Vizcarra met Friday with Pinera in Santiago to start a new regional organization named Prosur and replace Unasur as the biggest regional group, Chile's La Tercera reported."

Comment: It's been a while since the last regional grouping was created, so this is noteworthy.  As you know, there are a number of large regional groups (like the European Union and African Union) but there are also many smaller groupings, and this one joins that list. It's noteworthy because many BP commentators believe that in the future the world will be divided into ten regional groupings under the leadership of ten governors (kings according to Rev 17:12-14) and so we like to keep tabs on the status of these groups.

Covenant With Many

Gallup poll: Half of Americans back independent Palestine - UPI.com
UPI reports: "A new Gallup poll finds 50 percent of Americans support an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the highest number since 2012. The change shows more Americans supporting Palestinian statehood, despite most in the United States feeling sympathetic to Israel, a major U.S. ally, Gallup reported."

Comment: I think most Americans only know what the mainstream news media tells them about the world, which is to say, very little. They may find the question "Do you support an independent Palestine?" to be a perfectly straightforward question.  They may assume (lacking any other information) that the Palestinians are a single political, cultural and national group with their own continuous history going back hundreds or thousands of years. They won't know that the Palestinians are a mixture of former Egyptians, Jordanians, Lebanese and Arab peoples who lived in a geographic area that the Romans previously called Palestina but has never existed as a state called Palestine. They also won't know that the current people called "Palestinians" are separated into two groups currently involved in a low-level civil war (Fatah vs. Hamas) and one of the things they don't agree on is peace with Israel. One rival group (Hamas) actually participated in parliamentary elections, running on a war-with-Israel platform...and won. So, if we are to ask do you want an independent Palestinian state, we should ask, which Palestinians will get a state? Maybe it's time to forget the two-state solution and go for a three-state solution. At least that would reflect an honest appraisal of the situation. I suspect that in the end, there will be only one state left standing after the Pslam 83 War. I stand with Israel.

Rumors of War - Persia

U.S. imposes new sanctions on Iran targeting defense program - UPI.com
UPI reports: "The United States imposed new sanctions on Iran on Friday, targeting people involved in nuclear and missile research programs, the U.S. Treasury Department announced. [...] Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the sanctions are meant to deny the Iranian regime the ability to create weapons of mass destruction and 'all its outlaw activities.'"

Comment: The U.S. continues to amp up the pressure in Iran as Europe goes in the other direction. 

Rumors of War - Kings of the East

Report: China to fortify South China Sea island with ‘logistics base’
UPI reports: "China is adding more facilities to Woody Island, the largest of the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea. The construction of a "strategic service and logistics base" on Woody Island, composed of two islets, will be undertaken by Sansha city on China's Hainan Island, the South China Morning Post reported."

Comment: As we continue to monitor developments in the South China Sea we can note this report that suggests a linkage with the ongoing trade dispute with the United States. I think the author is off-base and does not quite realize the influence the PLA Navy and the current modernization drive as being a separate issue from the trade dispute with Trump. Long after Trump leaves office and regardless of the outcome of the trade issue China will continue their long-term strategy of claiming sovereignty over the South China Sea.

Wickedness Increases

Dutch police arrest suspected gunman in tram shooting
UPI reports: "Dutch police arrested a suspect in a deadly shooting aboard a tram Monday that officials said bore the hallmarks of a terror attack. The shooting took place aboard a tram in the city of Utrecht, leaving three people dead and five others injured. [...] The suspect, identified as 37-year-old Gokmen Tanis of Turkey, led officials on a manhunt for hours before his arrest, Utrecht police said. [...] Utrecht police said they have not determined a motive for the attack, but it has the hallmarks of a terror plot."

Comment: Another day, another shooting. I wonder if this one was in retaliation for the  New Zealand attack?

Wickedness Increases

Police name Brenton Tarrant in New Zealand attacks, probe lengthy extremist manifesto - UPI.com
UPI reports: "The accused gunman who killed 49 people at two New Zealand mosques has been charged and will appear in court Saturday, authorities said. Police said Brenton Tarrant of Australia was behind the attacks Friday at two Christchurch mosques, which officials say was nothing short of a terrorist plot motivated by extremism."

Comment: These are perilous times my friends, stay safe out there. 

Jerusalem Security - Covenant With Many

Israel strikes Gaza in retaliation for rockets launched at Tel Aviv - UPI.com
UPI reports: "Israeli airstrikes hit Hamas targets within Gaza Thursday night in retaliation to two rockets fired earlier at central Israel from the Palestinian-controlled area along the country's western coast. [...] IDF attacked several military facilities within Gaza, striking six buildings used by the militant Palestinian organization, Haaretz reported. [...] Two rockets fired from Gaza were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system, the IDF said. Earlier Thursday, two rockets were fired from Gaza toward Tel Aviv, setting off emergency sirens in the capital for the first time since Israel conducted a large scale military operation in Gaza in 2014."

Comment: The "militant wing" of the Palestinians is again demonstrating their support for Mideast peace.

Rumors of War - King of the North

Intelligence report: Russia preparing to meddle in EU vote
UPI reports: "Russian government will try to meddle in the coming European Parliament elections and influence Western institutions like NATO, a new intelligence report said Tuesday. [...] 'Russia supports its allies through Russian-controlled media, organizes high-level meetings and visits that attract media attention, offers covert financial assistance if necessary, discredits opponents (by stealing and leaking internal information), intentionally spreads false information in social media, and so on.' [...] The report says President Vladimir Putin's government has also been preparing militarily for a possible conflict with NATO."

Comment: The resurgence of Russia is one of the most important events of the last decade, one we should continue to monitor very closely.  Russia is not a status quo power, they are a disgruntled power out to change the world system and are prepared to use all the weapons in their arsenal to do so. This is now the age of hybrid warfare and the battlefield is domestic politics, cyberwar, surveillance and social media manipulation. I think they took the old MTV ad to heart: rock the vote.  

King of the North - Gog Alliance

Turkey, Russia start joint patrol of Syrian rebel stronghold
UPI reports: "Turkey and Russia began joint patrols of Syria's Idlib province Friday, the last stronghold for Syrian rebels, in an agreement meant to protect more than 3 million civilians. [...] Russia, which supports the Syrian government, is expected to patrol the edge of the province. Turkey, which backs the Syrian rebels, will protect the negotiated demilitarized zone around the province."

Comment: The fact that the U.S. has left 200 soldiers in Syria does not take away from the fact that the big winners in Syria are Russia, Turkey and Iran.  The losers, it would seem, are the U.S., Israel and the Kurds. Its not a good situation and suggests increasing military tension along Israel's northern border.

Covenant With Many

US says closing consulate in Jerusalem no policy shift
The AP reports: "When first announced by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in October, the move infuriated Palestinians, fueling their suspicions that the U.S. was recognizing Israeli control over east Jerusalem and the West Bank, territories that Palestinians seek for a future state. [...] The downgrade is just the latest in a string of divisive decisions by the Trump administration that have backed Israel and alienated the Palestinians, who say they have lost faith in the U.S. administration’s role as a neutral arbiter in peace process. [...] The Trump administration has cited the reluctance of Palestinian leaders to enter peace negotiations with Israel as the reason for such punitive measures, although the U.S. has yet to present its much-anticipated but still mysterious “Deal of the Century” to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, announced last month that the U.S. would unveil the deal after Israeli elections in April. "

Comment:  The media fixates on Palestinian opposition but they fail to note that half of the Palestinians (the Hamas wing) has always been against the peace process and indeed, against the existence of Israel. The Trump approach seems to be to bypass the Palestinians (who have, after all, opposed every previous peace deal) and work with the Arab neighbors to get their support first. Will this work? Time will tell. Looking forward to the unveiling of the peace plan in April.

Rumors of War

Vladimir Putin suspends Russian compliance with 1987 INF missile treaty
UPI reports: "Russian President Vladimir Putin officially suspended Moscow's compliance with the 31-year-old Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces treaty on Monday. The Cold War-era treaty has been in effect since 1987 but both countries have accused the other of violating it in recent years. [...] The treaty is intended to prevent both nations from positioning short- and intermediate-range, land-based nuclear missiles in Europe."

Comment: This would appear to be "the other shoe" after the U.S. backed out of the treaty last month. Now the question is, which side will place missiles in Europe first?