Hundreds of miles to the north of Israel, the crisis in Georgia continues to boil. It's hard to overestimate the ramifications this situation present to the world and here in Israel.
Here's how one analyst, Ariel Cohen of the Heritage Foundation, summed up the threat to Israel:
"While the Middle East, and especially the Persian Gulf, will remain a top priority in U.S. foreign policy regardless of who wins the White House, Israel is heading toward a strategic environment in which Russia may play a more important role, especially in its southern tier, from the Black Sea to Afghanistan and western China. Twenty-first century geopolitics is presenting significant survival challenges to the Jewish state and the region."
Sometimes world events shift suddenly. Who would have thought just a few weeks ago that the possibility of war between the United States and a militaristic Russia would be openly discussed on the world stage? In light of these developments, a number of people are re-examining and re-reading Ezekiel 38.
Three years ago today, another major shift occurred here. The so-called "disengagement" from Gaza took place. At the time, the Israeli government forcibly evicted thousands of Jews from 21 communities established in the Gush Katif Settlement Bloc in the Gaza Strip. Many of the towns were set up by Ariel Sharon years before, but as prime minister, he made a decision to destroy them...all for a promise of peace.
Three years later, the promise of peace proved illusory. In fact, the "disengagement" set up the likelihood of war. Hamas transformed the Gaza Strip into an armed camp. Hundreds of its fighters have traveled to Iran for terror and advanced weapons training. Thousands of rockets have been fired into southern Israeli towns like Sderot, terrorizing their populations.
Before "disengagement," the Jews of Gaza took what some had called cursed land and turned it into one of the most productive agricultural areas in the region.
We interviewed one of the most colorful characters there, a lady originally from Brooklyn named Anita Tucker, who grew celery heads by the tens of thousands. These people employed dozens of Palestinian Arabs in their hothouses and businesses. They exported millions of dollars of organic produce to Europe. They literally made the desert bloom.
I remember the day -- August 15, 2005 -- when the Jewish residents of Gaza started coming out. Our live shot location was at the Kissifim Crossing. What we saw unfold before our eyes looked like a scene from John Steinback's "Grapes of Wrath."
Cars and trailers with belongings piled high streamed by us into an uncertain future.
Three years later, many of their lives now are just a shadow of what they used to be. Hundreds are either un- or under-employed. For many Israelis, the disengagement proved to be a disaster, a blunder Israel continues to suffer from.
If you'd like to read more, here are a couple of links to recent stories about the Gaza "disengagement."
www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/ArticleLayout/CdaArticlePrintPreview/1,2506,L-3581315,00.html
In the meantime, President Bush needs prayer. He's in the midst of a crisis reminiscent of the Cuban missile crisis in 1962 and the 1968 Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia, and he needs God's wisdom.