Middle East

On Monday, half of the German cabinet met with their Israeli counterparts for the first-ever German-Israeli cabinet session. In addition to signing a bilateral agreement for tighter military, cultural, political and economic cooperation between the two countries, the 17 ministers in attendance agreed to continue such joint cabinet sessions on an annual basis. Annual joint cabinet sessions are a privilege that Germany had previously reserved for only its closest European allies. Israel returned the favor by giving German Chancellor Angela Merkel the type of special treatment that is normally reserved for the U.S. president. But is Germany, one of the largest financial supporters of the Palestinian cause, really a friend of Israel? Bible prophecy reveals that this blossoming relationship will result in a massive double-cross.

Both Israeli and Palestinian security officials say Hezbollah has been operating behind the scenes in the West Bank since 2000, pumping millions of dollars into militant groups for attacks against Israel. The Iran-sponsored terrorist organization is working directly with leaders of Palestinian terrorist groups, including Islamic Jihad and the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, security officials report. Right now, the only thing stopping Iranian-backed Hezbollah from openly operating in the West Bank is the Israel Defense Forces. An Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank—a move Prime Minister Olmert has been pushing for—would therefore have deadly consequences for Israel.

A survey of Palestinians taken last week confirms the reason they rushed into the streets to celebrate the recent massacre in Jerusalem that killed eight Jewish teenage students: The poll indicates that 84 percent of Palestinians supported the school shooting. It also found that 64 percent of Palestinians support the Gaza rocket attacks against Israeli towns, and 75 percent favor an end to negotiations with Israel. Clearly, this belies the belief that the majority of “ordinary” Palestinians just want peace. The radical Islamic practice of worshiping death has become mainstream in Muslim societies.

Anti-Jewish sentiment is not limited to Palestinians. A newly released U.S. State Department report, “Contemporary Global Anti-Semitism,” draws attention to a dangerous new form of anti-Semitism taking root around the globe: anti-Zionism. “The distinguishing feature of the new anti-Semitism is criticism of Zionism or Israeli policy that—whether intentionally or unintentionally—has the effect of promoting prejudice against all Jews by demonizing Israel and Israelis and attributing Israel’s perceived faults to its Jewish character,” the report states.

Also this week, terrorists attacked a school next to the U.S. Embassy in Yemen and also a Yemeni government compound in what could be a resurging jihadist insurgency in the country; a newly appointed provincial governor in Afghanistan wants to hold talks with the Taliban in an effort to quell the raging insurgency; delegations from Fatah and Hamas have been in Yemen for reconciliation talks; and Kuwait’s government resigned as a result of infighting.

Europe

The murky details of a cold campaign between Russia and nato began to emerge this week. By supporting Kosovo’s independence with armed force, nato has placed itself in direct opposition to Moscow. Now the United States, along with several European countries, is taking this further as it courts Russia’s near neighbors with the carrot of nato membership.

Angry because of Kosovo’s secession from Serbia, the latest in two decades of revolts from Belgrade, Serbian protesters barricaded themselves inside a court building in the Kosovo town of Mitrovica late last week, demanding it be returned to Serbian control. United Nations police mounted a pre-dawn raid Monday that broke the stand-off and put approximately 50 Serbs in custody, some claim with unnecessary force. Hundreds of Serbs took to the streets, attacking the convoy with rocks, Molotov cocktails, and even small arms, freeing some of the prisoners. The Mitrovican region is very important to Kosovo. Agriculture and mining of the region’s rich mineral resources are Kosovo’s only sources of income, apart from foreign aid. Serbians make up the majority of the region’s population, however, and wish to be part of Serbia, not Kosovo. If this happened, it would cripple Kosovo’s economy. Serbia and Russia want Mitrovica to be part of Serbia. The European Union and nato want it to be part of Kosovo.

This is just one area in which Russia and the West have been at odds this week. U.S. President George W. Bush met with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili on Wednesday. At this meeting Bush said that Washington would push for Georgia to be invited to join a Membership Action Plan (map), a roadmap to entry into nato. Bush also said it would do the same for Ukraine.

On Monday, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates met with their Russian counterparts. According to Stratfor, Russia said it “would not look for payback on Kosovo if the alliance does not push for Ukrainian and Georgian membership.”

By pushing for nato membership for Georgia and Ukraine, the U.S. pits itself directly against Russia. Several nato members support the U.S. in this, many of them Eastern European states. France and Germany, among others, oppose the idea. They do not want to further hurt their already-bruised relations with Russia. There is a strategy at work here. Germany and Russia need to confirm the border between an eastward-expanding EU and a resurgent, imperialist Russia. It now appears that the EU will be content to trade off Ukraine for Kosovo. This would give the EU the rich mineral wealth of Kosovo’s Trepca mines in exchange for yielding up influence over Russia’s prime breadbasket, Ukraine.

Russia needs Ukraine and Georgia to secure its western and southern flank. Kosovo already made Russia look weak. If these two nations were offered maps, any image of Russian power would be shattered completely. Moscow cannot let this happen. With Russian and Western interests conflicting in so many different areas, a clash is brewing. Germany and the EU as a whole, however, will go about this in a much more circumspect way than the U.S. They are not yet ready for a clash with Russia. As with last time Germany and Russia fought, watch for Germany to forge a deal with Russia so it can postpone the conflict until it is better prepared. For more information on this, read our December article “Russo-German Pact Imminent.”

The EU is looking to expand its power within nato. Last Saturday, nato Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization should pool its military capabilities with the European Union. He also said that the militaries of member nations should be “equally available to both nato and the EU.” As we wrote in January, “[W]atch for Europe to take up the mantle of global policeman as the military might and will of America wanes. If Europe is given a governing role in nato, it will only further catapult Europe as a global policy-shaper.” The EU wants to use nato for its own ends. For more on this subject, read the April Trumpet’s cover story, “On the March.”

Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden launched a verbal attack against Europe this week. Bin Laden threatened revenge because of the “insulting drawings” of Mohammed, calling their publishing a “greater and more serious tragedy” than the murder of women and children. The video also attacked the pope, accusing him of beginning a “new crusade” against Islam.

Faced with two threats, from Russia in the east and radical Islam in the south, watch for Europe to galvanize beneath one powerful leader, a prospect all the more imminent with the planned appointment of an EU president, to take place following ratification of the new EU treaty, slated for 2009. Watch for the pope to take a great role in this.

Asia

On March 10, the anniversary of Tibet’s 1959 revolt against China, a group of Buddhist monks and nuns demonstrated in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa against Chinese occupation of the region. In the wake of this demonstration, Chinese authorities have detained up to 1,000 people as the Tibetan demonstrations have grown into full-scale riots. As armed Chinese troops crack down on the protest and roam the streets of Lhasa, international criticism for China is rising. France, Germany and the United States have all expressed disapproval over Beijing’s handling of the situation. The nations that have supported the Chinese crackdown in Tibet are such countries as Vietnam, Pakistan, India, Belarus and Russia—either Asian or former Soviet states. The nations of Asia are presenting a united front against the West, whether that means supporting China over the issue of Tibet or supporting Russia over the issue of Kosovo.

As secessionist movements and protests rage in Tibet, U.S. State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey has warned Taiwan that America is still opposed to any Taiwanese referendum on UN membership. Casey’s warning came Wednesday, three days before the Taiwanese presidential elections. As America continues distancing itself from Taiwan, the threat of a Chinese “conquest” of the Taiwanese people grows.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned the West on Thursday that putting Ukraine and Georgia on the path to nato membership would have “the gravest consequences” on the relationship between America and Russia. Interestingly, Lavrov made these comments in Damascus, where he was meeting with Hamas officials in a bid to hammer out a plan to move Hamas to “a common Arab platform.” “The necessity to restore Palestinians’ unity is comprehended by an increasing number of countries, including those who earlier called for isolating Hamas. We observe such sentiments in Europe and other countries. It’s a realistic, pragmatic approach,” he said.

Russian officials are continuing with plans for a Moscow conference on Middle East peace later this year. This proposed conference, combined with Russian support for Hamas, shows that the Russians are attempting to thrust themselves into the middle of the Middle East peace process. Their efforts will only undermine the U.S. position in the region and create further confusion.

Africa

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, up for reelection in less than two weeks, introduced a last-minute change to the rules on Monday: Police officers will be allowed in polling stations. His opponents say this is an attempt to intimidate voters. “One of the players is now acting like a referee and pretending to be a competitor,” said opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai. “Are we really in an election or are we in a contest already decided by one man?” The law requiring that police stay at least 100 meters from polling stations was just instituted last year as part of election reform. President Mugabe claims the change is so police officers can assist illiterate and disabled voters (presumably, as long as they vote Mugabe).

China, which currently receives 24 percent of its crude oil from Africa, has plans to increase its African crude import to 35-40 percent of its total, according to Zhiming Zhao, executive president of China Petroleum and Petro-Chemical Industry Association. While many Western firms are trying to extricate themselves from Africa and its political problems, China claims to have invested $30 billion in Africa’s energy sector and plans to build beyond that. The desire to exploit African resources continues to motivate many nations to invest even in unstable areas, with China and the EU topping the list.

Anglo-America

On Wednesday, senator and presidential hopeful John McCain visited Sderot, Israel, a town that has suffered heavy civilian-targeted rocket fire from Hamas terrorists in nearby Gaza. McCain, who is on a weeklong fact-finding trip in the Middle East and Europe, told a family whose kitchen had been hit by one of the 2,000 rockets fired at Sderot citizens in the past four years: “I’m sorry this happened to you. We’ll try to see that it doesn’t happen again.” McCain also said Palestinian Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas was “committed to the peace process.”

On the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq, President George W. Bush spoke about the conflict. “Five years into this battle, there is an understandable debate over whether the war was worth fighting, whether the fight is worth winning, and whether we can win it,” he said. “The answers are clear to me. Removing Saddam Hussein from power was the right decision, and this is a fight that America can and must win.” Democrat critics continue to blast the president for being “unwavering” and for not setting an expiration date on the mission, in spite of news that his recent surge of 30,000 troops has quelled some of the violence there. McCain continues to defend the Iraq war in his campaign.