Mideast on Fire: Jerusalem the Center of a Coming 'Perfect Storm' - Chris Mitchell CBN NEWS

Mideast on Fire: Jerusalem the Center of a Coming 'Perfect Storm'

02-09-2016

Chris Mitchell

CBN NEWS

JERUSALEM, Israel -- Since the dawn of what is known as the Arab Spring in 2011, the Middle East has gone through profound and historic changes, killing hundreds of thousands of people and forcing millions of others from their homes.

Some believe the region could be on the verge of regional war with global consequences.  

In just the past three years, the ISIS terror army conquered huge areas of Syria and Iraq, Iran struck a landmark nuclear deal with the rest of the world, Russia made its biggest military move into the Middle East in decades, and  two main rivals within Islam -- Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran -- appeared on the brink of war.

Israel's former national security advisor describes what is happening in the Middle East now as a "perfect storm."

He believes a series of events are converging that will create a situation far more dangerous than the individual events themselves. Sitting right in the center of the Middle East storm is the nation of Israel and the city of Jerusalem.

In the Blink of an Eye

Middle East expert and best-selling author Joel Rosenberg told CBN News he believes this chaos portends a gloomy picture for the year ahead.

"The state of the Middle East is a catastrophe right now. The Middle East is on fire," Rosenberg said. "2016 is going to be a very dangerous year because you are watching the complete catastrophic failure of American foreign policy under President Obama."

"You're watching the Russians and the Iranians trying to rush into the vacuum of the American retreat," he continued. "You're watching the Islamic State on offense. You're seeing Iran being rewarded for its belligerent behavior and now has two ways to nuclear weapons."

"This is a disaster in the making," Rosenberg warned.

Some are convinced that one of those disasters in the making is the nuclear deal with Iran. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., calls it one of the worst diplomatic agreements in U.S. history.

"Even if Iran follows the deal to the letter, they're going to be a nuclear threshold state in a mere 10 or 15 years, which Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu says is a blink of an eye in the life of nations," Cotton explained. 

He said it could lead to a Middle East nuclear arms race and put the region on the brink of a nuclear holocaust.

"We are at risk of entering a second nuclear age and the loss of life, not in the tens, not in the thousands, not in even the hundreds of thousands -- but in the millions," Cotton warned.

"And that loss of life could include American life because Iran is also developing a ballistic missile program and they also have shown they are willing to kill Americans," he added.

Iran vs. Saudi Arabia

Another storm cloud on the horizon is the growing battle between Sunnis and Shiites, led by Saudi Arabia and Iran. The feud began to boil when the Saudis recently executed a top Shiite cleric.

Although Middle East analyst Michael Barak doesn't expect a direct war between two of the region's giants, proxy wars around the region could instensify.

"Executing this guy is meaning like a declaration of war against Iran," Barak said. "Actually, we are already witness to the clash between the Shia and Sunni in Yemen and Iraq and Syria. It will get worse, of course."

Enter the Russian Bear

Russia's actions have generated yet another storm cloud. When it entered the Syrian civil war, it formed an alliance with Iran.

That unprecedented coalition fuels a greater danger to Israel, according to Rosenberg.

"The alliance between Moscow and Tehran is a match made in hell," he said.

"And so what you have now the two countries are now operating in Syria supposedly against the Islamic State. But it puts them dangerously close to Israel," Rosenberg cautioned.

"And the United States under President Obama is just throwing up our hands and say, 'Well, whatever, why don't you guys take care of the problem?'" he said.

"We are ceding the Middle East over to Moscow and Tehran," he warned. "This has dangerous implications for the United States, for the world, and for Israel like we have not seen in generations."

Watch here: Inside Israel

Senate Candidates Who Championed Pro-Life, Social Conservative Principles Win Decisive Victories

BY SAMUEL SMITH , CP REPORTER  CHRISTIAN POST

November 5, 2014

(PHOTO: REUTERS/BRIAN FRANK)

Republican Senator Joni Ernst speaks to supporters after the results of the U.S. Senate race in U.S. midterm elections in Iowa in West Des Moines, Iowa, November 4, 2014.

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With the results of the midterm election giving control of both the House and Senate to the Republican Party, leaders of two prominent social conservative political action groups said in interviews with The Christian Post that those candidates who fully embraced their conservative stances on social issues were fully rewarded by the voters.

Tony Perkins, president of the social conservative advocacy group Family Research Council, and Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, agreed that Republican candidates who either supported abortion or hid their views on abortion and other social issues did not fare as well as those who fully supported the social conservative principles that many think hinders the GOP in the modern political climate.

"I think what you saw here are candidates who embrace the values, the values voters embrace them," Perkins said. "I think this was a clear referendum on Barack Obama and his liberal policies, and I think that is going to come with a mandate to the Republicans that they address these issues and address them quickly."

Perkins noted Republican Kansas Senator Pat Roberts as a prime example of what touting conservative social principles did in the grand scheme of one Senate election.

(PHOTO: REUTERS/MARK KAUZLARICH)

Republican Pat Roberts speaks to supporters after the results of the midterm elections in Topeka, Kansas, November 4, 2014.

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Although polling leading up to the elections showed Roberts was in serious danger of losing his seat to independent candidate Greg Orman, Perkins said Roberts' late push in the election cycle, where he advocated heavily for pro-life and other conservative social stances, helped him to win reelection even though many thought his career might be coming to an end.

"The reason why I say Roberts, in particular, was because he was down significantly and almost left for political dead and he did not run from those values issues, rather he embraced them," Perkins said.

Tom Cotton, who won election as Arkansas Senator, and Joni Ernst, who won the vacant Iowa Senate seat, both campaigned heavily on pro-life and traditional marriage platform and both won their elections by decisive margin. Ernst replaces retiring Democratic Senator Tom Harkin, while Cotton displaces Democratic incumbent Mark Pryor.

(PHOTO: REUTERS/JACOB SLATON)

Republican Tom Cotton speaks after the results of the midterm elections in North Little Rock, Arkansas, November 4, 2014.

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Dannenfelser claims that Ernst's election represents the perfect symbolism of a new GOP-controlled Senate that will attempt to pass pro-life legislation.

"Ernst is the most significant among the Susan B. Anthony list's efforts, because this is an unapologetic pro-life woman who will be on the floor for the U.S. Senate advocating for pro-life legislation," Dannenfelser said. "And that is an enormous victory for women and the Susan B. Anthony List. Everything that we have done for this election is for gaining the Senate and having a woman be a great spokeswoman in the Senate."

Both Dannenfelser and Perkins agree that Scott Brown, a Republican who lost to Democratic New Hampshire Senator Jeanne Shaheen, only hurt himself in this election by not staying true to the Republican social principles. Brown never made clear his stances on abortion or gay marriage during his campaign, although it's alleged that he is pro-abortion and pro-gay marriage.

"I think the main problem with Scott Brown is that he never clarified what he believed at all. He could have carved out a consensus play, which would say, 'I'm not for all pro-life measures but I am definitely for a late-term restriction,'" Dannenfelser said. "He could have done something like that. It would have been smart to do something like that, and he didn't do that. He did not gain the advantage that all of our other candidates did and that was a huge mistake on his part."

In one of the most expensive Senate campaigns in history, North Carolina's incumbent Senator Kay Hagan was ousted by Republican challenger Thom Tillis. Dannenfelser sees Tillis' victory, along with Mark Udall's loss in Colorado, as a clear indication that the Democratic Party's "War on Women" campaign attack against the Republican Party is now officially dead.

"I believe that the abortion-centered 'War on Women' message has just died. It is dead in the water," Dannenfelser said. "Kay Hagan was an Emily's List candidate. Emily's list advice was 'do not talk about abortion.' She did not. She only reluctantly admitted that she was against the pain-capable bill. I think it is one more piece of evidence that the war on women manipulation is dead now."

With a conservative majority in the Senate, Dannenfelser said that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had promised that he would advance a vote on the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which would prohibit abortions after five months of pregnancy. The bill passed the House in 2013 but has been stalled in the Senate.

"When that occurs we will have a majority pro-life Senate that will vote for that bill and that means that we will see a potential veto by this president, and the Senate will be very important in defining the next presidential race," Dannenfelser said.

Perkins added that the Republican majority needs to "fulfill some of these promises" and work quickly to repeal some of the liberal policies established by the Obama administration.

"What we have been hearing up to this point is that Harry Reid is blocking this reform. That won't be a legitimate excuse anymore, as the Republicans control both the House and the Senate," Perkins said. "They will have to fulfill some of these promises that have been made to turn this country around and undo what this president has done."

Source: Christian Post

Obummer: Pro-Israel Republicans Take Over Congress

By Lea Speyer November 5, 2014  Breaking Israel News

“I know that you are pleased with me, for my enemy does not triumph over me.” (Psalm 41:11)

For the first time in eight years, Republican lawmakers control both houses of Congress in a major blow to the Obama administration. (Photo: Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

As Americans headed to the polls on Tuesday in the midterm elections, many supporters of Israel wondered what the outcome of the elections would mean for the Jewish state.

The results are in and it looks like Israel has gained a major foothold when it comes to bolstering support for Israel among American lawmakers.

For the first time in eight years, Republicans are in control of the US Congress. Republicans won control of the US Senate and increased their majority in the House of Representatives.

Republicans picked up seven seats in the Senate, giving them 52 out of a total 100 seats. In the House, several high-profile races ended in Republican victory, including Florida and Wisconsin. The usually Democratic-leaning states of Maryland, Illinois and Massachusetts turned from blue to red.

The results are a major blow to the Democrats, especially US President Barack Obama. Obama now faces an uphill battle during the remaining two years of his presidency with a Congress that is now controlled by a party that firmly and vocally opposes his policies.

The American people have spoken and they are not happy.

Elie Pieprz, the Director of External Affairs for the Yesha Council and a former DC lobbyist, explained to Breaking Israel News that the election results were a bit surprising and created a “much bigger wave than expected” among Republican support.

“The election results are consequential for Israel, especially since Netanyahu is trying to bypass the White House,” Pieprz said.

“The Democrats are trying to differentiate themselves from Obama, who has been radioactive to Israel and the Democratic Party as a whole,” Pieprz said, referring to the rising tensions between the Obama administration and Netanyahu.

In light of the results, Pieprz explained that Obama can either gracefully bow to the needs of the American people or work with Congress, or he can do the opposite. Democrats now have the task of redefining themselves outside of the Obama narrative.

“Many Democrats have seen the mistakes of the Obama administration. In the 2016 presidential election, we will see many Democrat and Republican candidates who will want to restart the relationship with Israel,” he said.

“Many Democrats will say they have a different approach to Israel than Obama. The toxicity of communication between the two administrations is something the Democrats don’t want to replicate again.”

While Obama has hit some pretty intense lows when it comes to foreign policy, Pieprz said that when it comes to Israel, the president has been very “successful in pressuring and pushing Israel.” However, with Congress in the hands of the Republicans, the threats imposed on Israel by the Obama administration will be that much tougher to see through.

“When it comes to Israel, the Senate has more responsibility and authority in regards to foreign affairs,” Pieprz explained. “Now we have a number of Republican senators who are fairly strong in foreign policy and very pro-Israel.”

One such senator is Tom Cotton (R-AK), a Gulf War veteran who is “very strong in international affairs.”

In the House, Representatives such as Lee Zelden (R-NY), the only Jewish Republican in Congress who “campaigned with a strong religious perspective on Israel; Carlos Cordello (R-FL), “a very solid advocate on behalf of Israel”; Alex Mooney (R-WV), who has been to Israel a number of times, worked in Christian political movements and is a “strong asset in the House”; and Mia Love (R-UT), the first African-American female Republican who uses her Mormon religious beliefs to “govern her positions and Israel is certainly one of them,” will be fresh faces and vocal allies of the Jewish State.

“To have these kinds of personalities in Congress is very consequential for Israel,” Pieprz stated.

Read more at http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/23852/obummer-pro-israel-republicans-take-congress/#BlccycHv7uJt5tEI.99