by Michael G. Mickey
(12-30-08)

My chosen topic for today's commentary was how events currently taking place in Gaza may impact the tone of our incoming president's foreign policy concerning the never-ending quest for Middle East peace. Two news stories caught my eye yesterday that I bookmarked to address today, the details of which follow.

The following is an excerpt from an Associated Press article (emphasis added mine):

The president had hoped there would be a peace accord before he left office, but that is far from a reality. The White House contends, however, that Bush has laid groundwork that will lead to a two-state solution to the decades-long conflict between Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, which is ruled by the moderate, West-backed Mahmoud Abbas.

The headline of the second article (by Bloomberg) is very revealing and, undoubtedly, true: Gaza Warfare Pushes Israel-Arab Conflict to Top of Obama Agenda

The article opens as follows (emphasis added mine):

Warfare between Israel and Hamas will put pressure on President-elect Barack Obama to fulfill a campaign pledge to focus on the Palestinian conflict at a time when his agenda will already be overflowing with Iraq, Afghanistan and the economic crisis.
Israel is following up its response to rocket fire from Hamas -- a campaign of air strikes in the Gaza Strip that has killed at least 285 people and ignited protests throughout the Arab world -- with preparations for a possible follow-on ground attack. Israeli leaders say the threat from Iran-backed Hamas in Gaza must be eliminated.

“The president-elect’s foreign-policy brain trust very much hoped for a quiet backdrop against which to re-inaugurate the Middle East peace process,” said Rogan Kersh, associate dean of New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service. “That backdrop instead now looks jagged, chaotic and loud.”

Enter the plot twist

As soon as I dug into this morning's news I read that the Yellowstone supervolcano is shaking, baffling scientists. This isn't the first time when the interest of prophecy-interested Christians was piqued by events taking place concerning the nation of Israel, war, peace, and Yellowstone but, first, the latest news of interest.

An Associated Press article on Yellowstone opens as follows:

Yellowstone National Park was jostled by a host of small earthquakes for a third straight day Monday, and scientists watched closely to see whether the more than 250 tremors were a sign of something bigger to come. Swarms of small earthquakes happen frequently in Yellowstone, but it's very unusual for so many earthquakes to happen over several days, said Robert Smith, a professor of geophysics at the University of Utah.

"They're certainly not normal," Smith said. "We haven't had earthquakes in this energy or extent in many years."

As soon as I read the article, my mind was carried back to a similar swarm of activity at Yellowstone that took place leading up to the Annapolis peace talks of 2007. The timing of the upswing in activity concerned me then and definitely concerns me now when I consider the role current events may be playing in determining how the Obama administration, openly concerned with restoring America's bruised image around the world, is going to respond when the international community, in typical fashion, begins condemning Israel for defending itself, strongly encouraging Israel to capitulate to the demands of its enemies.

In spite of many assurances that have been made indicating the Obama administration is going to be pro-Israel, the Bush administration has been deemed 'pro-Israel' by the world and I'd be remiss not to point out that the United States, under President Bush's leadership, has been the biggest duck in the puddle when it comes to encouraging Israel to surrender its covenant lands in the interest of peace.

If the present Middle East conflict continues and, perhaps, escalates and President Obama, newly in office come January, wants to make a statement that the United States is "under new management", what will he do? That is the question I planned to ask before reading about Yellowstone, but now? It's a much bigger question from my perspective.

If God is speaking to us through Yellowstone? If, hypothetically, Yellowstone could talk? I wonder what the message it would share with us today would be. Perhaps it would be Genesis 12:3 - a promise of both blessing and curse given by God to all nations concerning Israel.

And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Something to both ponder and PRAY about as we near 2009 and new leadership in Washington.

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