Israel
to sacrifice settlements for world support
of Iran Op?
http://www.jpost.com/
A deal
taking shape between Israel and Western
leaders will facilitate international
support for an Israeli strike on Iran's
nuclear facilities in exchange for
concessions in peace negotiations with the
Palestinians and Arab neighbors, The Times
reported Thursday.
According to one British official quoted by
the paper, such an understanding could allow
an Israeli attack "within the
year."
The report in the UK paper quoted unnamed
diplomats as saying Israel was prepared to
offer concessions on the formation of a
Palestinian state as well as on its
settlement policy and "issues"
with Arab neighbors, in exchange for
international backing for an Israeli
operation in Iran.
"Israel has chosen to place the Iranian
threat over its settlements," one
senior European diplomat said.
According to the Times report, the passage
of two Sa'ar 5-class Israeli Navy ships
through the Suez Canal on Tuesday was a
message to Iran and part of preparations
being made by Israel for the possibility of
a strike.
"This is preparation that should be
taken seriously. Israel is investing time in
preparing itself for the complexity of an
attack on Iran. These maneuvers are a
message to Iran that Israel will follow up
on its threats," an unnamed Israeli
defense official was quoted by the paper as
saying.
"It is not by chance that Israel is
drilling long-range maneuvers in a public
way. This is not a secret operation. This is
something that has been published and which
will showcase Israel's abilities,"
another defense official said.
The passage of the ships comes several weeks
after a Dolphin-class submarine passed
through the international waterway for the
first time.
One of the ships, the INS Hanit, already
crossed the canal in June, in what an
Egyptian source said was the first time a
large missile ship used the strategic
waterway, which is the fastest route to get
Israeli Navy vessels from the Mediterranean,
where they are based, to the Red Sea and
beyond.
The other ship to cross on Tuesday was the
INS Eilat.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit
said that under a long-standing treaty,
warships can freely sail through Suez as
long as they have no hostile intentions
against the state that owns the canal. He
declined to say whether the maneuver was
aimed at sending a message, saying, "I
don't want to analyze an issue that I am not
fully aware of."
In the event of a conflict with Iran, and if
Israel decided to involve its three
Dolphin-class submarines - which according
to foreign reports can fire nuclear-tipped
cruise missiles and serve as a second-strike
platform - the quickest route would be to
sail them through the Suez Canal. Going
through the canal would also be the only way
to get to the Gulf of Oman without
refueling.
Solana
calls for UN to impose deadline for
Palestinian state
http://www.ynetnews.com/
European
Union's foreign policy chief urges Security
Council to set tangible deadline for
formation of Palestinian state, endorse
overall solution for issues of border
parameters, refugees, control over
Jerusalem; Israel says proposal 'undermines
peace efforts'
Jerusalem dismissed Sunday evening European
Union Foreign Policy chief Javier Solana's
call for the UN Security Council to
recognize a Palestinian state by a certain
deadline even if the Israelis and
Palestinians have not reached agreement
among themselves.
The Foreign Ministry released a statement
saying "Resolutions 242 and 338 of the
United Nations, the roadmap (peace plan) and
agreements between Israel and the
Palestinians all cautiously determine that
the solution to the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict will only be reached through
negotiations by the sides.
"Israel has declared its willingness
for the immediate resumption of the peace
talks with no preconditions. Any other
approach, including one that calls for
setting an artificial deadline for the
negotiations, undermines the efforts to
reach an agreement between (Israel and the
Palestinian Authority)," the statement
read.
Solana made his comments on Saturday at a
lecture in London while Palestinian and
Israeli peace talks remain stalled.
The Palestinians have said they will not
revive peace talks unless there is a halt to
Israel's settlement activities in the West
Bank: "After a fixed deadline, a UN
Security Council resolution should proclaim
the adoption of the two-state
solution," Solana said, adding this
should include border parameters, refugees,
control over the city of Jerusalem and
security arrangements.
"It would accept the Palestinian state
as a full member of the UN, and set a
calendar for implementation. It would
mandate the resolution of other remaining
territorial disputes and legitimize the end
of claims," Solana went on.
Advocating a return to Israel's borders
before the 1967 war with Egypt, Syria and
Jordan in which it took the West Bank,
Solana said mediators should set a timetable
for a peace agreement.
"If the parties are not able to stick
to it (the timetable), then a solution
backed by the international community should
be put on the table," He said. The EU,
along with the United States, Russia and the
United Nations, is part of the Quartet of
Middle East Negotiators.
Christian
Book Publishers Choose War of Words Over
Israel
http://www.wnd.com/
On the eve
of the secret Oslo talks, as the fateful
1990s began, Israel enjoyed a sunny
relationship with American evangelicals.
This support coincided with dramatic
breakthroughs in the Christian book
publishing world, an industry that was
overwhelmingly pro-Israel in those days.
Books by such publishers as New Leaf
Publishing Group and Harvest House advanced
the platforms of several pro-Israel authors.
The Christian book industry has also, in the
last two decades, enjoyed unprecedented
success, even reaching new markets.
Tyndale's "Left Behind" series,
from prophecy teacher Tim LaHaye and writer
Jerry Jenkins, even made the secular world
sit up and take notice.
And while pro-Israel support is still
strong, cracks are appearing.
The evangelical left has made inroads into
conservative circles, advocating for
Palestinian positions in the Arab-Israeli
conflict. Books and blogs by folks like
Brian McLaren and Tony Campolo have opened
up attack lines on Israel and her Christian
supporters: Bible prophecy enthusiasts and
Christian Zionists.
A war of words, of sorts, has erupted
between the major advocacy positions both
for and against Christian Zionism.
McLaren's blog contains an unusual amount of
negative commentary about Israel and her
friends, under the guise of concern for the
Palestinians: "They [Christian
Zionists] create bigotry and prejudice
against Muslims in general," writes
McLaren, "and in particular against
Palestinians, many of whom are Muslim, but
many of whom are Christian too."
McLaren and many of his friends on the left
are published by "the trade,"
those large Eastern houses that have little
in common with millions of American
Christians. And while traditional Christian
publishers are not thoroughly secularized
yet, there are signs that this very thing is
taking place.
At last summer's International Christian
Retailing Show in Orlando, several attendees
were surprised by the shift in worldview
from publishers who in the past promoted a
conservative view of the Bible.
Baker Publishing Group, once the home of the
late Creationist icon Henry M. Morris –
who was also a strong advocate of Bible
prophecy – unveiled two new titles from
"old-earth" advocate Hugh Ross.
For long-time observers of the Christian
book industry, Baker's shift is a watershed
event. Not surprisingly, Baker President
Dwight Baker doesn't see it that way:
"If you read our mission statement
carefully, it says a great deal," Baker
said. "When we talk in that statement
about being 'irenic,' it refers to the fact
that Baker Publishing Group has always
published the best thinkers on a topic in
order to add to the diversity of thought and
make for a fuller conversation about the
issues people wrestle with. Each generation
faces a new set of challenges, but our
service to the reading community as a whole
and the larger community of believers is
best applied by not remaining frozen in
time. What is seen as forward and new in one
generation can be the conservative
traditional approach in the next
generation."
Michael Hyatt, the innovative head of Thomas
Nelson Publishers, the book juggernaut based
in Nashville, chose his words carefully when
asked if books on Bible prophecy are passé
in the book industry.
"No, I don't think they are on the
decline. Our third bestselling book in the
last 12 months has been David Jeremiah's
'What in the World Is Going On?' I do,
however, think these books are
cyclical."
Hyatt keeps his ear to the ground and
understands the cyber-future of publishing.
His fiscal responsibility has kept Nelson
viable in a down economy. Still, his comment
on books that advocate for the validity of
Bible prophecy is technically true.
Jeremiah's book is everywhere, from big-box
retailers to ministry e-stores, and has had
a wide hearing on prophecy message boards.
Yet the pastor of Shadow Mountain Community
Church in San Diego (where Henry Morris
attended) surely represents a fading dynamic
from the pulpit: conservative.
One Christian Booksellers' Association
publisher who is comfortable on the front
lines of Christian Zionism is Stephen Strang,
a mogul whose Florida empire includes books
and magazines. Strang is heavily involved
with Christians United for Israel, and
promotes a variety of pro-Israel
initiatives.
As to the question of whether the CBA market
is turning away from Bible prophecy, Strang
answers in his typical independent style:
"I have not noticed the same trend that
you mentioned" Strang said. "You
may be right, but I did not personally
notice that the convention was flooded with
books supportive of Israel, nor that they're
shrinking.
"If there is a trend, we're going the
other way because in the last couple of
years we have published several books
supportive of Israel including 'Jerusalem
Countdown,' which sold over a million
copies," he added.
Strang went on to reveal why he supports
these topics:
"The reason I'm supportive of Israel as
a publisher is that it's an outgrowth of my
life," Strang said. "I have
considered myself a Zionist most of my adult
life. I've visited Israel five times and
I've been aware of the interest in Israel,
the need to publish, and it's all just kind
of worked together. It was not a difficult
decision to make."
While long-time publishers seem to be shying
away from topics once dominated by the likes
of LaHaye, Dave Hunt and Lindsey, others are
cementing their reputations as maverick
independents.
WND Books' new release by Jerusalem
correspondent Aaron Klein, "The Late
Great State of Israel," is finding a
warm reception from Israel supporters.
Klein's eye-on-the-scene reporting has
created the kind of platform that is vital
in keeping a title in front of the public.
With 200,000 titles being published
annually, many of them mediocre or published
solely for the revenue value, an author must
establish and maintain a viable platform for
promotion. The famous competition in book
publishing comes from the sheer number of
titles available to a finite audience.
Titles like "Late Great" separate
themselves from the pack through clever
marketing techniques that drill deep into
niche markets.
Another independent experiencing real
success in a fragile market is Tom Horn,
president of Defender Publishing in
Springfield, Mo. Two years ago, Horn brought
his marketing background from the West Coast
and settled down in the heartland, where he
found many authors frustrated with
traditional publishing options.
"Over the years I discovered many
authors had a passion to write, had labored
over an important work, but couldn't get a
full-service publisher to financially risk
publishing their book," Horn said.
Horn's efforts have paid off for several
authors, including Bill Salus, whose "Isralestine:
The Ancient Blueprints of the Future Middle
East" has created a sensation in the
Bible prophecy community.
Many thousands of authors have discovered
too late that most mainstream book
publishers don't do any real promotion; they
rely on the author's platform for that, or,
even better, a lightning strike such as an
appearance on "Oprah." Horn saw
the folly in that years ago. Defender does
issue standard royalty-based contracts, but
the partnering method, in which authors
purchase a set amount upfront, has paid off
handsomely for both authors and the
publisher.
Bob Hawkins, Jr. of Harvest House is
continuing his father's strategy of
publishing for Bible prophecy students. The
publisher just released Terry James' new
effort, "The American Apocalypse: Is
the United States in Bible Prophecy?"
It helps that James, co-founder of the
largest prophecy website, RaptureReady, has
a huge built-in audience and is a
"go-to" guy for this community.
All these independent voices ensure that a
pro-Israel/Bible prophecy advocacy will
endure, even if traditional homes are
shutting their doors. As it stands now, only
a few CBA publishers still promote product
to this still-strong audience.
As the culture continues to
"evolve," look for the publishing
wars, amid competing worldviews, to heat up.
