PEACE BREAKS OUT IN THE MIDDLE EAST! OR DOES IT?

What does the Bible say about this time when the whole world thinks it has finally achieved peace in the Middle East?

For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. (1 Thessalonians 5:2,3)

Behold, their valiant ones shall cry without: the ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly. (Isaiah 33:7)

Gaza accord receives approval

By Ines Bel Aiba
May 21, 2008

CAIRO (AFP)— Egyptian state media announced yesterday that Israel has agreed in principle to a truce in and around the Gaza Strip and quoted calls by a top official for Palestinian militants to seize an "historic opportunity."

http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080521/FOREIGN/321995340/-1/RSS_WORLD


Israel and Syria admit the start of formal peace talks in Istanbul

• Turkey mediates in search for 'comprehensive' deal• Olmert's move criticised as 'sell-out' or 'smokescreen'

Rory McCarthy in Jerusalem
guardian.co.uk,
Wednesday May 21, 2008

The Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, with the Israeli defence forces chief of staff, Gadi Ashkenazi, at a watch post in the Golan Heights, an area of dispute between Syria and Israel. Photograph: Moshe Milner/Getty

Israel and Syria announced today they have begun indirect talks to reach a "comprehensive peace" in the first formal negotiations between the two mutual enemies for eight years.

Israeli and Syrian officials have been in Istanbul since Monday, holding meetings with Turkish officials who have shuttled between both sides. Officials said the process began after the Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, visited Turkey in February.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/may/21/israelandthepalestinians.syria1?gusrc=rss&feed=worldnews


Hizbullah deal ends Lebanon deadlock

Ian Black, Middle East editor
guardian.co.uk,
Wednesday May 21 2008

Lebanon's long-standing political deadlock came to an end today as the western-backed government conceded key demands to the Hizbullah-led opposition, agreeing a national unity coalition and paving the way for election of a new president by consensus.

There were scenes of jubilation and bursts of celebratory gunfire in Beirut as opposition backers began dismantling their protest camp in the city centre when the deal was announced in the Qatari capital, Doha, after five days of talks.

The agreement, which ends 18 months of impasse, followed armed clashes this month in which 80 people died, evoking bitter memories of the civil war. But the deal leaves fundamental issues unresolved, notably the Shia militia's weapons and its status as a state within a state.

The new president, scheduled to be elected on Sunday, will be the Lebanese army commander Michel Suleiman.Hizbullah deal ends Lebanon deadlock

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/may/21/lebanon1?gusrc=rss&feed=worldnews