Syria has…fallen?

Boy oh boy, what mayhem Barack Obama has wrought in the Middle East. It’s now 2024, but we need to go back to 2011, when Barack and the CIA mucked around in Libya and then Syria. The ghastly Syrian Civil War erupted and basically continues to this day. That brought in the Russians, Iranians, and various rebel terror groups.

Ostensibly, this was to bring about the “Arab Spring,” which would “free” the Middle East.

That old tyrant and totalitarian knew it wouldn’t. Today, those regions are mired in chaos. Much speculation as to what is going to happen to Syria and Damascus in particular.

Isaiah 17 of course is the specific chapter from prophecy that talks about the destruction of Damascus.

Verse 3 says the royal power of Damascus will end; one could speculate now that that means Bashar Assad, the butcher-dictator successor to his butcher-dictator father, Hafez Assad.

(I would introduce the thought here that Isaiah 17 is describing also a time when Israel is down, is degraded in some way from what she has been. Look at the context of the whole chapter. Just a thought.)

There is no doubt that Damascus is in some peril right now. I don’t think we can be dogmatic about it prophetically, but the whole country is teetering.

I noticed this week that Barry Shaw, a terrific Israeli analyst on Facebook, posted this:

ERDOGAN – V- ASSAD.

Turkish President Erdogan addressed the recent progress of the rebels in Syria: “Idlib, Hama, Homs, and of course, the goal is Damascus. The opposition’s progress continues, and we hope it continues safely and without special incidents.”

Erdogan has signaled his proxy forces in Syria to go all the way and overthrow the Assad regime!

And Erdogan’s Turkey is a member of NATO turning Syria into a NATO war front.

Barry Shaw, Israel institute for Strategic Studies.

Hmm.

Truly, Syria is a hot pot of chaos. I also noted this week an X post by Mosab Hassan Yousef, “Son of Hamas,” a fellow that has seen the light. His insights are fascinating:

The illusion of “Palestine” is changing the world order in favor of Israel. The “Palestinian” slaughter of Jews on October 7 led to the destruction of Hamas, Hizbollah and led to an open war between Ayatollah and Israel which will eventually lead to the destruction of the Islamic republic. Hizbollah defeat in Lebanon encouraged Sunni Jihadists to launch a surprising assault against the Syrian dictator. Russia can’t save the Assad regime this time, Ayatollah hands are tied, and Hizbollah his greatest asset in the past is too weak to fight to his side. As a result Bashar al Assad will certainly fall. Sunni Jihadists will take over Syria for a while, this will result in a bloodbath between Sunni and Shi’i Muslims. The Islamic temporary unity against their common enemy Israel is coming to an end and Muslims are about to display their brutality aga coming to an end and Muslims are about to display their brutality against each other. I don’t know how long this new ugly Islamic war will last but I am certain that Israel will emerge as a superpower. Regimes will fall and rise as a result of the “Palestine” trigger. The black hole that will swallow its creators.

So he raises some fascinating points. His premise? Israel is on the ascent. I agree with him. At least short-term. In the near, Israel has gained at the very least great respect from her neighbors as they fight the dogs of terrorism.

The geopolitics and the machinations of good and bad rulers do nothing more than advance the plan that God alone knows. We watch Syria and we watch Damascus, and we most of all watch our Bible. Let’s let is play out and see where it lands.

And pray for the people of the Middle East that do not enjoy chaos, mayhem, and murder!

What Comes After Hamas?

More than a year has passed. That’s how long it has taken to take out the trash in the Gaza Strip.

Soon after the horrific attacks by Hamas, demonic in origin, Israel issued a statement that once they won the war and cleaned-out Gaza, it would never again be what it was. I kept my eyes focused on that statement and shut-out the nonsense from Western diplomats. And the statement has proven to be true. Hamas is finished and now everyone is wondering what or who will govern the area.

(I admit that it’s a disappointment that Israel won’t annex the area and repopulate it with Jewish homes. The Arabs can find a home somewhere else.)

It’s been floated of course that the foxes will be let back into the henhouse. Early on, Hamas proposed that they along with the PA would administer the area.

LOL.

Then it was going to be the Palestinian Authority itself. Problem there is, it’s still the same old terrorist PLO organization it always was.

So, who?

Israel probably doesn’t want to be the administrator over 1.5 million Palestinians. Again, problem solved if they move out of the area, but no one has that kind of moral clarity and will.

So long as Israel maintains a military presence there—and they will—it isn’t critical. Word came this week of a name being tossed around.

Muhammad Dahlan.

A senior figure in the Fatah (political wing) of the PLO, Dahlan has been in exile in the UAE for some time. If there is such a thing as a moderate in that crowd, he would be it.

He claims he doesn’t want any such role, but was only focused on humanitarian efforts during the war. But don’t kid yourself.

Born in Khan Yunis, one of the battlefronts during the war, Dahlan was part of the next generation Palestinian leadership. Coming to prominence after the Oslo Accords, and the creation of the Palestinian Authority, he was for some time head of the preventive security forces in Gaza and minister of civilian affairs.

After the Second Intifada broke out (courtesy of the sinister Arafat), Dahlan was associated with terror activities against Israel, but in 2011, he was expelled from Fatah when he was suspected of plotting a coup against the equally sinister and corrupt Mahmoud Abbas, Arafat’s one-time right-hand man.

One interesting point in all this is, Dahlan’s chief rival, Marwan Barghouti, sits in an Israeli prison. He has been mentioned as a bargaining chip in the event of a hostage swap. It’s obviously in Dahlan’s best interests that Barghouti stays put.

The internal Palestinian politics in all this is off the charts and as oily and gross as you can imagine. The fact that there is jockeying for position is despicable. But my views are not popular and would be considered fringe even by conservatives. As always, I am more Ze’ev Jabotinsky or Menachem Begin than Yair Lapid or Shimon Peres. In other words, a tendency to let up on one’s mortal enemies leads to more death and mayhem. It’s been that way since the Israelites entered Canaan and didn’t finish off the occupiers like God told them to do.

So, because of that, here we sit looking at another Palestinian entity administering the Strip. A poll took exactly a year ago showed Dahlan with only four percent support among Palestinians, 36 percent for Barghouti, 19 percent for Ismail Haniyeh, and 16 percent for Sinwar. Well, two on that list are now dead, thank God.

It is also possible that the resurrection of the Abraham Accords will lead to a slightly better security situation, especially if Saudi Arabia gets involved.

Unfortunately, the “moderate” Dahlan subscribes to the “occupation” narrative and says Israel has waged a “destructive war” on the Palestinians. He also calls for a Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital. That won’t fly for at least the next generation of Israelis.

In the early 2000s, Dahlan was accused by Israel of participating in an attack on a bus carrying children near Kfar Darom, in Gush Katif.

So, it appears that the most moderate of the Palestinian leadership is still a snake. At some point, Benjamin Netanyahu will pass from the scene.

More evidence that only the Messiah can sort all this out.