I Thess. 5, 1-6
1 But of the [end] times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I
write unto you.
2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh
as a thief in the night.
3 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.
4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake
you as a thief.
5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are
not of the night, nor of darkness.
6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be
sober.
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Middle East countries:
Armenia, Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan
Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestininian Authority, Qatar
Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Yemen
Peace Timetable
Latest Middle East peace talk news
The following are major players in the escalating Middle East peace deals. The latest news about
these players and how they affect the peace process is updated here. Players are listed in alphabetical order.
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King Abdullah
Jordan |
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Martti Ahtisaari was a major player in the Kosovo peace negotiations. He is a peacemaker. On
Thursday, July 15, 1999, Yassir Arafat asked Ahtisaari to become involved in the Israeli-Palistinian
peace process. ``We urge His Excellency to play a similar role in the peace process in the Middle East region because he enjoys
prestige, respect and appreciation with all parties,'' Arafat said through a translator.
Also of important note is that he is also the current (July 1999) president of the EU. The presidency rotates. |
Ahtisaari, Martti
President
(Finland and EU) |
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Syria wants nothing less than the full withdrawal of Israelis from of the Golan Heights. They also want a swift resolution
to the peace talks which had broken down three years earlier. Barak has promised to resolve the issue quickly. |
al-Assad, Hafez
President
Syria |
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Abdel-Ilah al-Khatib met with Yassir Arafat on the Gaza Strip on July 22, 1999 after the two held peace
talks. |
al-Khatib, Abdel-Ilah
Foreign Minister
Jordan |
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Yassir Arafat has been pushing for land for his peoples for many years. But his seeming mission of
simply having Jewish promised land does not erase his own covenent which calls for the annihilation of
the Jews. His peace is a false peace. He and Barak are the two most central players in the Middle East
peace deals. |
Arafat, Yassir
Chairman
Palestinians |
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Aznar visted Jerusalem on July 22, 1999 regarding the peace talks between Israel and Syria.
Aznar took center-stage in Middle East peacemaking, briefing
Barak on his talks with Syrian President Hafez al-Assad. |
Aznar, Jose Maria
Prime Minister
Spain |
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On July 19, 1999, Barak made the statement that he was expecting to have all the Middle East peace deals
settled within 15 months (by Oct. 2000). This caused much concern with Arafat who felt that the Wye River
agreement should not be postponed simply because of Israel's new government, and Barak assured him that
it would not be. Barak is interested in making peace with his Arab neighbors. At a press conference
in Alexandria, Egypt, Friday, July 9, 1999, Barak vowed to leave no stone unturned to make peace with
his Arab neighbours but cautioned he needed time. The Palestinians are urging Barak to move faster on the
peace accord, and he is scheduled to meet again with Arafat on July 24, 1999. |
Barak, Ehud
Prime Minister
Israel |
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Tony Blair is lending his support to the Middle East peace process. |
Blair, Tony
Prime Minister
United Kingdom |
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Clinton feels that dividing Israel with the Palestinians is a good idea. Interesting to note, however,
that Hillary Clinton does not agree with him on this issue. One of the political issues on the table at the
moment is moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Israel's capital, Jerusalem. Congress passed a law in 1995
that called on the administration to move the embassy by May 31, 1999. But in June, Clinton used a security
waiver granted to him in the legislation to delay the move. ``Jerusalem is Israel's capital, a fact that
should have been recognized long ago by putting our embassy there,'' 84 senators said in a letter, dated July 13
and signed by both Republicans and Democrats. Clinton's response: He said the United States had ``no business trying to prejudge''
the issue of Jerusalem's status. Hillary disagrees with him about this too. |
Clinton, Bill
President
USA |
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The Crown Prince of Morocco, born 1963 and never married. His father's death on July 23, 1999 leaves the ruling of
Morocco in his hands. He also has a brother, Moulay Rachid. What Sidi's role in the peace
process becomes remains to be determined. His father, King Hassan II, was a staunch supporter of the West, and
he long worked secretly for Middle East peace and played a leading role in getting the 1991
Madrid peace conference held. But he twice refused to meet Israel's right-wing former prime minister
Benjamin Netanyahu, who was ousted from office earlier this year by Ehud Barak. Hassan had also
pushed to try to bring opposition into government and last year appointed Socialist veteran
Abderrahmane El Youssoufi as prime minister, achieving a long-held vision of greater
unity in his country. |
Mohammed, Sidi
Crown Prince
Morocco |
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Mubarek, Hosni
President
Egypt |
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In June 1992, following the election of a new Labor Government, Peres was
appointed Foreign Minister. In this capacity, he promoted the process
leading to the signing of the Declaration of Principles with the Palestinians on
September 13, 1993, and oversaw its implementation. In 1994, in
recognition of his pursuit of peace, Peres was awarded the Nobel Peace
Prize, along with Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PA Chairman Yasser
Arafat. In the same year, he promoted the contacts with Jordan which led to
the signing of the Israel-Jordan peace agreement on October 26, 1994. On
November 5, 1995, following the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, Peres
replaced him as Prime Minister, a post which he held until the 1996
elections. Shimon Peres says he believes conflict among the world's
religions is not the dominant factor in religious strife. Rather, the
real clash of each religion is with the modern age as fundamentalist
movements within each faith struggle to come to terms with an entirely new
world. Links: 1.),
2.),
3.) |
Peres, Shimon
Former Prime Minister
Nobel peace laureate
Israel |
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The World Bank has already given $100 million for Palestinean/Israeli technological
advancement. World Bank president James Wolfensohn met with Yassir Arafat at Arafat's office in
Gaza City, Thursday, July 22, 1999, prior to a meeting to
discuss financial issues concerning the Palestinian Authority. He met with Ehud
Barak the following day. Earlier, on July 13, 1999, a high level steering group meeting was held
in Brussels,to map out an action plan for rebuilding Kosovo. The meeting
is co-shaired by the European Commission and the World Bank. |
Wolfensohn, James
President
World Bank |
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