MidnightCall Magazine
In this issue:
- Hear theWord of the Lord — By Thomas Lieth
- FirstThessalonians 3 and the Rapture — By Dr. Ron J. Bigalke Jr.
- Popular Prophecy:CheckingDogmaTwice — By Wilfred Hahn
News From Israel MagazineIn this issue:
- Why Jerusalem is Jewish — By Arno Froese
- ON THE HORIZON:
- Analysis: Birthright Needs to Transform on Larger Scale
- Israel Praises Turkish Authority for Preventing Hezbollah Attack
- Relationship with American Jews Is Changing
- A Festival of Discrimination—Funded by the EU
- The Cyrus Cylinder
Diplomatic Relations Established for First Time
The foreign ministers of Syria and Lebanon signed a joint document formalizing diplomatic ties between the two countries for the first time in their history.
The two countries have not had formal diplomatic relations since both gained independence from France in the 1940s, in what many saw as a Syrian claim to sovereignty over Lebanon.
“The foreign ministers…announce the start of diplomatic relations between the countries as of today,” said the document. The two sides pledged to strengthen bilateral relations “based on mutual respect for each country’s sovereignty and independence.”
“We hope that the exchange of diplomatic representation will be a window to bolster bilateral relations,” Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said at a joint press conference following the signing. “We want relations to be on an equal footing,” he said, adding that embassies would be set up in Damascus and Beirut.
Lebanon’s Western-backed prime minister, Fuad Saniora, praised the development as an “advanced and historic step on the road to confirming Lebanon’s independence, sovereignty and its free decision-making.”
Some observers think Syria is more comfortable dealing with Lebanon’s government now that its ally Hizbullah has gained veto power in a Lebanese unity government that was formed in July. In May, Lebanon installed a president sympathetic to Syria.
-The Jerusalem Post, 16 October 2008
This positive development between Syria and Lebanon could be viewed negatively from Israel. They must now face a more united front in the north. Nevertheless, in the end, both nations—Syria and Lebanon—will have to vacate the Promised Land, which they presently occupy. This is based on the covenant God made with Abraham: “Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates” (Genesis 15:18).