Obama to Israel: No Surprise Attacks Please

By Todd Strandberg

The latest indication that America and Israel are coming into conflict with each other’s interests came when President Obama sent a communication to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanding that Israel not surprise the U.S. with an Israeli military operation against Iran. The message was conveyed by a senior American official who met in Israel with Netanyahu, ministers, and other senior officials.

Obama is clearly worried about statements made by the new Israeli leader. Netanyahu has said,

"I pledge that Iran will not attain nuclear arms, and that includes whatever is necessary for this statement to be carried out."

After taking office, on Holocaust Memorial Day, Netanyahu said:

"We will not allow Holocaust-deniers to carry out another holocaust."

Three weeks ago, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Leon E. Panetta, held a secret meeting with Mr. Netanyahu in Jerusalem. The Israeli leader asked the United States to set benchmarks that would demonstrate that its diplomatic effort to resolve the Iranian nuclear conflict is working. Netanyahu made it clear that he would only give Washington a limited amount of time to show that its goodwill approach is getting results.

Iran is not the only source of friction between the U.S. and Israel. President Barack Obama is now also pressing Israel over Jewish settlements in the disputed West Bank. He plans to ask Netanyahu to freeze all new developments. Netanyahu has already confirmed that he is solidly behind the rights of Jews to settle in the West Bank.

“While it isn't known how hard Obama will press the point or the precise outlines of his request, but by raising the settlements issue now, he's wading into one of the most sensitive areas of U.S.-Israeli relations — one that's confounded many of his predecessors” (Warren P. Strobel and Dion Nissenbaum, McClatchy News).

Obama has made several demands of Israel, but has yet to produce a detailed master plan for how to achieve these lofty goals that have eluded American presidents for decades. We may get a glimpse of his new strategy when Obama meets with Netanyahu, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas later this month.

The test of how well President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu will be able to work together will come this week as Netanyahu makes his first trip to Washington. I doubt Obama is going to get a promise of a warning of any Israeli attacks against Iran. There is already too much concern that the Obama administration has become too chummy with the Muslim world. I don’t see why Israel needs to tell the U.S. of its plans. If Obama has no plans to help out in the attack, and with it being vital to the survival of the Jewish state, Obama can rely on the cable news networks to learn of any strike against Iran.

An operation against Iran would change everything in the Middle East. Mohamed El Baradei, the outgoing head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said in an interview with German daily Der Spiegel that a strike...

“would turn the region into one great fireball, and the Iranians would immediately begin building the bomb — with the support of the entire Islamic world."

A conflict between Israel and Iran could very well be the spark that lights the fuse to the tribulation hour. We are so close to the last days, any major event will be enough of a catalyst to set events into motion. If world leaders had a basic understanding of prophecy, they wouldn’t have allowed this ticking time bomb to progress to the point it is now.

“And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it” (Zechariah 12:3).

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