Just days before evangelical Christians are predicting the Rapture; Barack Obama made a speech challenging America’s unending, unqualified support for Israel. That does sound like the end of the world. However, if you are expecting to the remains of raptured Christians along the streets of Grand Junction on Sunday, know that an ornery friend of mine suggested that it would be fun to drop pools of old clothing around, and then videotape onlookers reactions.

For a long time I’ve been questioning the continuing military aid to Israel. Sure, it is the only true democracy in the Middle East, and they have reason to be concerned for their national security. But, their leaders have been both corrupt and hot headed for quite some time. Some of the criticism they get is well deserved. In defiance of international law, they keep building new settlements in territory that was Palestinian.

And some of the support they get is silly. Those same fundamentalists that are predicting the end of the world on Saturday, have been supporting Israel because they believed upheaval in the Middle East would hasten the day of the rapture, when they are called to Heaven and the rest of us sinners will be left filming their left-overs on the streets of our communities.

Sadly, come Monday, we will still be living in a world where Israeli citizens live in fear of suicide terrorists, and Palestinians have no place to live in peace and dignity. And Benjamin Netanyahu will still be pissed at Barack Obama. For the first time in America’s history, an Israeli Prime Minister was told to grow up, and stop stalling the peace process. And he was told that the day before he was scheduled to meet with Obama in the Oval Office.

I’d give anything to be in the Oval Office during that conversation today. I’m sure the agenda was informed by conversations with the King of Jordan just the other day.

Homework

Full Text of Obama Speech on Middle East and North Africa

Obama and King of Jordan Talk

Obama and Netanyahu to Meet Friday

Top 10 Recipients of US Foreign Aid

Corrupt Israeli

Rapture Parties

As much as I want to turn my thinking back to what is happening in the Colorado State legislature, I’m still stuck on the Middle East. Two recent developments are indicative of how much of a powder keg this area of the world really is.

First there are reports that the Jordanian King dissolved his government and appointed a new prime minister. Despite his liberal western education, and his American born mother, he seems to be true to form. Instead of appointing a new government that would increase democratic reforms, he appointed a military leader. I’m assuming, although I have no supporting evidence, that his choice to head his government was because he anticipates having to respond to rioting the the streets of Amman. Jordan is in a precarious geographic position, bordering Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Israel.

Second, ElBaradei, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, and an Egyptian has returned to Egypt from Europe. He has been speaking at press conferences, and has declared that Mubarak must go. Today a million people have pledged to march on the Egyptian government and demand that Mubarak step down.

ElBaradei is the former head of the International Atomic Energy Commission, so there is no doubt in my mind that he is very aware of the implications of governments in the Middle East falling. He knows that Iran has nuclear ambitions, and that Israel is a nuclear power—although Israel continues to implausibly deny that they have developed an atomic weapon. ElBaradei was so disliked by the Bush administration that they attempted to have him removed from his position with the IAEC.

Complicating the whole picture is the Israeli leadership, which is the most hawkish in a very long time. Peace in the Middle East has been fostered primarily by the 50 agreements between Israel and Egypt, who share in interest in holding down Muslim extremists and Iran’s desire for nuclear weapons. It seems to me that ElBaradei could be an acceptable replacement for Mubarak in the eyes of Israel.

Homework

Jordanian King Appoints New Prime Minister

Jordanians Have Been Protesting

Who is ElBaradei?

Israeli Fears