Quote: "Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni hinted at the possibility of deploying an international force in her briefing to ambassadors Friday. In the briefing, called in response to events in Gaza and Sderot, Livni was asked by European Union Ambassador Ramiro Cibrian-Uzal whether Israel still objected to the idea of a UNIFIL-style foreign peacekeeping force in Gaza. Livni said in response that UNIFIL, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, was a test case, and that the force's many remaining challenges in Lebanon underscored the difficulties of such missions. She said that if the force she envisioned would have a wider mandate than UNIFIL's, with operational powers, that would be a different story.

The continuing cycle of violence between Hamas and Fatah will undoubtedly be discussed by Solana, and it seems both Israel and Fatah will be pressing the EU to do something to prevent Hamas taking complete control of the Gaza Strip. Solana has stated before that all parties must work towards creating the environment for peace. The EU has already troops stationed on Israel's northern border with Lebanon and Syria. The European Commission and Javier Solana already support such a force being stationed in Gaza. And Israel has already expressed support for such an initiative.

As King Abdullah II stated last night, we must be prepared for the "day after peace". You can see from the above links that the EU is already heavily involved in the Middle East peace process. This information is not widely publicized on our terrestrial news, and this makes me wonder if Christians are indeed prepared for the "day before peace". Christians or unbelievers may think that we will know when we are nearing the time for the Antichrist's peace agreement to be confirmed. Not necessarily. We already have half a dozen peace plans on the table, from the Arabs, the EU, Israel, Lebanon and even Syria. The one thing I guess that is preventing a peace agreement from taking hold, is the presence of the Church on this planet. For the pre-tribulation rapture teaches that the Antichrist cannot be revealed until that which hinders is taken out of the way. And if the Antichrist can't be revealed, then there will be no peace plan implemented. As nations around the world talk of peace in the Middle East, and discuss the division of the land, and the Holy City, the return of Christ for His Church must be at hand. And that is why it is important to be saved, to know Christ as your Saviour. And if you are saved, to be prepared for the "day before peace".

Source Jerusalem Post, Haaretz