Javier Solana, the High Representative for the European Common, Foreign and Security Policy, arrived in Israel today, at the beginning of his 6 day tour of the Middle East. It's the first time Solana has visited the region since the end of the conflict between Israel and Hizbullah. He arrived in Jerusalem this morning, where he will meet Prime Minister Olmert and Foreign Minister Livni. Further meetings will be held in Lebanon with Prime Minister Fuad Siniora, Jordan with King Abdullah II and Egypt with President Mubarak. He will also meet with President Mahmoud Abbas in the Gaza Strip.

Quote: "Solana's first stop will be in Jerusalem, where he will meet Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and other top political figures including Israel Beiteinu Chairman Avigdor Lieberman. Reviving serious talks between the two sides will be a challenge. One former EU Mideast envoy, Miguel Angel Moratinos, suggested Tuesday that the international community's main blueprint for resolving the conflict, the road map, was fatally stalled. Moratinos, now Spain's foreign minister, told a parliamentary panel in Madrid that a new approach was needed and that any new negotiations should include Syria and take into account the Iranian nuclear dispute.

So it seems that just an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians is not enough to secure a lasting peace in the region. As the Bible states, a covenant must now be made with many nations, including Iran and Syria. Just before the breakout of the Israeli Hizbullah war, Solana was given a mandate by the leaders of the European Union to work towards a peace agreement in the Middle East...

Quote: ""The crisis in the Palestinian territories and in Lebanon make extremely grave and worrisome bounds from hour to hour," the letter said. The two theatres of crisis "place the security and political equilibrium of the entire region in danger," it said. In the "two distinct crises," the EU. "has weight and credibility" that could be used toward finding solutions, Chirac said in the letter, dated Thursday and made public Friday. The letter noted that the president was reiterating a proposal made in June. He suggested that Solana, who visited Beirut last weekend and was currently in Cairo, work in conjunction with the United Nations to meet with all figures necessary to "very quickly make proposals to reach conditions for a global and lasting cease-fire in the region."

..but on July 12th, instead of working towards a peace agreement, Israel soon found itself fighting a full scale proxy-war with Iran and Syria. After over a month of fighting it was hoped that all sides would be willing to seek a permanent solution to peace in the Middle East, but instead of a lasting cease-fire in the region, the United Nations was only able to secure a stalemate. As a result of the conflict Europe was able to send around 7000 troops into Lebanon, the largest European force mobilized since the Second World War. And as Solana revisits the Middle East to help broker a peace agreement, there is once again talk of war, this time from Syria and the Palestinians. Perhaps another war may finally bring all sides to the negotiating table, or else enable the EU to mount an invasion of the Middle East...

Daniel 11:41 
He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many [countries] shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, [even] Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon (Jordan). He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians [shall be] at his steps.

Source Jerusalem Post, EasyBourse, Jerusalem Post, YNet News