A spokesman for Hamas has stated in an interview with WorldNetDaily's Aaron Klein that they hope former US President Jimmy Carter's upcoming meeting in Cairo will prompt other delegations to come clean about their secret contacts with the terrorist organization. Hamas rose to prominence after its landslide victory in the Palestinian elections of January 2006. Following their refusal to adhere by the conditions laid down by the Quartet (EU, US, UN, Russia), namely to recognize Israel's right to exist, to renounce violence and to abide by previous agreements negotiated between Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization, the group was placed under an international economic and political embargo. But the isolation of Hamas was never watertight. When it became clear that the terrorist organization had no intention of amending its charter which calls for the destruction of the state of Israel, some ministers such as Britain's former Foreign Secretary Jack Straw sought to water down the Quartet's three principles. Straw said that Hamas should not be compelled to recognize Israel's "right to exist", rather the terrorist group need only recognize the "fact" of Israel's existence. Although the British government distanced itself from those remarks, several other governments have considered ending or amending the Hamas boycott. Some ministers in the European Union suggested staggering the three principles, to try and give Hamas more time to change. And there were attempts made by the mainstream media to make it look like Hamas had implicitly recognized Israel's right to exist. Those attempts failed after Hamas categorically denied the claims. There were allegations made that senior ministers in the British government covertly met with Hamas officials. Those rumours later proved to be true. And not only was Britain guilty of breaking the Quartet's rules, but Norway went one step further, sending their Deputy Foreign Minister to Gaza to meet with the former Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh. Just a few months later Hamas would launch a bloody coup in Gaza, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians and the ousting of President Abbas' party from power in the region. As you can see, it is not the economic embargo or the political isolation of Hamas that has brought about this dire situation, it is the international community's failure to abide by its own principles that is encouraging the terrorist organization to persist in its defiance of Israel. And now Hamas is using Carter's plans to meet with their leaders in Cairo as a publicity stunt, to help break the resolve of the Quartet and to catapult the organization towards its ultimate goal, the destruction of the Jewish state.  

Quote: "Barhoum told WND that prior to Carter's visit Hamas "met a delegation from the European Parliament, and they are supporting the Palestinian legitimate rights and Palestinian democracy; and they emphasized their full support for Hamas, because Hamas is the democratic choice for the Palestinians. "There was a delegation from France, the government, and from Italy and Norway and from the EU parliament and from Carter," Barhoum said, speaking from Gaza. "All of these are supporting Hamas, and they have a plan to support Palestinian rights and interests." The Hamas spokesman said there were "several meetings between Hamas and Europe, and they want finally to support Hamas."

The situation does seem utterly hopeless. Following the signing of a peace agreement between Israel and the surrounding nations, the Bible states that there will be a time of relative peace in the Middle East, but it will be short-lived. Zechariah prophesies that during the tribulation period, Israel's enemies will be in siege against Judea and east Jerusalem, and Revelation predicts that these territories will be handed over to them for a period of three and a half years (Zechariah 12:2, Revelation 11:2). During this three and a half year period, the nation of Israel will experience the greatest period of trouble they have ever witnessed (Daniel 12:1). With Hizbullah massing tens of thousands of rockets in the north, Hamas threatening Israel's destruction from the south, and Iran and Syria seeking to construct nuclear weapons in the east, it doesn't take much to imagine what this period of trouble could be like for the Jewish people. The irony is, Western leaders still believe that if they just talk to these people, they will somehow lay down their weapons and embrace Israel with open arms. It will never happen. The events spoken of in the Bible will take place, just like God said they would. The question is not if, but when these things will come to pass. The nations of the world are bent on obtaining a peace agreement in the Middle East by the end of this year. They may not be successful. But then again, as was the case of Northern Ireland, peace can come when you least expect it. And as we can see from today's news, representatives from the European Union are already involved in mediating a solution to the present crisis, just as the Bible predicted (Daniel 9:26-27). Where do you stand in relation to eternity? Where does your hope for the future lie? When everything around you gives way, what will you have left to cling on to? Trust in Jesus Christ for salvation today.

Hebrews 6:17-20
Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed [it] by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which [it was] impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which [hope] we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, [even] Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. 

Source WND