Senior Palestinian sources have revealed that the Palestinian Authority is demanding to be allowed to form their own army to defend any future Palestinian state. According to an Israeli source, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has been incensed by this latest request by the Palestinian negotiating teams, headed by PA Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia. According to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's 'Declaration of Principles', both sides had apparently agreed that any future Palestinian state would be demilitarised, with the aim of ensuring that it does not end up becoming a strategic threat to Israel and that its weaponry does not fall into the hands of terrorist organizations. This demilitarised state was to be patrolled by an interim peacekeeping force, ensuring the region does not fall into the hands of radical Islamic groups following Israel's withdrawal from the territory. But now the Palestinian Authority is demanding the right to form an army to defend their own borders.

Quote: "A very senior Palestinian source close to Qureia confirmed the exchange. "At the meeting in question we raised the demand for a regular army, meant to defend the independent state," he told Ynet. "This isn't an army intended to launch an attack against Israel. We are not asking for F-16 jets but rather a force that would be able to defend the nation from threat and realize its basic right to exist in security." The source said the situation had changed greatly since the days of the Oslo Accords in 1993. "Oslo spoke of an intermediary entity. Now we are talking about a Palestinian state born out of a permanent agreement. There is no clause in any of the understandings that denies the Palestinian state an army to defend itself with, to defend its borders and citizens with," he said.

The Palestinian Authority seem to be doing their utmost to ensure that any peace agreement with Israel ultimately fails, or at least that Israel will seen to be the one to blame for its failure, in making demands that are impossible for Israel to accede to. After months of negotiations on final status borders, PA President Mahmoud Abbas hardened his stance ahead of the Annapolis summit, stating that Palestinians would accept nothing less than 1967 borders. And just minutes before the conference was scheduled to begin, Israeli officials were forced to redraft their planned joint-statement several times after Palestinian representatives refused to accept what had formerly been agreed by them. The Bible states that an agreement will be signed, but it will ultimately fail. And as a result, it seems that Israel will be forced to hand over Judea, Samaria and east Jerusalem to the Gentiles (Zechariah 12:2, Revelation 11:2). The nation of Israel will suffer terrible persecution during this three and a half year period. When Pontius Pilate asked the Jews if he should crucify their King, the leaders of the nation cried out, "His blood be on us and on our children", Matthew 25:27. God took them at their word, and the Jewish people have suffered tremendously over the last 2000 years. It seems that Jesus Christ's three and a half year ministry on this earth will be paralleled by the three and a half year period of persecution the Jews will suffer at the hands of the Antichrist (Daniel 9:27). And at the end of those three and a half years, the Jewish people will once again face this dilemma, "What shall I do then with Yeshua, who is called Messiah?", Matthew 27:22. Then their response will be, "Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord", Luke 13:35. Jew or Gentile, each of us must answer this question for ourselves. What will you do with Jesus, who is called Christ? Trust in Him for salvation today. 

Source YNet News