Diplomatic spat between U.S. and Israel fulfills prophecy

Evidence of the increasing divergence of the United States and Israel continues to emerge. The Trumpet has long pointed to this eventuality, based upon two specific prophecies found in Hosea 5:13 and Zechariah 11:14.

On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to U.S. Vice President Joe Biden by phone following the fallout from the Israeli announcement of plans to build 1,600 housing units in East Jerusalem, which was made during Biden’s visit to Israel last week.

U.S. officials called the timing of the announcement an “insult,” saying the construction plans jeopardized the peace process—which the Obama administration feels it needs to show progress on. The Los Angeles Times reports that “the administration’s decision to strongly challenge the Netanyahu government this time has been driven in part by concerns that it cannot afford the perception that it has been pushed around in the Middle East and elsewhere, say U.S. officials and analysts” (March 17).

Stratfor says that Iran has been the primary cause of the rift growing between Israel and the U.S. “Washington has had to deal with Iran because of U.S. commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan. Iran’s rising influence in Iraq after the U.S. invasion has greatly facilitated Iran’s rise to regional prominence, as have the country’s nuclear efforts” (March 17). America’s unwillingness—or inability—to deal effectively with that Iranian nuclear threat has led to friction between the U.S. and Israel, which sees a nuclear-armed Iran as an existential national security threat.

In a column last year, Stephen Flurry wrote about how the U.S. was “renouncing its special relationship with Israel in order to boost its standing in the Muslim world.” Not only are those efforts failing to win kudos from the Muslims, but Washington is finding itself backed into a corner, where it is being forced to kowtow to Iran in particular.

Back in 2008, Stephen Flurry pointed to how the “changes of leadership in both the U.S. and Israel will likely drive these nations further apart.” That is precisely what has happened since then.

Keep watching as this relationship continues to deteriorate—and take note of who Israel will then turn to.