This article was published in the November 2010 (US) edition of the ICEJ's flagship magazine, Word from Jerusalem. It is reposted here due to the decision by Turkey to sever ties with Israel following the release of the United Nation's official report into the Gaza flotilla incident in September 2011.

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The ramifications of the recent Gaza flotilla incident are still unfolding. Yet it is already clear that Turkey’s government, in backing the flotilla organizers and lashing out at Israel’s interception of the hostile fleet, is steering that nation away from its alignment with Europe and the West back into the Islamic fold.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (AP)This historic shift was foreseen by some long before the Gaza aid flotilla set sail from Istanbul. Germans in particular have been sensitive to signs of change due to their country’s long and unique relationship with Turkey going back to the Ottoman era and Germany’s alliance with Turkey in World War One.

In 2002, the German political analyst and writer Peter Scholl-Latour projected in his book “Allah’s Shadow over Atatürk” that secular Turkey might soon become a relic of the past. Fervent Islamic faith, he observed, was no longer the religion of a small, backwards-looking fringe group, but represented a burgeoning political movement. Today, it indeed has become mainstream in Turkish society, and the turn Eastward has been especially evident since Recep Tayyip Erdogan rose to power five years ago in the AKP faction which has governed Turkey for eight years now.

A decade ago, Erdogan first became popular nationwide while serving as mayor of Istanbul. He was sentenced to a 10-month prison term by the Kemalist generals because he had quoted from a Turkish poet during a campaign speech: “Our minarets are our lances, our cupolas are our helmets, our mosques are our barracks, our faithful are our army.” Western journalists criticized the verdict as arbitrary despotism. But the generals saw the secular character of their country threatened.

When Kemal Atatürk founded modern Turkey in 1923, he established a secular state inspired by the Swiss constitution. Islamic clergymen were not allowed to advance in the army, which safeguarded the secular nature of the state. In some ways, Muslim Turks living in Germany could express their faith even more freely than their compatriots back home.

Given this commitment to secularism and democracy, Turkey was a solid member of NATO and a promising aspirant to membership in the European Union. It had tried earnestly to secure its place within the European Union, mainly by adopting strict new economic guidelines demanded by Brussels. Yet as its application for EU membership was prolonged, Turkey began heading in the opposite direction, back towards its Islamic past, which included a 400-year era of Ottoman Turk dominance over the Arab/Muslim heartland.

Eurocrats turned a blind eye to this development, hoping the fruits of growing prosperity would make the Islamic yearnings dissipate. But by the time of the IDF incursion into Gaza in January 2009, Erdogan was more outraged at Israel than most Arab leaders, accusing Israeli President Shimon Peres in person of knowing “how to kill.”

In 2008, Erdogan had also stunned the German government during a state visit to Berlin. Addressing a crowd of some 20,000 Turks living in Germany, France and Belgium, some of them for three generations, he insisted, “Assimilation is a crime against humanity.” He challenged his compatriots to adhere to their Turkish and Islamic heritage. His German host, Chancellor Angela Merkel, was not pleased.

Recently, Erdogan’s colleague and foreign minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, declared that Turkey is no longer content with its role as a bridge-builder between the Christian West and the Islamic East. Turkey, he demanded, needs to become again the center of gravity of the region. This harkened back to the nearly five centuries when the “High Porte” in Istanbul controlled a territory reaching from the Balkans down through most of the Middle East and as far as Morocco. The Ottoman Empire was not only a political entity, but its Caliphate served as the highest spiritual authority for most of the Islamic world.

Is Turkey intent on returning to those glorious Ottoman days? After the Gaza flotilla clash, it is clear that Israel and the West are confronting not just Iran but a resurgent Turkey. This represents a unique challenge to Europe, due to Turkey’s proximity and its economic integration with the EU. A leading German commentator also recently suggested that the millions of Turks living in Germany and Holland may one day prove to be a “fifth column” of a very ambitious Turkey.

Dr. Juergen Buehler serves as ICEJ interim Executive Director in Jerusalem.

As ancient Israel’s last Judge, there are some important lessons from the life and ministry of Samuel which are extremely relevant today as world leaders take their respective stands regarding the current heated battle over the restored nation of Israel.

The prophet Samuel is a remarkable biblical figure who oversaw Israel’s transition from a council of elders or “judges” to a kingdom ruled by a hereditary monarch. Until then, wise and anointed leaders were entrusted with overseeing the nation, which was set apart and “not reckoned among the nations,” according to Numbers 23:9. This was because God Himself was their King! Beginning with Moses, God had provided for the Israelites in the wilderness and led them into the Land of Canaan through Judges who could hear His voice.

This system of governance ‘peaked’ under Samuel, who presided over an era when Israel had almost possessed the land, were prevailing over the Philistines and other enemies, enjoyed harmony in the ranks, and recognized the prophetic voice to the nation. But as the prophet grew old and his sons lapsed into corruption, the people cried out for a king, like the surrounding nations. Primarily, they cried out for a commander to lead them into battle.

Surprisingly, God instructed Samuel to “heed the voice of the people, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.” (1 Samuel 8:7)  Yet the prophet must also give the Israelites a stern warning of the abuses they will suffer under self-indulgent kings. And they are immediately given a merciless example in the very flawed character of King Saul.

Now I believe Israel was destined to transition to a kingship, when the time and personalities were right. The prophet Balaam has foretold that, “His [Israel’s] king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted.” (Numbers 24:7)

Israel’s lack of a king is also presented as undesirable in the account of an internal war against the Benjamites for raping a woman to death. This sordid tale concludes with the words: “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 21:25)

But more importantly, a kingly line was to prove necessary in order to pave the way for the promised Messiah – a coming Prophet, Priest and King all wrapped into one. The emergence of David as Saul’s successor was to provide a proto-type of this future Messiah. Indeed, King David’s reign remains the pinnacle of the ancient commonwealth of Israel, and the model to which many Jews still aspire today in their national life.

David was naturally gifted with skills and positive character traits which suited him well for this role. But he also was able to quickly learn vital lessons from the mistakes of Saul. There are too many to mention here, but one was that being king of Israel is not like being the king of any other nation. This was not his personal fiefdom, where the people would be subject to his every whim and fancy.

We see this at play in David’s decision to pour out the water from the well of Bethlehem which his most valiant men had risked their lives to collect just so he could satisfy an old craving from his youth (2 Samuel 23).

No, Israel was different from other nations! It was set apart! God’s “special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth.” (Deuteronomy 7:6)

And the king of this people had to realize that, which we see David do when receiving the promise of the Messianic line: “who is like Your people, like Israel, the one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people…” (2 Samuel 7:23)

Today, the restored nation of Israel is internally in great need of such leadership. David was also flawed and so we should not expect perfection. But, oh, to have leaders willing to pour themselves out of all personal ambition and pride for the sake of steering Israel towards its prophetic destiny in God.

Externally, the world is in great need of leadership that also recognizes Israel is different, set apart; that this is no ordinary fiefdom which the world can kick around according to its whims and fancies.

Parsons is media director for the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem; www.icej.org/

The so called “Arab Spring” has steadily turned into the “Arab Winter” as democratic movements in the Middle East stall and are “hi-jacked” by militant Islamic groups like the Muslim Brotherhood, the matrix of AL Qaida, Hezbollah, Hamas and other radical organizations dedicated to the destruction of Israel. All of this was of course foreseen by Christians Zionists with discernment but our Western politicians were again oblivious to the dangers inherent in this movement. This coupled with a resurgence in global anti-Semitism and the weak response of the United Nations and the European Union to militant Islam has left Israel isolated and now even President Obama has left Israel dangerously exposed by affirming a return to the pre-war 1967 borders! Accordingly, the Palestinians are emboldened and are moving toward a unilateral declaration of independence through the auspices of the United Nations General Assembly in September. Even if the USA vetoes this declaration the psychological victory of a majority UN vote to declare Palestinian Statehood will be immense.

Sadly, for many in the West the Arab/Israeli conflict has become a huge irritant as it constantly defies resolution and frequently outwits the best trained political minds. Tony Blair for instance has been “on the job” for many years, since leaving office in the United Kingdom, but his efforts have yielded little or no progress at all. The same could be said for George Bush, Sarkosy of France and many more. Then major international players like the European Union, the United States of America and the United Nations have equally failed after launching numerous initiatives in this regard. The story goes on and on and the question we have to ask is why? The answer is really quite simple; they all refuse to take into consideration the radical Islamic doctrine that renders any notion of a non-Islamic state existing on land that once belonged to Islam as totally and completely unacceptable. This is precisely why the Charter of Hamas and that of the PLO call for the complete and utter destruction of Israel. This is precisely why Arafat could never close a deal and this is why protesters in Tahrir Square in Cairo call for democratic freedoms and the removal of Israel in the same breath and, this is why Ahmadinejad of Iran routinely calls for the removal of Israel from the face of the earth. Sadly the Western politicians don’t get it because they are by and large ignorant of Islamic theology and incapable of believing that people can be committed to the destruction of another people in this way.

All this has birthed two things: One, Israel fatigue and two, a heightened sense of need for resolution attainment without reference to truth, fact, history and justice. In the minds of many politicians Israel is small, insignificant, has little oil and should make compromises to once and for all finish this business! Thus we now hear calls from Western Leaders for Israel to sit down and talk with Hamas. New attempts are being made to “recast” Hezbollah as an enlightened movement that can be engaged with and leftist groups “in bed” with radical Muslims are launching new “Flotillas” in order to challenge Israel’s sovereignty. Once again the Jews are the problem and if they go away the world will be at peace!! I think that we have heard all this before in a book called “Mein Kamph”. The world is facing a huge moral test and this just sixty-eight years after the Holocaust.  Time is running out!

The Bible is therefore right when it says that great darkness will cover the earth but true light will arise over Israel. (Isaiah60:1-3) This darkness is not the loss of the light of the sun or the gathering of a real dark cloud. No, it is moral and spiritual darkness that arises in men’s hearts. Having a long time ago abandoned the Bible and having abandoned the Judeo/Christian value system they have no moral compass by which to pilot themselves through a broken and sinful world. Darkness is the consequence and decisions consistent with this darkness will prevail. Sadly a small nation, yet again, puts the world to the test and once again the language of compromise is selling out a people whose existence is supernatural but whose story is filled with great sorrows. God as ever is watching!

We live in testing times in that the God of the Bible is indeed watching and though He knows that an ungodly world will go the way of rebellion against His purpose for Israel He expects His church to stand firm and support, bless and pray for Israel. Sadly, this is not a given today but there are many churches throughout the world and organizations like the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem which constitute a shining light of hope in this regard. May the Lord watch over us all and keep us near to His heart and may we pass the test before us in these dangerous times. He remains the guardian of Israel as He watches over her but He calls us into His purpose with Him. Who will hear the call?

There is a new Middle East taking shape, but its character and contours are still emerging. The unprecedented political turmoil in Arab countries remains rudderless, with no clear direction yet. The prevailing military dictatorships of decades past will either survive in weakened versions, slowly yield to true democratic reforms, or regress towards Islamism.

The old Middle East was notoriously unpredictable – even the uprisings of recent months took everyone by complete surprise. But there were certain truisms about the old order that gave the region some measure of consistency. One such maxim was: “If you do not come to the Middle East, the Middle East will come to you.” Indeed, its unresolved problems came to the West far too often in various haunting forms, from airplane hijackings and long gas lines in the 1970s to the mass terror attacks of September 11, 2001. Sadly, that is not likely to change.

Another proven adage of the old Middle East held that: “The Arabs cannot make peace with Israel without Syria, but cannot make war with Israel without Egypt.” Damascus always championed the rejectionist camp, blocking any comprehensive acceptance of Israel in the region, while Cairo’s peace treaty with Israel (albeit a cold peace) stymied any hope of pan-Arab defeat of the IDF in battle. This equation will undoubtedly be impacted by the current unrest.

Egypt is already showing worrisome signs of renewed hostility towards Israel. The Supreme Military Council now running the country is bowing to the will of the Tahrir Square crowds by announcing their intent to reconsider the natural gas deals made with Israel pursuant to the 1979 peace treaty. Deposed president Hosni Mubarak and his sons are being accused of corruption stemming, in part, from the natural gas contracts with Israel.

If those agreements can be legally assailed and undone, the Israel-Egypt peace treaty cannot be far behind. Indeed, all the major players jockeying for seats in the parliamentary elections this autumn have pledged to “review” the treaty with Israel, a position widely backed by public opinion polls. Leading presidential contender Amr Moussa, the Arab League chieftain who has built his popularity by shamelessly bashing Israel, insisted recently that the Camp David Accords had “expired” and that Israel has failed to prove it is a “friend” of Egypt.

Meantime, Egypt’s interim foreign minister has promised to reopen the Rafah crossing into Gaza, allowing Hamas to ferry in-and-out far more weapons and terrorists than through its cross-border smuggling tunnels. Cairo also just brokered the Fatah-Hamas unity pact, taking the Palestinians a major step away from peace with Israel.

Finally, Egypt has announced plans to “open a new page” with its long-time adversary Iran.

Meanwhile, the Assad dynasty in Syria has launched a brutal crackdown on opposition protests that have resulted in more than 800 civilian deaths so far, with another 10,000 imprisoned. The struggle pits the minority Alawite rulers against an 85% Sunni majority. But dictator Bashar Assad is the most heavily entrenched ruler in the Arab world, with layers of loyalists in command of the all-powerful security services, ensuring he will not go easily.

Yet even if the Syrian uprising succeeds in dislodging the Assad regime, there is little reason to think its Sunni replacement will be any less hostile towards Israel. The Sunni majority likely will not be as pro-Iran, which could have a huge impact on Tehran’s aspirations to build a Shi’ite crescent that reaches the Mediterranean shores and encircles Israel. But – like in Egypt – the Syrian masses have already been spoon-fed so much anti-Zionist and anti-Semitic invective, it will assuredly be reflected even in a democratically-elected government. Some analysts go so far as to suggest that the West’s tepid response to Syria’s harsh crackdown is out of fear that something worse could actually replace Assad.

So I am left very pessimistic that the regional upheaval will mean positive changes for Israel. At the least, Egypt and Syria will follow the Turkish model, where an Islamist party has played the Israel card to gain votes and then asserted an aggressively independent line against Israel and the US in matters of foreign policy.

And all the while, Iran is quietly exploiting the distractions caused by the “Arab Spring” to continue its relentless pursuit of nuclear capabilities.

Parsons is media director for the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem; www.icej.org/