News and Prophecy Staff

“Prime Minister David Cameron on Friday pledged Britain will never become part of a ‘European superstate’ thanks to a hard-fought deal for a less intrusive European Union which he hopes will sway voters in a referendum to keep the island nation in the 28-nation bloc” (Washington Post, February 19, 2016).

“Saudi media said some 350,000 forces from the Persian Gulf Arab states and a number of other countries will take part in the Saudi-led military maneuver in the area of Hafer al-Batin in northern Saudi Arabia” (Alalam News, February 9, 2016).

Pope Francis became “the first pontiff to ever meet a patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, as the two Christian leaders set aside centuries of division in a historic encounter that was held in an unlikely setting: a room at the Havana airport” (New York Times, February 12, 2016).

Europe has two major threats on its borders: Russia and the Islamic State. In a recent action to confront the growing Russian threat, NATO decided to use multinational forces on its eastern borders.

Angela Merkel stated “Time is of the essence,” in appealing to Israelis and Palestinians to push forward in their peace process.  On a recent trip to Europe, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas traveled to Berlin to update leaders on current peace developments with Israel.  “Abbas thanked the German government for its support, both on a material and political level.  The country had helped in the building of Palestinian state institutions and was also in a position to be helpful in the peace process, enjoying good relations with both sides.”