AP: Egypt floats plan to end Israel-Hamas war.

Symbol of Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process

The Associated Press reported the following:

Egypt floats plan to end Israel-Hamas war.

December 25, 2023

Israel and Hamas on Monday gave cool public receptions to an Egyptian proposal to end their bitter war. But the longstanding enemies stopped short of rejecting the plan altogether, raising the possibility of a new round of diplomacy to halt a devastating Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip.

The Egyptian plan calls for a phased hostage release and the formation of a Palestinian government of experts to administer the Gaza Strip and occupied West Bank, according to a senior Egyptian official and a European diplomat familiar with the proposal.

The Egyptian official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the proposal, said the details were worked out with the Gulf nation of Qatar and presented to Israel, Hamas, the United States and European governments. Egypt and Qatar both mediate between Israel and Hamas, while the U.S. is Israel’s closest ally and a key power in the region. https://apnews.com/article/israel-hamas-war-news-12-25-2023-151faf920facb9910a254c2987e00d5f

Hamas and Israel have differing objectives, but the Egyptian proposal could be built upon later.

There was a different proposal some had interest in prior to the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack:

Palestinians are part of the Saudi peace process – Israel’s security advisor

September 11, 2023

The Palestinian Authority has held talks with Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the United States in advance of the pending deal between Riyadh and Washington, National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi told the World Summit on Counter-Terrorism in Herzliya on Monday.

“It is important that the Palestinians are part of the process,” Hanegbi said as he referenced the deal with Riyadh that would include a normalization deal with Israel and gestures to the Palestinians.

“This Saudi deal requires a dialogue with the Palestinians,” Hanegbi said, explaining that he has been doing this on behalf of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for eight months through the Forum of Five. This forum includes representatives from Israel, the PA, the United States, Jordan, and Egypt. …

Hanegbi recalled that the possibility of a Saudi-Israel normalization deal had begun in Ernest in May. https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-758490

One of the most important international agreements in modern history is being secretly negotiated behind the scenes, and once it is publicly announced it could fundamentally change the geography of the Middle East. … As part of a blockbuster deal to normalize relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel, the Saudis want to achieve some sort of a diplomatic breakthrough for the Palestinians. That won’t be an independent Palestinian state, because Benjamin Netanyahu would never accept such an outcome. But the Saudis have floated another plan that might be acceptable to Netanyahu’s government, and it would result in a historic division of the Holy Land. …

The Saudis are also quite motivated to get a deal done, because they realize that a deal may not be possible once a Republican enters the White House. …

According to Axios, the Biden administration has made it abundantly clear to the Israelis that there will be no agreement at all unless they are willing “to make significant concessions to the Palestinians”…

The Biden administration told the Israeli government last week that it would have to make significant concessions to the Palestinians as part of any possible mega-deal with Saudi Arabia that includes normalization between the kingdom and Israel, four U.S. officials and a source briefed on the issue told Axios.

So what would “significant concessions” look like?

We know that there will be no independent Palestinian state while Netanyahu is in charge.

But would Netanyahu support merging the Palestinians into the nation of Jordan? …

Ali Shihabi set forth the details of this plan.

According to Shihabi, this new entity “would include present-day Jordan, Gaza, and the West Bank”…

This proposed enlarged kingdom would include present-day Jordan, Gaza, and the West Bank (areas populated by Palestinians attached in a contiguous manner and physically connected to Jordan, i.e., not broken up into islands). Israeli arguments as to the need to retain the Jordan Valley become moot since the valley will now be controlled by a Jordanian government with a reliable record of maintaining peace with Israel. The convenient argument that Israel has no “peace partner” will now also be eliminated.

Shihabi seems to think that Israel would agree to this if the Palestinians were to relinquish all claims to the city of Jerusalem…

Jerusalem, despite the fact that neither Arabs nor Muslims have a hope of dislodging Israel from it, is, given its symbolism, a key bargaining chip in Palestinian hands. The formal relinquishment of any claims to Jerusalem (with an appropriate arrangement for the holy places) can be an important concession used to secure the foregoing terms. The Palestinians, after all, are the only party who can do this and, hence, completely legitimize Israel in the eyes of the region and the world.

And Shihabi also envisions a democratic vote in which the agreement would be ratified by both the Jordanians and the Palestinians…

As suggested elsewhere, Jordan will change its name to reflect this territorial union (the name “Hashemite Kingdom of Palestine” has lately been suggested in an article published in the Saudi Royal Family-owned news outlet “Al-Arabiya News”, last June 8, 2022), and an internationally recognized border between Israel and the Hashemite Kingdom of Palestine will be established to recognize the new reality.

That doesn’t mean that this is what is going to happen.

During the course of negotiations, so many things can change.

So we will have to wait and see what the final result of the negotiations will be. 09/10/23 https://endoftheamericandream.com/details-of-saudi-arabias-shocking-plan-to-divide-the-holy-land/

The above is interesting, though a broader regional war in the Middle East, probably also involving Syria and Iran may need to take place first (cf. Isaiah 22:6-9).

Now, the Bible itself shows that the time will come when there will be a temporary ‘peace deal’ (see the article The ‘Peace Deal’ of Daniel 9:27).

But the Bible also shows that a European leader will be involved in confirming the coming prophesied deal of Daniel 9:26-27, which states:

26 And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined. 27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate (Daniel 9:26-27).

The “prince” is a European leader who is later called the King of the North in Daniel 11:40. The ‘one week’ has generally been understood by prophecy watchers to mean a seven year deal, that is broken in the middle of it (after 3 1/2 years). This break is also confirmed in the following scripture:

31 And forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation. (Daniel 11:31)

The “him” is the European King of the North.

One way to show Daniel is referring to a European kingdom is to realize that it was the people of the Roman Empire of the 1st century that fulfilled the portion of Daniel 9:26 as they destroyed the city (Jerusalem) in 70 A.D. Jewish sources, while not understanding all of this, also agree that it was Roman sources that destroyed the city and sanctuary as the following demonstrates:

“The people of the prince will come and destroy the city and the Sanctuary” Daniel 9:26, refers to the Roman legions of Vespasian and Titus, who destroyed Jerusalem. (Daniel 9 – A True Biblical Interpretation. Jews for Judaism. https://jewsforjudaism.org/knowledge/articles/answers/jewish-polemics/texts/daniel-9-a-true-biblical-interpretation/ accessed 07/30/16)

In the 21st century, the European Union includes much of the land and peoples that were part of the ancient Roman Empire. And it is the “prince” coming from that people that verse 27 of Daniel 9 is referring to. Thus, this prophecy tells us that a lower level European leader will somewhat officially start to rise up about 3 1/2 years before the great tribulation (and yes, according to Jesus, some “tribulation” does happen prior to the start of the Great Tribulation). Another is the fact that the “beast of the sea” of Revelation 13:1 fits with the beasts from the “great sea” of Daniel 7:2–and that sea is the Mediterranean Sea according to the Old Testament. Hence a power in Europe the only region that could have an empire geographically like the old Roman one (for more details, please see Europa, the Beast, and the Book of Revelation).

Consider the following prophetic sequence based upon Daniel’s writings and Jesus’ words in the Gospels:

The beginning of sorrows (Matthew 24:4-8)–this has begun.
A seven year deal is confirmed/advanced and the final countdown begun– this has not happened yet, though various ones are working on it.
There will be persecutions against those the support the true end-time Philadelphia work –this will intensify.
The Gospel of the Kingdom will reach the world as a witness — this is in progress but not finished.
The sacrifices, which will have started, will stop and the abomination spoken of by Daniel will be set up (Daniel 9:27, 11:31, 12:11). This is about 3 1/2 years after item 2.
The most faithful will flee (Revelation 12:14-16).
The Great Tribulation will begin and Jerusalem will be trampled down by Gentiles for 42 months.
Jesus will return 3 1/2 years after the Great Tribulation begins.
Jesus will bring peace (see How Will Middle East Peace be Brought About?).

Notice how many items are directly predicated on the seven-year deal of Daniel 9:27. Note: The sacrifices will have to start before they are stopped, but precisely where that appears in the sequence is unclear, other than it is after item 2 and prior to item 5.

Note that the European Union has a Middle East “peace envoy” and it expects to be involved (see https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-751872).

With various ones wanting some part of Middle East peace deal, Europeans wanting to be involved, and Palestinians wanting Europe involved, we are seeing steps on the world scene that are aligning with properly understood biblical prophecies.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

The ‘Peace Deal’ of Daniel 9:27 This prophecy could give up to 3 1/2 years advance notice of the coming Great Tribulation. Will most ignore or misunderstand its fulfillment? Here is a link to a related sermon video Daniel 9:27 and the Start of the Great Tribulation.
How Will Middle East Peace be Brought About? Can humans bring peace to the Middle East? Here is a link to a related video: Middle East Peace? When?
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God This free online pdf booklet has answers many questions people have about the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and explains why it is the solution to the issues the world is facing. It is available in hundreds of languages at ccog.org. Here are links to four kingdom-related sermons: The Fantastic Gospel of the Kingdom of God!, The World’s False Gospel, The Gospel of the Kingdom: From the New and Old Testaments, and The Kingdom of God is the Solution.
Gaza and the Palestinians in Bible Prophecy What does the Bible teach about Gaza and the fate of the Palestinians? Here is a link to a related video: Gaza and Palestine in Prophecy.
Jerusalem: Past, Present, and Future What does the Bible say about Jerusalem and its future? Is Jerusalem going to be divided and eliminated? Is Jesus returning to the area of Jerusalem? There are also two related YouTube videos you can watch: Jerusalem To be divided and eliminated and God’s and Satan’s Plan for Jerusalem.
Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America? Where did those people come from? Can you totally rely on DNA? What about other peoples? Do you really know what will happen to Europe and the English-speaking peoples? What about Africa, Asia, South America, and the Islands? This free online book provides scriptural, scientific, historical references, and commentary to address those matters. Here are links to related sermons: Lost tribes, the Bible, and DNA; Lost tribes, prophecies, and identifications; 11 Tribes, 144,000, and Multitudes; Israel, Jeremiah, Tea Tephi, and British Royalty; Gentile European Beast; Royal Succession, Samaria, and Prophecies; Asia, Islands, Latin America, Africa, and Armageddon; When Will the End of the Age Come?; Rise of the Prophesied King of the North; Christian Persecution from the Beast; WWIII and the Coming New World Order; and Woes, WWIV, and the Good News of the Kingdom of God.