Though the White House is trying to restart Israeli-Palestinian talks based on the president's call of Israel to pre-1967 borders, there are two chances for this-slim and none.
After all, the Palestinians signaled long ago that they were not interested in negotiating with Israel.
But recently, they have made it abundantly clear.
First of all, the unity deal between Fatah and Hamas demonstrated they were not interested.
President Obama was pressing Israel to deal; however, it was with the leadership of Fatah, particularly Mahmoud Abbas, who signed a deal with Hamas leaders.
Hamas leaders are avowed enemies of Israel and are sworn to the destruction of the Jewish nation.
So it was them that Abbas and company signed a deal to create a unification government.
Secondly, a few months ago, Palestinian Authority leader Abbas decided not to even pretend to deal with Israel.
Instead, against the pleading of Obama, Abbas bypassed negotiations to go to the U.
N.
Security Council calling for a resolution to create a Palestinian state.
After the Fatah-Hamas deal was made, Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu said no to an offer by the French to restart peace talks.
He stated that Israel will not negotiate with the Palestinians.
Why? It is because now, as a result of a unity deal signed by Fatah and Hamas three weeks ago, the Palestinians consist of leadership whose goal it is to eliminate the Jewish state.
Thus, the Palestinians have already said no; now the Israelis say no.
That pretty much seals the deal.
But even before the French offer, Netanyahu told President Obama no.
His repudiation of the president's offer was based on Obama's Middle East address; Netanyahu announced he would not negotiate a treaty on the basis of the pre-1967 borders.
So, as a result of the president's Middle East address, Israeli Prime Minister rose up publicly against the U.
S.
president, which was unprecedented.
This, then, made the Israeli prime minister highly popular in Israel, as it galvanized the Jewish nation behind Netanyahu.
In a recent poll, nearly 80% of Israelis are backing Netanyahu's stance against the president.
As a result, the prime minister's popularity is at an all-time high.
This could prepare Netanyahu for the end-times treaty.
Consider for a moment what will be involved in the treaty.
According to Daniel 9:27, this seven-year treaty will provide for Israel to make "sacrifice and offering".
For sacrifices and offerings, Israel needs a temple.
This means that a key provision of the treaty will be the backing of Israel to rebuild the temple on the Temple Mount.
Think about what that means.
We are talking about a place-the Temple Mount-that is so controversial that when Ariel Sharon, then prime minister of Israel, simply walked up on the Temple Mount, Arabs set off a riot! Just for walking on it! Think about what would occur now if Israel started building a temple on that mount! Yet, in the negotiations for this end-times treaty, Israel will call for the ten future co-signers of the treaty to give Israel backing on rebuilding a temple on the Temple Mount.
To call for that, and to get the ten national leaders to back up Israel on that provision, Israel will have to have a very strong and popular leader at that point.
For such a controversial request to be granted, three things need to occur.
First, the region must change, which it will, becoming much more open to, and friendlier toward, Israel.
Second, the Palestinians must be out of the mix (which they will be); for they would never go for that.
Finally, Israel will need a very strong and popular leader, which they will have at that time.
For such a controversial request to be granted, the prime minister of Israel will need to be backed heavily by the Jewish citizens.
By having the nation strongly behind the Israeli prime minister, the ten future co-signers of the treaty will see that this is a demand from which the leader will not back down.
As a result, they will grant this demand.
However, without the Jewish leader being strongly backed by Israelis, it is not likely that this request would be granted.
Thus, by inserting into his Middle East address the call for Israel to return to the pre-1967 borders, President Obama set up Prime Minister Netanyahu to become a very popular leader in Israel.
If Netanyahu (whose name means "gift of God") will be the prime minister of Israel at the time of those negotiations, then the president did his part for the end-times treaty.
As we see this and other possible alignments toward end-times fulfillment taking shape, we need to look for the return of Christ for us.
That means we need to keep looking up!