ORLANDO, Fla.—Israel recently celebrated its 75th anniversary, and many Jews and Christians see the state’s existence as a fulfillment of biblical prophecy, but a former Israeli general also raised the alarm about the growing threats from Iran and its allies in the East.
“Things have changed dramatically in the last year,” Amir Avivi, a retired brigadier general in the Israeli Defense Forces, told The Daily Signal in an interview at the National Religious Broadcasters Convention last week. “We’ve seen the East moving towards adapting to the sanctions the West is imposing in the last year, especially on Russia and rightly so. But China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, all of these countries are getting closer and closer together. It enables them to overcome sanctions.”
In April, China brokered a deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia, signaling a new balance of power in the Middle East.
“When they look at the West, they see a strong military power, but with zero willingness to use power,” Avivi warned. “When this is the reality, they feel they can pretty much do whatever they want and this is destabilizing the whole globe.”
“We see the Chinese aggression in the Pacific. We see Russians fighting on European soil, and in the Middle East, Iran is getting more and more emboldened, building forces all around Israel,” the retired general added. “They’re building Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza. They’re building Hezbollah in Lebanon. They’re building the militias in Iraq and in Yemen, and trying to create this nuclear umbrella that will enable them basically to take over the whole Middle East.”
“From there, their aspiration is world domination,” he warned. “This is what the Iranians want, and we are seeing lack of leadership on behalf of the U.S. Without the U.S. presence in the Middle East, the Middle East is not stable and the prospects of a large war are growing steadily.”
Avivi, who currently serves as founder and chairman of the Israeli Defense and Security Forum, suggested the U.S. should engage more in the Middle East.
“The other option is the U.S. stepping forward, building a coalition in the Middle East, posing a credible military threat on Iran, and by doing so, stabilizing the region,” the retired general said. “Bringing peace agreements—because the Saudis are willing to do peace with Israel. They’re willing to expand this peace also to Pakistan and Indonesia and Oman.”
“But they will not go forward with a peace agreement without American commitment to stand strong with Israel and the Sunni world,” Avivi said.
The retired general, who also served as aide-de-camp to the chief of the General Staff of the IDF, said that Israel can defend itself by itself and has extremely strong capabilities, which he cannot reveal.
Avivi also shared the story of how a visit to Jerusalem’s holy sites inspired his men to fight harder on the front lines against Palestinian terrorism.
Rabbi Dov Lipman, a former Knesset member and CEO of Yad L’Olim, also joined the podcast. He spoke about “this incredible miracle called Israel” that he views as the fulfillment of Bible prophecy. His organization has helped over 30,000 Jewish families from over 41 different countries to move to Israel and adjust to life in the Holy Land.
Source » dailysignal