In the border city of Netanya, leaving at least 5 dead and 50 plus wounded, as seen in a Haaretz article. This latest suicide bombing takes place after Israel recently dangled the figurative carrot of peace in front of its enemies by retreating, yes retreating, from Gaza in an effort to get the international community and its Muslim enemies to ease up on the Jewish state. Clearly, no one took Israel's carrot.

As Jersualem Newswire's Ryan Jones put it in a recent commentary, Israel's 'disengagement carrot' has wilted. I'd take it a step farther and say it's already gone, as evidenced by the latest attack, as well as many others which have taken place since Israel's goodwill peace gesture.

What I thoroughly agree with Jones on, however, is that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's perception that Israel had entered a new era of respect and understanding from the international community in the aftermath of the Gaza withdrawal was premature --- to say the least!

An excerpt from Jones' Jerusalem Newswire commentary (dated 12-4-05) highlights how short the international community's memory is when it comes to Israel. Clearly, as seen in the following, the international community has already forgotten what Israel has done toward making peace with the Palestinians:

On Friday, everything went back to normal. With Sharon's withdrawal and the pain it caused thousands and perhaps millions of his countrymen a distant memory, the Gentile nations of the world made clear they view the disengagement as little more than an initial step towards Israel's full capitulation.
Voting 156-6, the members of the UN's General Assembly passed a resolution insisting Israel follow up its Gaza pullout by also leaving all of Judea and Samaria, those hilly regions that constitute the heart of Israel's biblical and ancient homeland.

Australia, Israel, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, and the United States voted against the measure.

Surrendering Gaza to the Palestinians did nothing to create peace so what should Israel do now, at least in the mindset of the international community? Give their enemies even more of their God-given covenant lands!

Many believe, as seen in an Israel National News article, Ariel Sharon is already planning additional Israeli withdrawals from Judea and Samaria, despite releasing statements to the contrary. In other words, Ariel Sharon is, even now, showing signs he is going to cave in to the demands of Israel's international enemies.

As the international community resumes applying pressure to Israel to surrender its lands for "peace", Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is, in my opinion, considering dangling another carrot in front of the Palestinians --- Judea and Samaria.

Meanwhile, German president Horst Koehler is asking the European Union and the United States to step up their efforts to end conflict in the Middle East, particularly the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as seen in an EUBusiness.com article.

While I doubt the United States is going to be very successful in stepping up its efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, I have no doubt whatsoever that, sooner or later, the European Union, which recently began observing the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, is going to become more involved than anyone ever has before! It may even dangle its own 'carrot for peace' in the not-too-distant future - a 'carrot' that will promise to hold everyone's attention for a period of seven precise years, as prophesied by the prophet Daniel.

Israel's dangling Gaza withdrawal carrot is wilted and gone, but there is more than one carrot on the shelf here in the end times! In fact, there are many, as I continue to document. Soon, I believe, another carrot will be tied to a string for dangling purposes.

The question is whose hand will be holding the rod the next carrot will be attached to.

http://www.rapturealert.com/2005/120505peacecarrot.html