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IDF Shifting Resources Away from Conventional Weapons of War!

June 5, 2005

http://www.tribulationperiod.com/

The IDF Intelligence Estimate of the period 2006 to 2011 in the article which follows, by the Associated Press in the Jerusalem Post, covers the time frame during which I guesstimate a Jihad will be launched against Israel by 10 Arab nations. Things are coming to a climax in the Middle East, and the international commun ity

is filtering its entry into the mix of worldwide confusion that was prophesied to proceed three and a half years of great tribulation. I have always been up front and honest with my guesstimates as to the time the actual attack will finally occur.

It can only be a time guess on my part, no more and no less, but that it will eventually occur is a prophetic certainty. So when I first chose the year 2007 to be the year of destiny for Israel, and the period 2008 to 2012 as the most reasonable time frame for the Jihad attack to occur, I have guesstimated that at some point in time between 2008 and 2012 we will see the initial attack made against Israel from the north. I confess the attack could occur at some point in time before 2008 and at some point in time after 2012, but

the 2008 to 2012 time frame certainly appears me to be the most likely. I have chosen a most likely time frame primarily to hopefully get people

to realize this great event is not a distant event in prophecy, and what is happening in the Middle East will get better only on a very temporary basis. Our reason for initiating our Web Site five years ago was simply to advise people that whatever you are going

to let Jesus do in your life, you had better let him do now.

I have warned repeatedly for years that Israel would shift its emphasis away from conventional weapons and tactics of war, which is a mistake, and will be one of the reasons the future Jihad against them will be able to drive them into the Negev. Please read the following article, and especially the last three paragraphs.

Begin Jerusalem Post Article

IDF Intelligence Warns Conflict with Palestinians

to Escalate

Associated Press, THE JERUSALEM POST

June 5, 2006

The IDF estimates that it is headed

toward another violent round of clashes with the Palestinians following a period of relative calm, senior security officials said.

The dreary prognosis is based on the army’s five-year plan for 2006-2011, which will be made public in July.

According to the assessment, army intelligence officials believe Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s ambitious plan to withdraw from large parts of the West Bank will not do anything to decrease the scope of daily violence in the region.

Instead, the army is moving forward based on a working plan that it is nearing ano

ther round of bloody violence with the Palestinians.

“The Palestinian society has chosen a path in which there is no compromise,” a senior officer said, referring to the recent victory by Hamas in legislative elections.

The officials said the assessment is based on intelligence but gave no further details. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the document has not been released.

The army traditionally has pessimistic outlooks, with working plans based on “worst case scenarios.” However, in the 1990s it also spoke about “a window of opportunity” to make peace with Palestinians.

The No. 1 danger to Israel, as outlined in the five-year plan, is the Iranian nuclear program, which is defined as an “existential threat to Israel.” It is followed by the threat of a renewed low-intensity conflict with the Palestinians.

The third level of threat is all-out war.

In order to prepare for a conflict with the Palestinians, the army will shift its resources toward counter-terrorism units and away from traditional forms of warfare, such as the armor, artillery and engineering corps.

The army’s general staff is expected to formally authorize the five-year plan in early July.

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More than Half the World’s Nations Support Iran and Condemn Israel!

June 5, 2006

http://www.tribulationperiod.com/

The Article which follows my com men

ts is a good representation as to how Israel stands in the eyes of the vast majority of the world’s nations. These nations will constitute the vast majority that fight against Israel at the final battle of Armageddon.

Revelation 16:16 – And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

Wait until they come together to destroy the “Apple of God’s Eye” at Armageddon – They are in for a shock and a horrifying judgment like man has never known. The Evil Satanic Trinity, which is the Spirit of Antichrist pictured by three ugly frogs, will spiritually draw the nations that hate Israel to the Antichrist at Jerusalem. They will be destroyed by the power of God in a tectonic chaos that has not occurred on this earth since God made man, and Messiah shall dwell in Ezekiel’s Judean City Complex as the King of Jerusalem, Israel, and all

the world.

Zechariah 2:8,9 – For thus saith the Lord of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye. [9] For, behold, I will shake mine hand upon them, and they shall be a spoil to their servants: and ye shall know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me.

Revelation 16:13-19 – And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth

of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. [14] For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. [15] Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. [16] And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. [17] And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple

of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. [18] And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. [19] And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

Revelation 19:19-21 – And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. [20] And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. [21] And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

It should certainly be no surprise when the nations from Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Eurasia, Russia, Asia, and SE Asia come to join the Antichrist in his last attempt to destroy Israel at the final battle of the last three and one-half years of the tribulation period, namely, the great battle of Armageddon. Jesus Christ, the Messiah, will return at his 2nd Advent to end this battle.

Luke 21:25-28 – And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; [26] Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. [27] And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. [28] And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

Zechariah 2:10-12 – Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord. [11] And many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto thee. [12] And the Lord shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again.

Ezekiel 40:2 + 48:22 + 48:35– In the visions of God brought he me into the land of Israel, and set me upon a very high mountain, by which was as the frame of a city on the south. [22] Moreover from the possession of the Levites, and from the possession of the city, being in the midst of that which is the prince’s, between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin, shall be for the prince (Messiah). [35] It (the city) was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The Lord is there.

Ezekiel 43:1-6 – Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east: [2] And, behold, the glory of

the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.

[3] And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city: and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell upon my face. [4] And the glory of the Lord came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east. [5] So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house.

Zechariah 14:9 – And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one.

Begin AFP/de Article from Asia Pacific News

NAM Backs Iran, Condemns Israel’s “Brutal” Occupation!

Asia Pacific News

May 31, 2006

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia : The 114-nation Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) backed Iran in the standoff over its nuclear ambitions and condemned Israel for its “brutal” occupation of Palestinian lands.

The communique issued by the grouping of mostly developing nations after two-day talks in Malaysia did not include any criticism of Iran’s nuclear activities.

Instead, it emphasised the right of all nations “without any discrimination” to nuclear technology for research and energy production

and warned against any attack on peaceful nuclear facilities.

“The ministers reaffirmed the basic and inalienable right of all states to develop, research, production and use of atomic energy for peaceful purposes,” it said.

“Any attack or threat of attack against peaceful nuclear facilities – operational or under construction – poses a great danger to human beings and the environment, and constitutes a grave violation to international law.”

The vote of support for Iran is a rare boost for the nation which is locked in a diplomatic standoff with major powers over its nuclear ambitions.

The United States suspects Iran is working secretly toward building its own nuclear weapons under cover of a civilian drive for atomic power, and accuses Tehran of failing to cooperate with the IAEA.

Iran denies the charges, saying its nuclear work is confined strictly to generating energy and insisting that it has always cooperated with the UN nuclear watchdog.

The NAM communique also condemned Israel for a military campaign which it said had resulted in death and injury to Palestinian civilians through excessive force and extra-judicial executions.

“The ministers expressed their deep regret that the Palestinian people continue to suffer under the prolonged and brutal Israel military occupation of their land since 1967 and continue to be denied their fundamental human rights.”

The statement targeted Israelis “settlers” and the construction of a controversial separation wall as the “core danger to the realisation of the inalienable and national rights of the Palestinian people.”

The Palestinian issue featured prominently at the NAM talks, which were overshadowed by a row between the Hamas and Fatah representatives which prompted host Malaysia to urge the rival factions to sort out their differences.

Mahmud al-Zahar, the head of Hamas in its Gaza Strip stronghold, quit the delegation on the eve of the two-day meeting in protest over the arrival of Fatah’s Faruq Qaddumi as head of the Palestinian delegation.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said that if the Palestinian leaders wanted to be respected they should project a united front.

“If there are any differences or disputes between them, it is for them to sort it out. We support the Palestinian cause, the Palestinian struggle, the result of the free election but we don’t want to get involved in any dispute between them,” he said.

“It will be a pity if… all of us continue to support the struggle of the Palestinian people but the Palestinian people seem to be not in unity. That is not good.”

NAM was formed during the Cold War as an alternative to the Western and Eastern power blocs. Its membership includes democracies as well

as international outcasts like North Korea and Myanmar.

AFP/de

End Article from Asia Pacific News

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China and Russia Bond Themselves with Islam through Arab Oil!

June 4, 2006

http://www.tribulationperiod.com/

China’s blustering economy must have Islam’s oil to feed its increasing thirst for the means

to drive its production

to world leadership.

Russia needs the money revenues Islam receives from its oil exports to supply

the Arabs with nuclear facilities and high tech weaponry of all types. I have always favored the title “evil axis” be applied to Islam, Russia, and China, rather than to North Korea, Syria,

and Iran, which represent a very small axis in a much bigger one. The world struggle for control is becoming a West versus East battlefield. So when Islam comes from the north against Israel in a lightning Jihad, Islam’s affiliation with Russia and China will cause the West not to intervene as long as they both stay out of the conflict.

And as soon as Israel has been driven into the Negev, both the West and the East will be ready for a truce between Israel and the Arabs.

The truce will only last for some three and one-half years, at which time the nations of Europe, Eurasia, Russia, China, Africa, and Southeast Asia, will join together for a final battle of Armageddon against Israel, the apple of God’s eye.

The following article from Big News Network is one of many that show the ever increasing bond between Russia, China, and

the Arab nations.

Begin Big News Network article

China Ties up Oil Deals with 22 Arab Nations

BigNewsNetwork.com

June 1, 2006

Twenty-two Arab nations have agreed to boost energy cooperation and increase trade with China at the end of a two-day meeting in Beijing.

Analysts see the meeting as part of Beijing’s strategy of pushing for stability in the Middle East in order to secure future oil supplies.

Middle East nations already provide China with about 44 percent of its oil imports and with its economy showing no signs

of slowing down, Beijing wants to get more oil from the region. For that to happen, China’s leaders say, there first needs to be peace in the Middle East and the key to that is the settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Among the Arab League foreign ministers taking part in the two-day meeting here was Mahmoud Zahar of the Palestinian government led by Hamas – a group the United States and others have shunned for its terrorist activities.

China this week called on Hamas to renounce violence and recognize Israel’s right to exist, but Beijing stopped short of setting that as a precondition for direct aid or dialogue. At a briefing Thursday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said China is willing to keep providing aid to the Palestinians.

‘The Chinese government has always paid close attention to Palestine’s humanitarian situation,’ said Liu. ‘We will continue to provide humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people within our capacity.’

Mr. Liu said China has never considered Hamas a terrorist organization.

David Zweig, head of the Center on China’s Transnational Relations at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, calls China’s moves to court Hamas a bold undertaking to accomplish what others have failed to do.

‘China very much wants to present itself as someone who is willing to talk to Hamas. Unlike other countries, like the United States or Europe, who refuse to talk to Hamas without the precondition of renouncing violence and accepting Israel, China feels that they can invite Hamas to come,’ said Zweig. ‘Then, through the process of inviting Hamas and treating Hamas as a member of the international community, then [they can] demand of them the behavior that one would expect of a member of the international community.’

Arab League Secretary Amr Moussa on Thursday criticized Western governments for insisting Hamas renounce violence before they will engage with the government it leads.

Moussa said the Palestinian question is one of military occupation, not terrorism.

End Big News Network Article

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in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more detailed information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. You may use material originated by this site. However, if you wish to use any quoted copyrighted material from this site, which did not originate at this site, for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner from which we extracted it.

Geo-Strategic Military Position is Darkening around Israel!

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES!

June 4, 2006

http://www.tribulationperiod.com/

The interview of Lt. General Dan Halutz paints a realistic picture of the new world Israel is facing. What lies ahead for Israel in the immediate future is not as bright as in the past, but rather a darkening situation.

I expect the few friends Israel has at the present time to shrink away from her as the “time of Jacob’s trouble” approaches. When Israel finally is attacked by a lightening Jihad from the north, I would guesstimate that about 60 percent of the world’s nations will love it, 20 percent will take the attitude of “who cares,” 10 percent will only wish it had not happened, 10 percent will only protest to the United Nations, and perhaps 10 percent will try to airlift supplies into the Negev.

For some three and one-half years Israel will stand virtually alone in the Negev wilderness, with only their God to help them, as did their fathers before them with Moses, when God protected them and met their needs. This will be the time of Jacob’s trouble, but it will also be the time of Jacob’s deliverance by the Messiah she rejected as her King.

When the nation of Israel has him, she has everything – When she doesn’t, she has nothing.

Jeremiah 30:7 – Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.

Romans 11:24-31 – For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of

the Gentiles be come in. [26] And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:

PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 10 FROM OUR ARCHIVES

In our last prophecy update we discussed how the usage of a vast underground water supply in the Negev was producing a large variety of foodstuffs across its surface. However, when one-third of the population of Israel is pushed into the Negev by the Antichrist in the middle of the Tribulation Period, the initial food supply and production will only be sufficient for a few months initially, and it will take a year to bring it to adequate levels for such a rise in numbers.

So, for a few months, additional food will be provided by the “they” found in verse 6 of the 12th chapter of Revelation: “And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that THEY should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.” The answer, as to who the “they” represents, is to be found in the preceding verse 5, where the word “NATIONS” acts as the precedent to the word “THEY” in verse 6: “And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all NATIONS with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.” (Revelation 12:5). Remember, in the initial attack of the Antichrist from Syria, all the nations of the world are not involved. All the nations of the world do not become involved until some three years later at the final battle identified as Armageddon. So the “they” in verse 6 refers to nations from the free world.

Such nations as the United States, England, Canada, and Australia, will airlift food, clothing, and shelters to Israel in the Negev during this critical period of shortages. The Antichrist, since he has previously overrun the fertile and industrial heartland of Israel, will seek to gain world approval of his actions by appearing, at this point, to be a merciful conqueror, and will not contest this airlifting of foodstuffs to the Negev. In fact, his aircraft will be under orders not to fire on any foreign aircraft for fear of getting involved in a war with the western powers. As I informed you in previous prophecy updates, the Antichrist will be well aware of the defenses in the Negev, and will have no desire to penetrate any further south than Beersheba.

But at the end of the Tribulation Period, he will send out a call to the European mainland, all the nations once under the Soviet Union, Russia, and all the countries of Asia and Africa, and many will come to this final great battle: “And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.” (Revelation 16:16).

Please read the Excerpt from the Jerusalem Post, which follows, and the Prophecy Update from our Archives, which follows it.

Begin Excerpt from Jerusalem Post Article

Sec. and Defense: Halutz Says Islamists are Rising

David Horovitz and Yaakov Katz, THE JERUSALEM POST

June 1, 2006

Last Rosh Hashana, when The Jerusalem Post interviewed the new chief of staff, Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz, his message was distinctly upbeat.

He pronounced Israel’s geostrategic situation to be better than at any previous stage of modern Israeli history. He said the likelihood of conventional war had never been lower. He said the war on terror had given Israel some improbable Arab allies. And he was clearly feeling, if not relief or even satisfaction, at least a sense of “mission accomplished” regarding the relatively smooth handling of the immensely complex pullout from the Gaza Strip.

But now, on the first anniversary of his tenure, and no longer overshadowed by former generals like Shaul Mofaz and Ariel Sharon,

the Halutz we encountered this week, on the eve of Shavuot – though as generous with his time,

as painstaking in formulating his answers and as candid with his assessments – offered a much starker message.

“We are inside a virtual roll of film,” he said. “The pictures from 2005 are clearer than the pictures from 2006, and the pictures from 2007 are darker than those from 2006.”

The reason for the heightened concern, he said, was that Islamic fundamentalism was getting stronger and democratization in certain Muslim countries was not exactly working, in terms of bringing moderate elements to power.

End Excerpt from Jerusalem Post Article

PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 11 FROM OUR ARCHIVES

The woman of Revelation 12:1, pictured as being clothed with the sun, standing on the moon, with a crown of 12 stars, is clearly identified by Joseph’s dream in Genesis 37:9-11. Joseph dreams of the sun as representing his father Jacob, who God renamed Israel, and from whose loins came the Nation of Israel. He pictures the moon as being the women who gave birth to the 12 sons of Israel. And the 12 stars are those 12 sons who propagated the Nation of Israel. The woman is definitely the Nation of Israel because this set of symbols appears only in Genesis 37 and Revelation 12, and one interprets the other. This woman, who represents Israel, is pictured as fleeing into “the wilderness” in Revelation 12:6. I have proven, in numerous previous updates, that “the wilderness” is the Negev Wilderness of southern Israel. This is part of the same area where Israel previously wandered for 40 years before being allowed to enter the Promised Land of the Exodus. She will once again be confined in the Negev Wilderness for 1260 days, after having been driven into it by an attack from Syria consisting of a confederation of Islamic nations.

We are told in Daniel 11:41 that the King of the North will enter into “the glorious land” of Israel, but that the land of the descendants of Ammon, Moab, and Esau would be by-passed as he pushed Israel into the Negev. If you look on any map showing the areas inhabited by the descendants of these three men in 600 B.C., and then overlay it on a current day map, you will discover all three areas are within the borders of present day Jordan. So Jordan will not be attacked by the Islamic confederation of nations. Why? – Because it is of no tactical, political, or geographical advantage to the King of the North. However, Egypt has all three of these advantages vested in the Suez Canal, her ports, and her water supply. So, after by-passing Jordan, and driving Israel into the Negev Wilderness, he will quickly veer to the west and conquer Egypt. More on this in updates to follow.

At the recent Arab Summit Meeting, the first one held in a decade, Jordan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia failed to concur with some of the boycotts against Israel, which were proposed by their Islamic counterparts.

Egypt was also the first bordering Islamic nation to initiate peace with Israel. Egypt, according to Daniel 11:42,43, will pay a price for it when the Islamic hoard, led by Syria, charges across the northern Sinai to conquer her.

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In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more detailed information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. You may use material originated by this site. However, if you wish to use any quoted copyrighted material from this site, which did not originate at this site, for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner from which we extracted it.

A Star in Islam’s Crescent Moon is rising east of Bethlehem over Iran!

June 3, 2006

http://www.tribulationperiod.com/

It has been remarkable to watch the sudden rise to power of President Ahmadinejad in Iran.

The excerpts taken from the New York Times article by Michael Slackman, which follows, give an excellent account of his rise to power, and continued efforts to consolidate his control of the Iranian governmental structure. One can never be sure in an unstable governmental structure what the future of the ruler holds, and for all that I know he could be assassinated tomorrow, but his rise to where he is today has been meteoric and without parallel in the government since the Shah fell in the Islamic revolution.

Begin Excerpts from New York Time Article

Iran Chief Eclipses Power of Clerics

By MICHAEL SLACKMAN

May 28, 2006

TEHRAN, May 27 — President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is trying to consolidate power in the office of the presidency in a way never before seen in the 27-year history of the Islamic Republic, apparently with the tacit approval of Iran’s supreme leader, according to government officials and political analysts here.
That rare unity of elected and religious leadersh

ip at the highest levels offers the United States an opportunity to talk to a government, however combative, that has often spoken with multiple voices. But if Washington, which severed relations with Iran after the 1979 revolution, opened such a dialogue, it could lift the prestige of the Iranian president, who has pushed toward confrontation with the West.

Political analysts and people close to the government here say Mr.

Ahmadinejad and his allies are trying to buttress a system of conservative clerical rule that has lost credibility with the public.

Their strategy hinges on trying to win concessions from the West on Iran’s nuclear program and opening direct, high-level talks with the United States, while easing social restrictions, cracking down on political dissent and building a new

political class from outside the clergy.

Mr. Ahmadinejad is pressing far beyond the boundaries set by other presidents.

For the first time since the revolution, a president has overshadowed the nation’s chief cleric, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on both domestic and international affairs.

He has evicted the former president, Mohammad Khatami, from his offices, taken control of a crucial research organization away from another former president, Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, challenged high-ranking clerics on the treatment of women and forced prominent academics out of the university system.

In this theocratic system, where appointed religious leaders hold ultimate power, the presidency is a relatively weak position.

In the multiple layers of power that obscure the governance of Iran, no one knows for certain where the ultimate decisions are being made. But many of those watching in near disbelief at the speed and aggression with which the president is seeking to accumulate power assume that he is operating with the full support of Ayatollah Khamenei.

“Usually the supreme leader would be the front-runner in all internal and external issues,” said Hamidreza Taraghi, the political director of the strongly conservative Islamic Coalition Party.

“Here we have the president out front on all these issues, and the supreme leader is supporting him.”

Mr. Ahmadinejad is pursuing a risky strategy that could offer him a shot at long-term influence over the direction of the country — or ruin. He appears motivated at least in part by a recognition that relying on clerics to serve as the public face of the government has undermined the credibility of both, analysts here said.

The changing nature of Iran’s domestic political landscape has potentially far-reaching implications for the United States. While Iran has adopted a confrontational approach toward the West, it has also signaled — however clumsily — a desire to mend relations. Though the content of Mr. Ahmadinejad’s letter to President Bush was widely mocked here and in Washington for its religious focus and preachy tone, it played well to Iran’s most conservative religious leaders. Analysts here said it represented both Mr.

Ahmadinejad’s independence and his position as a messenger for the system, and that the very act of reaching out was significant.

“If the U.S. had relations with Iran under the reform government, it would not have been a complete relationship,” said Alireza Akhari, a retired general with the Revolutionary Guard and former deputy defense minister, referring to Mr. Khatami’s administration. “But if there can be a détente now that means the whole country is behind relations with the West.”

“The real issue here is we now have a government with no experience running a country and dealing with foreign policy,” said Nasser Hadian, a political science professor at Tehran University and childhood friend of the president.

“He is reshaping the identity of the elite,” said a political science professor in Tehran who asked not to be identified so as not to affect his relations with government officials. “Being against Jews and Zionists is an essential part of this new identity.”

Mr. Ahmadinejad has been far freer to maneuver than his predecessor Mr.

Khatami, whose movement for change frightened religious leaders.

Instead of having to prove his fealty to the system, Mr. Ahmadinejad has been given — or has taken — the opportunity to try to calm the streets. Perhaps most surprising, the man who was rumored to want to segregate men and women on elevators and even sidewalks has emerged as a proponent of women’s rights, challenging some of the nation’s most powerful religious leaders.

Nazila Fathi contributed reporting for this article.

End Excerpts from New York Times Article

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