(OPINION) We sure have been experiencing a lot of “coincidences” lately, haven’t we? On Friday, Israeli forces conducted their first localized raids inside Gaza. Then on Saturday, the path of a spectacular “ring of fire” solar eclipse marched across the continental United States.
Is it just a coincidence that this eclipse has happened just as the Great Middle East War is commencing? Throughout human history, eclipses have often coincided with tragic events and major historical turning points. For example, earlier today I came across an article that took a look back at “the World War I eclipse”…
Such was the case a century ago this week on August 21st, 1914 when a total solar eclipse crossed over Eastern Europe shortly after the outbreak of World War I.
Known as the “War to End All Wars,”—which, of course, it didn’t—World War I would introduce humanity to the horrors of modern warfare, including the introduction of armored tanks, aerial bombing and poison gas.
So is the “ring of fire eclipse” that we just witnessed related to the war in the Middle East? I don’t know, but it sure was spectacular… First came the darkening skies, then the crescent-shaped shadows on the ground, and finally an eruption of cheers by crowds that gathered Saturday along the narrow path of a rare “ring of fire” eclipse of the sun.
It was a spectacular show for millions of people across the Americas as the moon moved into place and blocked out all but a brilliant circle of the sun’s outer edge.
It could be seen throughout much of the continental United States, and the direct path of this eclipse crossed over the states of Oregon, Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas…
A partial solar eclipse was visible, weather permitting, from much of the Americas, with the 125-mile path of annularity crossing parts of Oregon, Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas, before moving on to Mexico and southern countries, ending in Brazil.
Photojournalist Patrick Fallon captured this stunning view of the “ring of fire” effect of the annular solar eclipse while documenting the view from Albuquerque, New Mexico, which NASA used as one of its base of operations for its eclipse livestream.
This “ring of fire eclipse” was the second in a series of three eclipses that will combine to form a giant Aleph over America. The Aleph will finally be completed by the Great American Eclipse on April 8th, 2024 and I will have much more to say about this in my upcoming book.
In this article, I want to focus on the events that are currently transpiring in the Middle East. According to the New York Times, three senior Israeli military officers have told the newspaper that the IDF is “preparing to invade the Gaza Strip”…
The Israeli military is preparing to invade the Gaza Strip soon with tens of thousands of soldiers ordered to capture Gaza City and destroy the enclave’s current leadership, according to three senior Israeli military officers who outlined unclassified details about the plan.
The military has announced that its ultimate goal is to wipe out the top political and military hierarchy of Hamas, the Palestinian group that controls Gaza and led last week’s terrorist attacks in Israel that killed 1,300 people. Needless to say, this will not be an easy offensive.
Hamas has constructed hundreds of miles of tunnels underneath Gaza, and there is an extremely congested city sitting right on top of all of those tunnels. So the IDF is literally going to have to advance inch by inch in some cases, because there will be constant dangers all around them…
The operation risks locking Israel into months of bloody urban combat, both above ground and in a warren of tunnels — a fraught offensive that Israel has long avoided because it involves fighting in a narrow and tightly packed sliver of land populated by more than 2 million people. Israeli officials have warned that Hamas could kill Israeli hostages, use Palestinian noncombatants as human shields, and have strewn the territory with booby traps.
In addition, the Israelis will be under constant pressure to minimize civilian casualties. It is very, very difficult to fight a war and try to ensure the safety and comfort of vast numbers of civilians at the same time. On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to restore water service to southern Gaza…
Energy Minister Israel Katz said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden had come to an agreement on Sunday where Israel would return to supplying water to southern Gaza, Reuters reported that day.
The decision to once again, partially, resume the supply of water to the Palestinian enclave was in line with Israeli policy on Gaza, the energy minister noted.
Israel has also been dropping vast numbers of leaflets into Gaza warning civilians to flee to the south. But Hamas is actually putting up roadblocks in a desperate attempt to keep people from leaving…
Hamas has attempted to block Palestinians from evacuating the northern Gaza Strip, placing roadblocks on evacuation routes designated by the IDF, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said Saturday. (READ MORE)
