East of Israel are the following countries; Iraq, Iran, India, Pakistan and China all of whom, are also east of the River Euphrates, except Iraq through which the river runs.
Iraq– Islamic – does not recognize Israel and consequently the two countries do not have any formal diplomatic relations. Iraq declared war on the newly established Jewish state in 1948 and since then the two countries have technically been in a state of war. Iraqi forces participated in wars against Israel in 1967 and 1973.
Iran– Islamic – (Formally Persia). From the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 until the Iranian Revolution and the fall of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979, Israel and Iran maintained close ties.
December 2000 – Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called Israel a “cancerous tumour” that should be removed from the region.
On 15 August 2012 – Ayatollah Khamenei said that he was confident that “the fake Zionist (regime) will disappear from the landscape of geography.”
In addition, on 19 August, Khamenei reiterated comments made by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, during which he called Israel a “cancerous tumour in the heart of the Islamic world” and said that its existence is responsible for many problems facing the Muslim world.
India – Hindu – strong developing ties with Israel on defence, economic and technology however India recently voted against the US embassy move to Jerusalem and Israel cancelled its sale to India of its Spike Anti-Tank missile system.
Pakistan– 1947 – Muslim state of East and West Pakistan created out of partition of India at the end of British rule.
1971– East Pakistan attempts to secede, leading to civil war. India intervenes in support of East Pakistan which eventually breaks away to become Bangladesh.
The Pakistan Air Force participated in the 1967 Six-Day War and the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
After the Yom Kippur War, Pakistan and the PLO signed an agreement for training PLO officers in Pakistani military institutions.
During the 1982 Lebanon War, Pakistani volunteers served in the PLO and 50 were taken prisoner during the Siege of Beirut.
In addition to these, Pakistan religious political parties such as the Jamaat-e-Islami, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islamand militant groups such as Lashkar-e-Taibafiercely oppose any relationship with Israel, and have repeatedly called Israel as the enemy of Islam and Pakistan.
Pakistan forbids its citizens from going to Israel and all Pakistani passports bear the inscription “This passport is valid for all countries of the World except Israel.”
China – Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Taoism – China did not establish normal diplomatic relations with Israel until 1992, but since then, Israel and China have developed increasingly close strategic economic, military and technological links with each other.
China is Israel’s third largest trading partner globally and largest trading partner in East Asia.
China is one of the few countries in the world to concurrently maintain warm relations with Israel, Palestine, and the Muslim world at large.
Afghanistan – Islamic – Afghan-Israeli relationsare officially non-existent as there are no diplomatic exchanges between the two states.
During the 1980s, Israel condemned the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan and provided armament and training to mujahideen forces who were fighting the Soviet-backed Afghan government.
Since then Afghan President Hamid Karzai has said “When there is further progress [in the Mideast peace process], and the Palestinians begin to get a state of their own, Afghanistan will be glad to have full relations with Israel,”
What does this mean?
For over 2,000 years we have been told that eventually nations to the east of Israel will become hostile towards Israel to the point of attempting an invasion. Whilst China and India are currently friendly towards Israel the Islamic States are extremely hostile and seek Israel’s complete destruction. Why now?
Revelation 16: 12 – 16-The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings from the East…to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty… Then they gathered the kings together to the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.
What else does the Bible tell us?– The Future
What does this mean for you?– Good News