On August 18, the Jordanian Ar-Ra’y newspaper carried the following opinion piece by Raja Talab: “It is not out of the question that we wake up one day in the near future to an explosion in front of Al-Aqsa Mosque or the Dome of the Rock Mosque, in preparation for the building of the [third] temple over the rubble of whichever one of them, seeing as how the intentional escalation being carried out these days by Jewish extremists in the yards of both mosques is part of the Armageddon doctrine, in which the Evangelicals in America and the hardline Jewish Haredi believe. Indeed, to the latter, the return of Christ requires the rebuilding of the third temple, following the destruction of the first and second… And this Armageddon doctrine is what governs the White House today, knowing that despite his non-religiousness, Trump has become a toy in the hands of those advocating it.

“The latter include Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and National Security Advisor John Bolton, even his son-in-law Kushner, who was behind the decision to move the US Embassy to East Jerusalem and proclaim it the eternal capital of Israel. According to this Armageddon doctrine, the return of Christ can be hastened by a series of steps, the most important of which being the destruction of one of the two mosques in Jerusalem and the launching of the construction of the third temple in its stead. This will trigger the Battle of Armageddon somewhere in Palestine, cause the destruction of Earth, and ensure the descent of Christ and the defeat of the evil, after which Christ will spread justice on earth. I do not know how knowledgeable the Arab leaders are about this doctrine and the threat it poses to the Palestinian cause.

“Indeed, those who believe in it view the support of Israel as an “order from God,” pushing a believing Christian woman who is untainted by this doctrine to explain and expose it. Hence, prominent journalist and speech writer for President Johnson, Grace Halsell, wrote in her book “God's Hand: Why the United States is sacrificing its interests for Israel” [the actual name of the book is Forcing God's Hand: Why Millions Pray for a Quick Rapture--And Destruction of Planet Earth] that the Americans view any stance against Israel as being a stance against the will of God, believing that all the wars in which Israel will engage are sacred and supported by God. She also stated that the White House, since Carter’s days going through Reagan, Bush Sr. and Bush Jr., has always believed in the need to end this world through a cosmic war that would hasten the return of Christ.

“At this level, I proudly feel the extent of the strength of His Highness the King in deterring this doctrine and the Deal of the Century, especially when it comes to Jerusalem and the Hashemite tutelage over it. The King is strongly practicing his role as the guardian and custodian of Jerusalem, while fully aware of everything I have mentioned.”