Judgment or Coincidence?

Submitted by Jane (United States), Mar 5, 2008 at 04:37

October 31, 1991: President George H. W. Bush convenes the Madrid Conference, meeting with Arab and Israeli leaders to forge a peace plan. "Territorial compromise is essential for peace," said President Bush. "We seek peace, real peace. And by real peace I mean treaties. If we cannot summon the courage to lay down our past for ourselves then let us do it for the children."

October 31, 1991: "The Perfect Storm", an unusual Nor'easter batters the east coast from Maine to Florida, bringing with it 65 knot winds and 39 foot waves. Damage estimates: Massachusetts - $100,000,000's; New Jersey (Southern) - $75,000,000; New York/ NJ (Northern) - $10,000,000's; Maine - $7,900,000; North Carolina - $6,700,000; New Hampshire - $5,600,000; Florida - $3,000,000.

August 23, 1992: The Madrid Conference reconvenes in Washington DC. to resume "peace talks".

August 23, 1992: Hurricane Andrews slams into Florida and parts of the Gulf Coast leaving 18,000 homeless and causing more than $30 billion in damage.

January 16, 1994: President Bill Clinton meets with Syria's President Hafaz el-Assad in Geneva. They talk about a peace agreement with Israel that includes giving up the Golan Heights.

January 17, 1994: The 6.7 Northridge earthquake hit Resida California, outside Los Angeles, measuring the highest urban ground acceleration ever recorded. 57 lives were lost and damge was over $42.5 billion.

September 28, 1998: President Bill Clinton, Yassar Arafat and Benjamin Netanyahu meet on the White House lawn for a press conference to announce the "land for peace" deal in which Israel would give up 13 percent if Yesha (Judah and Samaria) by May 1999.

September 28, 1998: Hurricane Georges made seven landfalls on its long track through the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico, battering six countries and the Gulf Coast before spending the last of its fury on Mississippi on this day. There were 603 fatalities and more than $7 billion in damage.

October 15, 1998: Yassar Arafat and Benjamin Netanyahu meet for 5 days at the Wye River plantaion in Maryland to hammer out the details of the Yesha "land for peace" deal.

October 17, 1998: Torrential rain and tornadoes pound southern Texas for 5 days, bringing 20 inches of rain. 31 people are killed as this storm system leaves more than $750 million in damages.

May 3, 1999: Yassar Arafat is scheduled to meet in front of the United Nations to declare a "Palestinian State" with Jerusalem as its capital. This meeting is postponed until December at the request of President Bill Clinton.

May 3, 1999: The Super Tornado System with 66 touchdowns rips across the midwest, including Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee and Kansas with 316 mph winds, the strongest ever recorded. There were 31 fatalities and and $1.1 billion in damages.

August 15, 2005: The United States Department of State has made it clear to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. It wants the Jews out of the Gush Katif district of Gaza by August 15th, with no excuses. "This is what the U.S. State Department is demanding that I do and I must do it" Sahron says. The Israeli Military is forced to begin evicting thousands of Jewish settlers from their homes.

August 23-31, 2005: Hurricane Katrina hits the Gulf Coast of the United States. Hundreds of thousands are left homeless. There are 1,836 deaths and more than $81.2 billion in damage.

Judgment or coincidence?

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".