There's something clearly pointing me in a specific direction. How do I know if it's a sign from G‑d saying "This is what I want you to do"—or a test to see whether I can withstand the pressure?
You write that Israel's popularity has suffered since the First Gulf War in 1991. This is surprising to hear. As far as I can recall, I do not remember any time that Israel was popular, from the time she was granted autonomy to the present day. But then, in all of history, when was it popular to be nice?
So why should Abraham express remorse for his worship of the sun? It was that worship that brought him to the truth. It was his only path to the truth. If he had not taken that path, he could never have become Abraham, our father, the man who took on the entire world and turned it upside down.