NEW TROUBLES FOR ISRAEL

There are very troubling signs of growing anti-Semitism at the highest levels of Egyptian leadership. A video has recently been aired showing Egypt’s new president Mohammed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood’s choice candidate, attending a sermon in the Mediterranean town of Marsa Matruh during which the preacher called for the "destruction and dispersal of the Jews." In one of the responsive prayers, the cleric beseeched God to "destroy the Jews and their supporters and disperse them, rend them asunder." Morsi is then seen continuing to say Amen. This video was broadcasted to the nation.

We are commanded by the God of the Bible to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem.” The kind of prayers being prayed in Egyptian mosques by its religious and governmental leaders will bring peace to no one.

It is increasingly obvious that the result of removing brutal dictatorships throughout the Middle East now threatens the longest standing democracy in that region, the State of Israel. While millions of lovers of democracy around the world prayerfully, financially and militarily supported the “Arab Spring”, we now face a new choice. Will we sit idly by and accept anti-Semitism simply because a majority population embraces it? Or, will we loudly voice our belief in the moral code that our own democracy was founded upon: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” Majority of opinion does not supersede the necessity of Godly morals as we practice true democracy.

U.S. tax dollars by the billions continue to be poured into countries that are calling for the destruction of our best ally in the region. We cannot let our silence give tacit support to the enemies of peace.

Be informed. Speak up. And most importantly, pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

THE FAULTLINE

Considering the newest developments in the Middle East, I have decided to re-post a commentary I first published last March.

I have been in only one significant earthquake in my life, but it paled in comparison to the one in the 1974 blockbuster movie “EARTHQUAKE.” The fictional disaster film depicts the most catastrophic earthquake of all time tearing through Southern California, leveling Los Angeles and sending shockwaves through the lives of the millions of people who live there. In my mind’s eye I can still conjure up images of the earth being ripped in two. The biggest Fault Line in today’s world is not physical, but spiritual and geopolitical; it runs through Jerusalem.

So what are the two sides? On one side are those who, for spiritual or geopolitical reasons support Israel and on the other, those who oppose it. There is increasing pressure to choose sides. Can’t decide? Prefer the middle? Remember the movie, those who sit precariously on the fault line are the first to perish; neither ignorance nor inattention provides safety.

We must make choices in life and this is one of the really big ones. My advice? Go to Israel and see it for yourself. Don’t depend on casual water-cooler talk or the media to keep you informed.  Educate yourself about the historic and current geopolitical issues. Learn about UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East), the One-State Solution or Two-State Solution, Disengagement, Intifada and how many times the idea of swapping land for peace has actually worked in that region. Become familiar with what the Bible says about the Jewish people, the Land of Promise and Biblical Prophesy of the end times.

And lastly, pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

NO PEACE IN PIECES

As I began writing this article, Parliamentarians from nations as diverse as Finland and Uruguay were gathered in a location just outside the Jaffa Gate of the Old City in Jerusalem to deliberate the future of the World. These political leaders discussed how conflict between Israel and surrounding Arab States effects the entire international community of nations.  They discussed potential solutions for some of the world’s most difficult issues such as the refugee status of both Palestinians and Jews and the threat of dividing Jerusalem into two capitals instead of one.

Why gather in Jerusalem? It is simple, even a casual perusal of worldwide media reveals that Jerusalem is the epicenter of modern conflict. There is a gathering storm across the globe. Islamic extremism is sweeping the Middle East and emerging in Europe, Asia and the Western Hemisphere. Anti-Semitism is also rising among increasingly secular Western Societies and governments.

As long as the Jews exist as a people, as long as they govern a sovereign nation in the land promised to them in the Bible, Israel’s very existence threatens every social, political or religious viewpoint that does not consider the Bible to be true. Forces as opposed as Secular Humanists and Islamist Extremist find common ground in their determination to deny Israel a right to exist as a State with secure borders with Jerusalem as its undivided capital.

The past provides a road map for the future. There has been human conflict throughout history. Every conceivable way has been tried to bring peace between nations at one time or another and peace has been achieved many times and in many ways. History is also littered with disastrous failures from which we can learn.

One of the most glaring mistakes attempted by peacemakers is the dividing of cities. My childhood was filled with constant exposure to photographs and news clips of the divided cities of Berlin, Beirut and Belfast. “Green Lines” of razor wire, fences, land-mine fields, walls and guard posts become a no-man’s land where prosperity and freedom cannot exist. The last thing that the Jewish people, the Palestinian people and the multitude of other cultures residing in Jerusalem needs is further complication of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. There is no sustainable peace obtained by dividing a city into pieces.

My take-away from the gathering of Parliamentarians and Government Leaders in Jerusalem this past week is clear: More than ever, we must pray for the peace of Jerusalem.