ROUND AND ROUND

Frankly, as a young boy I found the childhood song and game “The Mulberry Bush” quite entertaining. It dealt with many of the major issues of my life at that time…how we do our chores, wash our clothes, wash our face, get dressed up, etc.

Now that I am an adult it is time to stop playing this game, yet World Leaders seem intent on sticking with it. We are dealing with incredibly complicated issues as if they were child’s play.

One of huge issues that is at the epicenter of world conflict is the Jewish settlement issue in what is described by the World Community as “disputed territory”. This is the area of Israel also referred to as the West Bank.

In a March 2013 speech delivered in Jerusalem, President Obama urged Israelis to “recognize that continued settlement activity is counterproductive to the cause of peace.” I could not disagree more. This statement presumes that stopping settlements is the solution to lasting peace. Where is the evidence that keeping Jews from settling in their biblically Promised Land brings peace? After so many land concessions that Israel has already granted where is the promised peace?

The foregone conclusion of the majority of the United Nations leadership is that Israel must concede land for peace. The so-called “Two-State Solution” is bantered about as if it is the ONLY solution, yet this discredited approach ignores 65 years of well-documented history. Many land concessions have produced only temporary peace. The world community simply pretends that the prevailing view among Arabs and Persians of the Middle East does not exist. The simple fact is that until now the only acceptable Palestine is one where there is no Jewish State. While calling for a two-state solution, Islamists believe in a “One-State Solution”, a Palestine free of any Judeo/Christian presence.

Secretary of State John Kerry recently stated: “I can guarantee you that I am committed to this because I believe the window for a two-state solution is shutting, I think we have some period of time over the next year or two years or it’s over.” From his mouth to God’s ears. I hope he is right. This kind of “Divide the Land” approach will never work. There is simple no way for Israel to have secure borders with the plans now on the table.

The Times of Israel revealed that Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu and his aide Yitzhak Molcho recently held a series of secret talks with senior Palestinian Liberation Organization official Yasser Abed Rabbo designed to restart peace talks.  These talks, like so many others failed, with the Palestinian negotiator demanding that Israel commit to negotiating on the basis of the pre-1967 lines and that Israel halt all settlement activity as a precondition for resuming peace talks. PM Netanyahu has rightly maintained that settlement construction is among the issues to be discussed at the negotiating table, not a as pre-condition to negotiations.  Several other final-status issues such as Jerusalem, Palestinian refugee “right-of-return”, borders and security must also be negotiated at the table, but heretofore, the Palestinian representatives steadfastly demand that these issues be pre-conditions to any negotiations. So here we go again…round and round.

It is time for “grown up” negotiations. No more trips round and round.

I have little hope “the powers that be” will change their approach, but I can always hope in God’s divine intervention.

So I pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

CUT THE BABY IN TWO

Today is “Jerusalem Day” according to the Jewish calendar . “Yom Yerushalayim”, also known as “Jerusalem Day”, commemorates Jerusalem's reunification in 1967. After Israel declared its independence in 1948, it was attacked by the neighboring Arab countries, resulting in the Arab-Israeli War. At the end of this war, the city of Jerusalem was divided with Israeli forces controlling much of the city, but East Jerusalem, including the “Old City” was controlled by Jordanian forces. The Old City is critically important for strategic and religious reasons. Many sites of significant religious importance are in this part of the city. These include: the Dome of the Rock, the al-Asqa Mosque, the Temple Mount, the Western Wall, the Upper Room and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to name a few. Jews were subsequently banned from praying at their most holy site, the Western Wall.

From 1948-1967 Israel was repeatedly attacked by its surrounding Arab neighbors and endured almost constant terrorist attacks within. Tensions continued to grow and by June 6, 1967 Israel had had enough and launched the 6-Day War. The next day, June 7^th, Israeli forces captured the Old City of Jerusalem. This resulted in the reunification of Jerusalem as part of Israel. Ever since, the constant drumbeat from the Arab States, the United Nations and much of the Western World is that Israel must cede East Jerusalem to the Palestinians who want it as the capital of their own State.

The world wants to DIVIDE THE HOLY CITY AGAIN!

Nothing is more shocking than when a mother purposely harms her own child. In the biblical story in 1 Kings where two mothers claim the same child, King Solomon proposed a simple solution: “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.” Only the one with questionable motives would want to bring disastrous harm by agreeing: “Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!” Not only a teachable moment for the people of God in that generation, this story sheds light on difficult decisions for this generation.

At this very moment there are those who propose to divide the Holy City in two. Jerusalem is a bustling metroplex that serves as a focal point for billions of religious people around the globe. It is the historic and contemporary capital of Israel, a tourist destination for millions of visitors and a place where over a million residents carry forth their daily lives. In other words, it is a city full of life.

Like a precious child of this planet, Jerusalem must be protected, nurtured and helped, but never divided. While it is complicated to gather such diversity and conflict into one united city, it actually does work. The Old City is a microcosm of the modern metro area of Greater Jerusalem. There, crammed into ancient walls, people from significantly different religious persuasions and cultures find a way to live, be civil, do business, raise families, laugh, play, work…they do life… together.

A house divided cannot stand, nor can a city. While blissful unity seems like an impossible dream, Jerusalem must remain united as one city forever. We cannot cut the baby in two.

So again we arrive to the only real hope of success, on this special day and every day that follows, pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

JUSTIFIABLE RESPONSE

President Obama is right in stating: "What I have said in the past and I continue to believe is that the Israelis justifiably have to guard against the transfer of advanced weaponry to terrorist organizations like Hezbollah. We coordinate closely with the Israelis recognizing they are very close to Syria, they are very close to Lebanon."

While I applaud the president's firm response in this situation, the word "close" is a massive understatement. Let me explain. You can actually see Damascus, the capital of Syria from the Golan Heights (in Israeli territory). Then there is Hezbollah, the avowed enemy of Israel who have repeatedly attacked Israel with countless rocket attacks from Lebanon is just over the northern mountains. In fact, from Jerusalem the distance to its surrounding nations' capitals is as follows: Amman, Jordan - 44 miles, Beirut, Lebanon - 146 miles and Damascus, Syria - 135 miles. These are capital-to-capital mileages! Israel cannot leave the possibility of chemical weapons falling into the hands of Hezbollah or any other terrorist groups.

Israel was not taking sides in a civil war in Syria by making airstrikes in Syria over the last two days. They simply had to respond to the possibility of Syrian rebels seizing control of the Syrian armory of weapons.  There is little doubt that some factions of the rebels would use them against the Jewish state. Russia is no friend of Israel, but at least while supporting the Syrian government, they to help constrain them from using their arsenal of chemical weapons against the State of Israel.

However, let me be clear, the more significant restraint for Syria is the fact that the Israeli Defense Forces are far superior to their borderline neighbors. Israel cannot trust any nation, the United States included, to protect it from the threats it faces.

Frankly, I hate killing. Even war as necessary as it may sometimes be is an evil scar upon all humanity. But in the world environment in which we live, where the hatred of anything Jewish is so prevalent, Israel must fight for its very existence. It must, it will.

Like most people around the world, I wish the conflicts of the Middle East would just go away, but that is a childish hope. These issues that literally threaten world peace will not simply disappear, we must all play a part.

So I pray and act. Peace can only come from changed hearts. Join the solution, act and pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

YOM HASHOAH, A DAY TO REMEMBER

 

At sundown today “Holocaust Remembrance Day” begins. While there are many “Remembrance Days” kept in memorial of the Holocaust, none is as poignant as “Yom HaShoah,” the official day of observance in Israel. Flags fly at half-mast, prayers are offered, candles burn, sirens sound across Zion for two minutes, people stand at attention, cars stop where they are; silent tribute to the dead is offered. Throughout the day speeches from the dwindling survivors recall the pain, the pride and the motivation for a motto that leaves no doubt for the future of a nation promised by God Himself: “NEVER AGAIN.”

Israel is seven hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time so Israelis already have begun marking the start of 24 hours during which schools, government offices, the Israeli Defense Force and local municipalities across the nation will hold ceremonies to honor those murdered by the Nazis and their partners. The national flag was lowered to half-mast at 8 p.m. at the beginning of the main ceremony at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem. President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke and Six Holocaust survivors lit memorial torches in memory of the 6 million Jews who were murdered.

A few years ago as Sharon and I exited from a private meeting at the Knesset, the large hall at the entrance of Israel’s parliamentary building was filled with Holocaust survivors. It was Yom HaShoah. I have no words to describe the feelings I experienced as we quietly slipped through the crowded room. As I returned to my hotel I could not get their faces out of my mind. They are now in their 70’s and 80’s; in a few short years they will all be gone. No one will be left who heard the cries. The Holocaust deniers will be emboldened as these living memorials slip away. A void will be left on this planet that never could nor ever should be again filled.

As a gentile and especially as a Christian, I am very reticent to even bring up the subject. My own thoughts and feelings are far too shallow and devoid of the deep pain carried in the hearts of the Jewish people. Not only those hallowed survivors carry the pain, but every Jew. They also carry within them a pride and joy of survival and success that I can only behold and consider. So I must repeatedly walk the hallowed grounds of Yad Vashem. I must soak in the noble presence and quiet pain of those survivors still among us. I must contemplate the connections between the Christian faith I hold so dear to the tragedies before, during and after the dark days of the Nazi regime. I must listen to the lessons of Jewish and Christian history and work for understanding between Christians and Jews today. I must stand with the Jewish people and take as my own the commitment to “NEVER AGAIN”.

In Exodus 3:7 we read: ” The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering.” God does not ignore nor forget the cries. He will also enlighten those with a listening ear.

So I will remember…and pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

KUDOS MR. PRESIDENT

When our government leaders get it wrong with regard to Israel I have no hesitation pointing it out, the same should be true when they get it right. Our president’s record on Israel has been spotty at best, but over the last couple of days he has made a strong effort to reaffirm our position toward Israel, our best ally in the Middle East.

In his arrival speech in Israel on Wednesday of this week he began with the following: “I’m so honored to be here as you prepare to celebrate the 65th anniversary of a free and independent State of Israel. Yet I know that in stepping foot on this land, I walk with you on the historic homeland of the Jewish people.

More than 3,000 years ago, the Jewish people lived here, tended the land here, prayed to God here. And after centuries of exile and persecution, unparalleled in the history of man, the founding of the Jewish State of Israel was a rebirth, a redemption unlike any in history.

Today, the sons of Abraham and the daughters of Sarah are fulfilling the dream of the ages — to be “masters of their own fate” in “their own sovereign state.” And just as we have for these past 65 years, the United States is proud to stand with you as your strongest ally and your greatest friend.

As I begin my second term as President, Israel is the first stop on my first foreign trip. This is no accident. Across this region the winds of change bring both promise and peril. So I see this visit as an opportunity to reaffirm the unbreakable bonds between our nations, to restate America’s unwavering commitment to Israel’s security, and to speak directly to the people of Israel and to your neighbors.”

These words are very different than those he delivered in Cairo, Egypt during his June 2009 visit. Here is an excerpt from that speech: “America's strong bonds with Israel are well known. This bond is unbreakable. It is based upon cultural and historical ties, and the recognition that the aspiration for a Jewish homeland is rooted in a tragic history that cannot be denied. Around the world, the Jewish people were persecuted for centuries, and anti-Semitism in Europe culminated in an unprecedented Holocaust. Tomorrow, I will visit Buchenwald, which was part of a network of camps where Jews were enslaved, tortured, shot and gassed to death by the Third Reich. Six million Jews were killed – more than the entire Jewish population of Israel today. Denying that fact is baseless, ignorant, and hateful. Threatening Israel with destruction – or repeating vile stereotypes about Jews – is deeply wrong, and only serves to evoke in the minds of Israelis this most painful of memories while preventing the peace that the people of this region deserve.”

In his speech in Egypt it sounded like the primary justification for America’s support for Israel is the Holocaust. In other words, the fact that the Holy Land is the birthplace of the Jewish people and their 3,000 year history there is irrelevant to their claim to land in that region as a Jewish State.

Understandably, Mr. Obama targeted his speech to the Muslim audience he was addressing, but it left many of us wondering whether he questioned Israel’s legitimate historical claim to the land they now possess. With this week’s speech he has clarified his position and affirmed the right of the State of Israel to exist based on its long history as opposed to a period preceding World War 2 and the subsequent events of the Holocaust. His specific use of the word “redemption” is stunning...”after centuries of exile and persecution, unparalleled in the history of man, the founding of the Jewish State of Israel was a rebirth, a redemption unlike any in history.”

Thank you Mr. President.

While many critics will claim that this was no more than the latest example of political expediency by the Obama administration, it cannot be denied that he spoke with moral clarity and boldness.

Again, thank you Mr. President, kudos to you from one of the concerned citizens of America who believes that it is in our national interest, but more importantly, the biblically declared WILL OF GOD that we stand with Israel. Please keep it up.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

BOMBS IN THE BACKGROUND

The President of the United States is now present in the epicenter of world tensions. Mr. Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu came across as friends and partners on Wednesday unlike their interactions over the last four years where there seemed to be acrimony. Mr. Obama stated: “there is not a lot of daylight" between America’s and Israel’s regional policies. Backslapping aside, there is great concern in many circles that the fine points of difference are huge.

Today, President Obama met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas where Abbas stated: ”America and the Palestinian Authority are partners in pursuit to just peace that ends occupation and war". On the same day more rockets were fired from Palestinian controlled Gaza into Israel. Since when is peace achievable while the supposedly interested party is firing rockets as the backdrop for the discussion?

In fairness to full disclosure, the rockets were fired by Hamas supporters, the other significant faction within the Palestinian government. But what is the obvious lesson here? The Palestinians themselves are in no condition to offer peace to anyone while still in such conflict with themselves. The Palestinian Authority cannot govern its own representatives now, how could it promise safety for Israel going into the future?

Mr. Abbas also said: "I wish to thank the President [Obama] for his commitment to provide support to the Palestinian people," and continued: "We hope to exercise normal life over the free state of Palestine with Jerusalem as its capital". Normal life? Two factions of the Palestinian Government at such odds that one faction fires rockets while the other presses for peace? Mr. Obama stated: ““It is a hard slog to work through all of these issues.''

“Hard slog” is not an honest representation of the situation. It will be impossible to bring peace through a two-state solution given these conditions. There will never be peace with a divided Jerusalem and patchwork borders that are not secure. The Time of Israel reported: “Obama should see what it’s like here,” says Sderot mother after rocket lands in her yard.

In the meantime, Israel awaits Presidential response to the Kassam rocket fire on Sderot from either Mr. Obama or Mr. Abbas. These rockets were launched from territory controlled by the Palestinian faction Hamas, and Hamas refuses to recognize Israel's right to exist and support peace. Yet during Operation Pillar of Defense, earlier this year when over 2,000 rockets were fired into Israel, Mr. Abbas stubbornly refused to disassociate himself from those attacks.

Israel has not yet issued a formal response to the attacks. According to the Jerusalem Post: “One government official said that Palestinian President Abbas cannot say he is a ‘peace-maker’ while staying silent when rockets are being fired on Israel.”

So there you have it…peacemaking with bombs in the background.

As always, we who care should pray and work for the true, lasting peace of Jerusalem.