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.

NO HARM, NO FOUL?

I am in Nashville, Tennessee at the largest annual gathering of religious broadcasters in the U.S. as one of several representatives of the Israel Allies Foundation. The Israel Allies Foundation works with parliaments around the world to mobilize political support for Israel based on Judeo-Christian values. We build an active global network of faith-based, pro-Israel legislators. As a part of our primary mission, we build formal and direct lines of communication between the government of Israel and Christian leaders worldwide, equipping Christians for political advocacy.

There is a light snow falling on this March Saturday in Nashville. The temperature is a bit above freezing so the flakes fall harmlessly onto the surface and quickly disappear. No harm, no foul.

However, in Israel at 2pm today (Shabbat), three Syrian mortars fell in the southern Golan Heights near moshav Ramat Mashimim. While none of the mortars caused injuries, this is deeply troubling.

The incident is the deepest and southernmost penetration of Syrian fire into Israeli territory in years. While the Israeli Defense Force believes it is nothing more than errant fire spilling over from Syria’s internal conflict, it follows another incident on Wednesday of this week when a tank shell landed in the central Golan community of Alonei Habashan. In that case, there were also no injuries.

Let’s be clear, these are NOT snowflakes. In each case there could have been injuries or death. This is what Israelies must live with on a regular basis. Shabbat, above all days in the week, families gather in homes and parks to enjoy life together. The terror these incidents incite, does cause harm.

The need to stand for peaceful borders for the State of Israelis not an imaginary cause. This is real. This is now.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

ZION UNDER SEIGE

Zionism is the belief that the Jewish people have a right to exist in peace in the biblical land of Israel - the historical birthplace of the Jewish people.

This week, while addressing the UN Alliance of Civilizations conference in Vienna, the Turkish Prime Minister equated Zionism to “a crime against humanity.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sharply condemned the remark calling it a "dark and mendacious statement, the likes of which we thought had passed from the world." Thankfully, the United States and the United Nations joined the criticism with John Kerry, the newly confirmed U.S. Secretary of State declaring: “We not only disagree with it, we found it objectionable.” Objectionable? It should be resolutely condemned in no uncertain terms. Surprisingly, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was even a little stronger declaring: “it is unfortunate that such hurtful and divisive comments were uttered at a meeting being held under the theme of responsible leadership.” This is a welcome but unusual departure from its normal anti-Israel stand.

What is really stunning for me in all of this is the ease in which a world leader can hold such prejudicial views toward the very idea of a Jewish homeland. Just a reminder to the world: the State of Israel is not a concept, it is a reality, it is not a hoped for possibility, it is a biblically promised land. There can be no tolerance for a position as hateful, menacing and contrary to the Bible as declared by the Turkish Leader.

Jews and Christians alike should pay attention to the gathering clouds. We must not be caught off guard be a rising tide of anti-Semitism and anti-Biblicalism.

We should pray for these situations. We must also find definitive ways to let our voices be heard by our political leaders. We can make a difference.

And as always, pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

IT'S PERSONAL

Breaking news from the Jerusalem Post: “JERUSALEM PLACED ON HIGH ALERT AMID TERROR THREAT.” “Police, firefighters, paramedics in state of increased preparedness as result of intelligence reports of terror threat to capital.”

This kind of alert is thankfully rare in Jerusalem, but the last time this happened a year and a half ago, several roadblocks were set up in the Pizgat Ze’ev neighborhood at the French Hill Junction. Why is that especially important to me? It’s personal, our very best friends in Israel live in French Hill.

Sharon and I were in their home several times just two weeks ago. On one night we borrowed apple cider vinegar from their upstairs neighbor so I could teach my friend how to make babba gnoush. I was taught by my spiritual father, Cost Deir, who was raised in pre-World War II palestine and who made great baba gnoush. His “baba” would find its way onto the table that night. Aruchat Shabbat (Friday night dinner) is the main meal of the week in any religious Jewish family. Candles, prayers, laughter, joy, wine, bread…and many small and large dishes filled with a wonderful variety of delicacies. Three delightful boys, a young couple, friendly neighbors and now “high alert.” Yes, for me it is very personal.

This immediate crisis will pass, but the realities of life among those dedicated to the destruction of the Jewish State and the Jewish people will guarantee that more crises will come.

In Zechariah 8:4-7 it states: ”This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each of them with cane in hand because of their age. The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there.” This is what the Lord Almighty says: “It may seem marvelous to the remnant of this people at that time, but will it seem marvelous to me?” declares the Lord Almighty. This is what the Lord Almighty says: “I will save my people from the countries of the east and the west. I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be my people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God.”

God’s biblical declaration points the way for Jews and Christians alike. We must support the well being of Jerusalem. For me, it has become very personal. I hope for you as well.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.