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During the presidential administrations since the creation of the nation-state of Israel in 1948, Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush put significant pressure on Israel to negotiate with its enemies. Threatening to cut off or diminish financial aid and/or military support was the tool most effectively used. In contrast, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush were the most consistent friends, rarely pressuring Israel unrealistically to negotiate. Our current president represents a significant change. In his now famous Cairo speech, Obama demanded that Israel freeze its settlements in the West Bank and enter into peace negotiations with the Palestinians based on the principle of two states. Obama has also seemingly lined up Israel’s allies in Congress to support his policies with Israel. This was most obvious during the recent visit of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the US. Netanyahu heard a consistent and fairly unified message—end the settlements and negotiate with the Palestinians.
The problem with our new president’s strategy is that the Middle East situation is not the same as it was during the Carter and Bush-1 years. Israel has mortal enemies to its north (Hezbollah), to its West (Hamas in Gaza) and of course to its east (Iran). Each is forcibly determined to eradicate the nation of Israel. Even if Israel agrees to a peace treaty based on the two-state solution with the Palestinians (i.e., Fatah), its mortal enemies are still at its borders. For that reason, the list below summarizes some vital facts about Israel, the world and the Middle East. The United States alone remains the unique friend and supporter of Israel. If we pull that support, the very existence of Israel is in jeopardy.
- Nationhood and Jerusalem—Israel became a nation in 1446 BC [called so in Exodus 12:2—“The whole community of Israel”], over two thousand years before the rise of Islam.
- Arab refugees in Israel began identifying themselves as part of a Palestinian people in 1967, two decades after the establishment of the modern State of Israel.
- Since the Jewish conquest of Canaan in about 1400 BC, the Jews have had dominion over the land for one thousand years with a continuous presence in the land for the past 3,300 years.
- The only Arab dominion since the conquest of Palestine in AD 635 lasted no more than 22 years.
- For over 3,300 years, Jerusalem has been the Jewish capital. Jerusalem has never been the capital of any Arab or Muslim entity. Even when the Jordanians occupied Jerusalem, they never sought to make it their capital, and Arab leaders did not come to visit.
- Jerusalem is mentioned over 700 times in the Jewish Holy Scriptures. Jerusalem is not mentioned once in the Koran.
- King David founded the city of Jerusalem. Mohammed never came to Jerusalem.
- Jews pray facing Jerusalem. Muslims pray toward Mecca, with their backs toward Jerusalem.
- Arab and Jewish Refugees: In 1948 the Arab refugees were encouraged to leave Israel by Arab leaders promising to purge the land of Jews. Sixty-eight percent left without ever seeing an Israeli soldier.
- The Jewish refugees were forced to flee from Arab lands due to Arab brutality, persecution and pogroms.
- The number of Arab refugees who left Israel in 1948 is estimated to be around 630,000. The number of Jewish refugees from Arab lands is estimated to be the same.
- Arab refugees were INTENTIONALLY not absorbed or integrated into the Arab lands to which they fled, despite the vast Arab territory. Out of the 100,000,000 refugees since World War II, theirs is the only refugee group in the world that has never been absorbed or integrated into their own people's lands. Jewish refugees were completely absorbed into Israel, a country no larger than the state of New Jersey.
- The Arab-Israeli Conflict: The Arabs are represented by eight separate nations, not including the Palestinians. There is only one Jewish nation. The Arab nations initiated all five wars and lost. Israel defended itself each time and won.
- The PLO's Charter still calls for the destruction of the State of Israel. Israel has given the Palestinians most of the West Bank land, autonomy under the Palestinian Authority, and has supplied them. Hezbollah and Hamas (along with Iran) call for the liquidation of the state of Israel.
- Under Jordanian rule, Jewish holy sites were desecrated and the Jews were denied access to places of worship. Under Israeli rule, all Muslim and Christian sites have been preserved and made accessible to people of all faiths.
- The UN Record on Israel and the Arabs: Of the 175 Security Council resolutions passed before 1990, 97 were directed against Israel.
- Of the 690 General Assembly resolutions voted on before 1990, 429 were directed against Israel.
- The UN was silent while 58 Jerusalem synagogues were destroyed by the Jordanians.
- The UN was silent while the Jordanians systematically desecrated the ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives.
- The UN was silent while the Jordanians enforced an apartheid-like policy of preventing Jews from visiting the Temple Mount and the Western Wall.
The Bible is rather clear—Israel is the center of Bible prophecy, and God blesses those who bless Israel (Genesis 12:3). The above factual statements should help us maintain a proper perspective about Israel and the Middle East and they must inform US policy in this region.
See Jacob Weisberg in Newsweek (22 June 2009), p. 30. |
