Israel is a thorn. Its existence irks the Arabic world. It was created out of whole cloth in 1948, out of British controlled territory. The State of Palestine was also created in 1948. The Arabs rejected it. Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan attacked Israel, launching the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. 700,000 "palestinians" fled or were ejected. They were the enemy.
Today, the Arabs of the Palestinian territories demand a state, something that they rejected twice before. They demand a "right of return to settle within ISRAELI borders, though they and their ancestors can be considered enemies of Israel. They left to allow attacking armies to kill Israelis. They are treated as refugees in ARABIC countries and are not allowed to assimilate and yet they blame the Jews for their situation. The current situation is of THEIR making.
In 1949, Israel signed an Armistice, almost derailed by the Muslim Brotherhood, with the warring Arab states, delineating the lines of control of the various participating countries. Lebanon withdrew behind its recognized border. Egypt withdrew, but kept control of Gaza. Jordan kept control of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and formally annexed the West Bank and East Jerusalem on April 24, 1950, giving all residents automatic Jordanian citizenship. West Bank residents had already received the right to claim Jordanian citizenship in December 1949. This, however, was rejected by all nations, except Great Britain. The US State Department also recognized the extension of Jordanian sovereignty.
So, how was Jordan's stewardship of East Jerusalem?
Jordan, although mandated by the UN to let Israeli Jews visit their holy sites, refused access to them. They also led a systematic destruction of the Jewish Quarter including many ancient synagogues. Under Jordanian rule of East Jerusalem, all Israelis (irrespective of their religion) were forbidden from entering the Old City and other holy sites. The Jewish Cemetery on the Mount of Olives was desecrated, with gravestones used to build latrines for Jordanian army barracks, and almost every synagogue was demolished in the period from 1948 to 1967.
Palestinian Arabs continued to cause trouble during this "peaceful" period, including the assassination of King Abdullah I of Jordan because they believed he was seeking a formal peace treaty with Israel.
And thus matters stood until the Six Day War in 1967, caused by Egypt's hostile blockades and the removal of peacekeepers. Jordan, instead of remaining neutral, attacked through the West Bank, and was pushed back. The Arab nations lost again. Israel occupied the West Bank as a protective buffer. Jordan ceded all claims to the West Bank in 1988, handing it to the Palestinian Liberation Organization, recognizing them as the sole representatives of the "Palestinian" people.
The PLO has conducted thousands of terrorist attacks against innocent civilians in Israel. They have rejected any peace treaties and walked out on a treaty formalizing a state in 2000. Do you think that they would be any better at allowing access to East Jerusalem than the Jordanians? Today, Christians and Christian holy sites are in danger in the West Bank. The Christians in Bethlehem have been terrorized into fleeing the town. Churches have been desecrated.
To the north is Syria and Lebanon. The KEY location on the border of Syria is the Golan Heights. From there, Syria was able to shell villages inside Israel with impunity. Seized in the Six Day War, the Heights provide a defensive buffer against further Syrian aggression.
The situation in Lebanon is complex. The terrorist organization, Hezbollah, is a major political and military power in the country. Repeated terrorist and military strikes by Hezbollah continue. Inside Lebanon, those that oppose Hezbollah politically are killed. Christians inside Lebanon are continually persecuted or attacked.
And then we come to the terrorist organization known as HAMAS.
Based largely on the principles of Islamic fundamentalism gaining momentum throughout the Arab world in the 1980s, Hamas was founded in 1987 as an offshoot of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (Remember them?). Co-founder Sheik Ahmed Yassin stated in 1987, and the Hamas Charter affirmed in 1988, that Hamas was founded to liberate Palestine from Israeli occupation and to establish an Islamic state in the area that is now Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. However, in July 2009, Khaled Meshal, Hamas's Syrian-based political bureau chief, said the organization was willing to cooperate with "a resolution to the Arab-Israeli conflict which included a Palestinian state based on 1967 borders," provided that Palestinian refugees hold the right to return to Israel and that East Jerusalem be the new nation's capital.
These are the principle of HAMAS. This and their charter have NEVER been changed.
"Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it." (The Martyr, Imam Hassan al-Banna, of blessed memory).
"The Islamic Resistance Movement believes that the land of Palestine is an Islamic Waqf consecrated for future Muslim generations until Judgement Day. It, or any part of it, should not be squandered: it, or any part of it, should not be given up. "
"There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are all a waste of time and vain endeavors."
"After Palestine, the Zionists aspire to expand from the Nile to the Euphrates. When they will have digested the region they overtook, they will aspire to further expansion, and so on. Their plan is embodied in the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion", and their present conduct is the best proof of what we are saying."
And so, now we have a president of the United States agreeing with terrorist organizations that want to wipe the nation of Israel from the map. President Obama states,
So while the core issues of the conflict must be negotiated, the basis of those negotiations is clear: a viable Palestine, and a secure Israel. The United States believes that negotiations should result in two states, with permanent Palestinian borders with Israel, Jordan, and Egypt, and permanent Israeli borders with Palestine. The borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps, so that secure and recognized borders are established for both states. The Palestinian people must have the right to govern themselves, and reach their potential, in a sovereign and contiguous state.
What "core issues" can be negotiated with the PLO and HAMAS? How does one negotiate with someone whose stated purpose is your death? ITS IN THEIR CHARTER! What "mutually agreed swaps" can be negotiated when Israel is supposed to unilaterally retreat to the pre-1967 borders? When Israel gave up control of the Gaza, the world was told that there would be "peace in our time." HAMAS uses that land to launch rockets. They celebrate the murder of children.
Israel withdrew from "contested" territory to appease Hezbollah. The rockets still rain down.
FATAH, the political arm of the PLO controls the West Bank. It is only the conflict with HAMAS that has driven FATAH to peace talks.
FATAH and HAMAS are now agreeing to cooperate.
The Muslim Brotherhood, founded by a Nazi sympathizer, is poised to greatly influence Egypt, if not gain control. They wish to cancel the peace treaty with Israel and declare war. President Obama wants to cancel $1 billion dollars in debt and give them billions more. President Obama cheers peaceful coexistence and yet wants to finance an organization known for killing Christians and burning churches. They are infamous for terror attacks throughout Egypt. Offshoots of the Muslim Brotherhood include Al Quaeda.
And he wants to give them billions.
Furthermore, either President Obama is delusional or incompetent. Or he's just talking for election cameras:
As for security, every state has the right to self-defense, and Israel must be able to defend itself – by itself – against any threat. Provisions must also be robust enough to prevent a resurgence of terrorism; to stop the infiltration of weapons; and to provide effective border security. The full and phased withdrawal of Israeli military forces should be coordinated with the assumption of Palestinian security responsibility in a sovereign, non-militarized state. The duration of this transition period must be agreed, and the effectiveness of security arrangements must be demonstrated.
These principles provide a foundation for negotiations. Palestinians should know the territorial outlines of their state; Israelis should know that their basic security concerns will be met. I know that these steps alone will not resolve this conflict. Two wrenching and emotional issues remain: the future of Jerusalem, and the fate of Palestinian refugees.
"Provisions must also be robust enough to prevent a resurgence of terrorism; to stop the infiltration of weapons; and to provide effective border security." Is he serious? Israel cannot do this NOW. If they agree to his terms, security will be impossible. Obama is essentially relying on the "good will" of terror organizations that have never wavered from their stated intent to destroy Israel. And why did he insert and emphasize "by itself" into the speech?
Of course, all of this is just theater. Obama will say anything to get elected. Proof? Here's his speech in 2008 when he was seeking the support of AIPAC. Some telling excerpts:
Before I begin, I want to say that I know some provocative e-mails have been circulating throughout Jewish communities across the country. A few of you may have gotten them. They're filled with tall tales and dire warnings about a certain candidate for president. And all I want to say is — let me know if you see this guy named Barack Obama, because he sounds pretty frightening.
Its a shame that they didn't heed those emails.
But 60 years later, we know that we cannot relent, we cannot yield, and as president I will never compromise when it comes to Israel's security. Not when there are still voices that deny the Holocaust. Not when there are terrorist groups and political leaders committed to Israel's destruction. Not when there are maps across the Middle East that don't even acknowledge Israel's existence, and government-funded textbooks filled with hatred toward Jews. Not when there are rockets raining down on Sderot, and Israeli children have to take a deep breath and summon uncommon courage every time they board a bus or walk to school.
And he wants to hand Israel's security to those people that draw those maps.
The long road to peace requires Palestinian partners committed to making the journey. We must isolate Hamas unless and until they renounce terrorism, recognize Israel's right to exist, and abide by past agreements. There is no room at the negotiating table for terrorist organizations.
Except, of course, when there is.
And then, he lied. If we had only known then, what, "Let me be clear...." meant.
Let me be clear. Israel's security is sacrosanct. It is non-negotiable. The Palestinians need a state that is contiguous and cohesive, and that allows them to prosper — but any agreement with the Palestinian people must preserve Israel's identity as a Jewish state, with secure, recognized and defensible borders. Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel, and it must remain undivided.
Undivided.
Still believe him? Maybe those emails were right.
Remember, if peace was truly desired, all it would take would be for the enemies of Israel to lay down their arms. Peace would ensue. If Israel lays down THEIR arms, another holocaust would result.
Shalom.
Labels: Barack Obama, hamas, hezbollah, islamic terrorism, Israel, PLO
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