Posted on 03/26/2003 7:03:33 AM PST by truthandlife
Did the President really say what I think he said?
Speaking in the White House Rose Garden earlier this month, with a clearly delighted Colin Powell at his side, George W. Bush went ahead and used the "O" word, as in "occupied", when describing Israel's heartland of Judea, Samaria and Gaza.
In laying out his vision for the establishment of a Palestinian state, Bush said that, "as progress is made toward peace, settlement activity in the occupied territories must end," with the implication being that Jewish housing construction somehow inhibits Middle Eastern harmony.
With the United States poised to liberate Baghdad, the President's use of the "O" word might seem to be a matter of secondary importance, as the entire region will soon undergo a fundamental transformation of historic proportions. America is about to reshuffle the Arab deck, with far-reaching consequences for nearly every country involved.
But with all the uncertainty regarding precisely what will emerge in the post-Saddam era, there is one issue about which there should be little doubt. Once the Iraqis get walloped, Russia, Europe and the Arab world will intensify their criticism, seeking to force Bush to "balance" his liberation of Iraq with independence for the Palestinians.
In fact, such pressure is already starting to mount. As the New York Times reported, Bush's statement came as "a result of pressure from British Prime Minister Tony Blair." Blair, the Times noted, has been demanding that the White House adopt the roadmap leading to a Palestinian state so as "to quell the anger throughout the Arab world over the Bush administration's perceived focus on Iraq."
Hence, the President's reference to the "occupied territories", and his call for the establishment of a Palestinian state, should not be written off lightly. Rather, it is just a small taste of what is yet to come.
To be fair, the White House's stance on Judea, Samaria and Gaza is hardly new. American presidents have long been vocally opposed to the expansion of Jewish communities in the territories, even as they remained inexplicably silent about the illegal growth of neighboring Arab villages.
But Bush is not just any American president. Unlike his predecessors, he has pushed Yasser Arafat into a corner, courageously stood up to Saddam Hussein, underlined the need for democratization of the Arab world and launched a far-reaching global war on terror. It may sound clichèd, but he is by far "the best friend Israel has had in the White House" in a good long time.
And that is what makes his latest remarks so puzzling.
For, as a number of recent stories in the US press have made amply clear, Bush is a religious man who takes his Christian faith seriously. And yet, if Jesus were alive today, the US State Department would likely criticize him for being a Jewish settler and an obstacle to peace.
After all, according to the Christian bible, Jesus was a Jew born in Bethlehem, which is south of Jerusalem in what Colin Powell considers the "occupied territory" of Judea. His parents were Jews who undoubtedly prayed at a local Bethlehem synagogue, learned Torah at a local study-hall, and bought food at the local kosher marketplace. Thus, they were Jewish settlers in every respect.
Needless to say, the Christian bible itself contains no mention of the word "Palestine" or "Palestinians", for the simple reason that they did not exist. All told, in the Torah and the Christian bible, the terms "Judah" or "Judea" appear 877 times, and "Samaria" is used on 123 occasions. There is no reference to phrases such as the "West Bank" or "occupied territories," as Islam had not yet even come into being.
It is therefore hard to understand why the President would consent to pressure Israel to turn over Judea, Samaria and Gaza to the Palestinians, for he would appear to be acting contrary to what his own hallowed text would seem to demonstrate, namely that these areas belong to the Jewish people and no one else.
The same goes for Israel's capital, where many of the events in the Christian bible, such as the last supper on Mount Zion, the denunciation in the Garden of Gethsemane and the crucifixion on Golgotha are all described as having taken place in Jerusalem --- in Roman-occupied Jewish Jerusalem, that is. Hence, Christians who accept Palestinian demands to Jerusalem are essentially denying the validity of their own traditions.
It is imperative, then, that American Christian supporters of Israel launch an all-out effort to remind President Bush of these facts, and to counter the pressure he is coming under from the likes of Tony Blair and Colin Powell.
Bush is an honest and decent man, who is true to himself and to his belief system. But he is facing enormous pressure to mollify the Arabs at the expense of the Jewish state, and will therefore need a great deal of public backing behind him if he is to stand up against such pressure.
Since Bush is a man of faith, Christian supporters of Israel should appeal to him using a faith-based approach, pointing out that the Christianity he professes to believe in provides ample evidence that places such as Bethlehem and Hebron have nothing to do with the Palestinians and everything to do with Israel.
Of course, as a Jew, I personally look to the Torah for validation of my people's unbreakable connection to the Land of Israel and exclusive rights to it. As far as I am concerned, the views of the Prophets take precedence over those of Colin Powell any day.
Once the war in Iraq is over, though, President Bush will likely have to make a choice between the two. Now is the time for American Christians to speak out and remind him that when it comes to politics versus prophecy, the man of faith must ultimately follow his heart.
| Let your voice be heard! To express your concerns about the administration's plan for the Holy Land, you may contact President George W. Bush by fax: (202) 456-2461, (Andrew Card, Chief of Staff) or by e-mail. Dr. Condoleeza Rice, National Security Advisor, FAX (202) 456-2883, PHONE (202) 456-9491 Mr. Elliot Abrams, the Director for Near East and North African Affairs, at FAX (202) 456-9120, and by phone through his secretary Joanna, (202) 456-9121 Donald H. Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense, 1000 Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC 20301-1000 or by e-mail form: http://www.defenselink.mil/ Paul Wolfowitz, Deputy Secretary of Defense, 1010 Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC 20301-1010 or by e-mail form http://www.defenselink.mil |
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Touche (that's French, you know)
But is it true that drinking French wines can give you internal warts?
"If God lived on earth, people would break his windows." ~ Jewish Proverb
Mark 13:14 But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:
Luke 21:20-22
20 And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.
21 Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.
22 For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
>>>Today, in our church service, Laura and I prayed for the coalition
forces, those in the coalition forces who lost their lives. We pray for
their families. We ask God's comfort for those who mourn today. And we
thank all the coalition forces for their bravery and courage in Operation
Iraqi Freedom. <<<
http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/03/23/sprj.irq.bush.transcript/
Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath
anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up
the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of
the prison to them that are bound;
Isaiah 61:2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of
vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;
When President Bush passes from this life he will answer to a focus group, the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.
"Didn't you read the Bible? Did you think I lied when I gave the Jews all of that land for eternity?"
You want to give statehood to the ones who cheered for Hussein when U.S. GI's were desecrated on TV?
You hypocrite appeaser for supporting the war in Iraq, but then propping up the worst of all terrorists!
More than 3,000 years of History, going back to Joshua and the Gibeonitess, amply demonstate that when Israel trades parcels of the Promised Land for "peace," they are soon attacked from that occupied land by their "peace partners."
To the extent that President Bush fails to understand this, it will become a snare to him.
Are we already seeing the snare in Iraq? The worst wind storm in Iraq's history, a dificult campaign in Iraq (will take longer than expected), dead GI's being paraded on TV, etc. Only time will tell and I hope this is not the case. We need to pray for President Bush.
The God who created Monarch butterflies, and put star configurations in our visible space, He inspired the scriptures and miraculously put them all together. Nothing in the core information is out of line in the slightest, according to the Son of God.
Just like we witness to unbelievers, you gotta decide if Jesus was crazy or if He was the Son of God, like He said He was.
Read the Koran.
Re-read the FReeper posts here you have skipped.
Moderate Islam is a Trojan Horse for militant Islam.
Arguing with your denial (and rebellion) is futile.
The pressure from the international community will be as severe as it has ever been to get a 2-state solution on track and moving. Heck, just this week during PM Questions Tony Blair was asked by an MP if he would take concrete steps to, "encourage the Israelis to dismantle their illegal settlements" once the war ends.
I think the massive negativity towards the US evident around the world will have the following effect on the American people: there's an inherent sense of "fairness" in proposing a 2-state solution, and US pressure on Israel to make concessions would go over favorably with the rest of the international community. Naturally, we Americans want to be liked and admired, so the average Joe isn't likely to brook any real or perceived Israeli intransigence in negotiations.
Personally, I'm tired of having to send billions in bribe--err, I mean "foreign aid"--money to keep the Egyptians and other Arab countries "at peace" with Israel. A post-war Iraq that is willing to recognize the state of Israel (with other Arab states willing to follow) in return for substantive, meaningful talks with the Israelis on the 2-state issue is going to get the full backing of both the White House and 10 Downing Street, mark my words.
We're currently removing a large sponsor of ME terrorism; it's high time we receive some sort of reciprocation from our Israeli friends after the war.
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